Monumentality and Silence

A reflection on monastic architecture

Can our loud cities listen and learn from the silence of the monastery?

Monumental buildings encapsulate history, and at the same time they are actively present in the future. This academic enquiry aims at deconstructing and understanding what monumental buildings are in the context of contemporary society. In an era of unprecedented plurality of styles, and few limits to technological achievements, I intend to explore the context within which monumental buildings impact on our society and how they embody the memory of current times and carry it through to future generations.

I have a particular interest in monastic architecture. Monasteries are well-balanced metabolic machines to protect and replicate knowledge, and designed to respond to practical and ethereal circumstances. Often designed as a self-sustainable compound, monasteries were structured to produce their own food, provide shelter for their inhabitants, a place to store and propagate knowledge and as a place for spiritual reflection. Activities would happen inside and outside of the interlinking buildings, organised around a focal cloister, where a water fountain would often be found.

As an architectural language, monastic buildings inspire contemplation and awe through simplicity, light manipulation and scale. The buildings are often made of materials from its surrounding environment; stone, clay and wood. The walls would be crafted carefully to extrapolate the conventional role of a wall, serving as seating, natural light deflection, candle holders, book shelves, side tables and many other functions.

I intend to explore the monastery as a typology in my dissertation, hopping to understand its relevance in today’s context.