A Day Well Spent with Jayden Ali
Words Billie Brand
Photography Kane Hulse
Jayden Ali, the 34-year-old architect, doesn’t want to design grand buildings. Instead, he and the team at his London-based practice, JA Projects, are more concerned with creating culturally rich and community-led spaces. Jayden began his career as a sole practitioner in 2012, when he was an architecture student, devising a primary school in Bow for boys with complex behavioural issues. Since then, having founded his firm in 2017, he has worked with local people and businesses alike on numerous ventures that strive to make meaningful impacts, such as restoring Queen’s Market in Newham. He’s also composed the scheme for an exhibition at the V&A this year, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear – among much more. It’s little wonder Jayden’s been selected to co-curate the British pavilion at the Biennale Architettura in Venice in 2023.
But when we meet Jayden, he’s off duty. On a sunny autumn morning, he welcomes us into the Barbican flat he shares with his partner, set decorator Lotty Sanna. They have been living here since 2020, having struck gold on a deal during the pandemic when other urban dwellers were leaving the city. Jayden is in high spirits. Conversing with the particularly personable Londoner, who was born and raised in Bethnal Green, is like chatting with an old friend; he’s warm and present – and asks almost as much about us as we do about him. As we talk and walk around his corner of the capital, we discover that the preferences of things he likes to fill his day with are particularly modest. It’s fitting, as so is he – in spite of the buzz surrounding his impactful portfolio of work. “I don’t like to fill my day with loads of stuff,” he says. “I just love being in my space, with Lotty.”
Jayden, can you describe the place where you wake up?
I live in a fifth-floor flat in the Barbican, with my partner Lotty. It’s west-facing, overlooking the ponds and the piazza. It has an amazing view – you can see every bit of the development: the schools, the gardens, the low-rise buildings, the high-rise ones, plus the Golden Lane estate.
What was the appeal of living in the Barbican?
The Barbican has played such a pivotal role in my life. As a young kid, my mum worked in its restaurant and I would play in the fountains outside. When I was at primary school, I performed on its stage – the Barbican has partnerships with local schools and mine in Bethnal Green was one of them. My mum has the VHS recording of it. I also attended my MA graduation here; I have pictures of me here in my gown. And it’s the place where I met Lotty, so it’s quite romantic in our world. I have quite an emotional attachment to it.
What’s the best thing about mornings here?
That I can open my bedroom windows and see out to the tower blocks – they look like sculptures. The way the light falls on them – even though we’re west-facing – is beautiful. The sun rises in the east and the light bounces off the windows of the buildings and into my room. I like to watch the buildings for a bit – that’s a really lovely thing to do. You can see people rising and the world waking up. Then, when the sun sets and the lights start coming on, it looks like there are little lanterns being illuminated in each room.
Are you an early riser?
Most of the time I get up between 6 and 6.30am, but I would prefer to wake a little later – at 7am. It’s nice to get some tasks underway in the morning. I’ve got a very set routine. I like to go and put the kettle on. I restart my computer. Then I sit in bed and work for an hour – my brain is most active in the morning – with a glass of hot water. I don’t drink caffeine. Then, in an ideal scenario, I’d go for a run.
What’s your route?
I love running towards St Paul’s – that is such an amazing feeling. There’s a beautiful architectural moment there: a junction between Millennium Bridge, the Tate and the cathedral. It’s nice to engage with the river too.
When did you start running?
I’ve been doing it for a while – on and off, I must say. I’m ‘on’ now, which means I go a minimum of three times a week. I would love to run more though. I’ve always been relatively sporty – when I was younger, I was a pole-vaulter – but I also really value things like lying in bed. That’s important for my wellbeing too.
What does the afternoon entail?
Before I sit down to work, I like to do my dry cleaning – it’s nice to get some chores done. I go to Snow White Cleaners in Whitecross Street Market. It’s staffed by a man called Ahmed, who I go to see when I have a spare 20 minutes. We’ll chat and put the world to rights. Sometimes when I visit and he thinks I look stressed, he’ll buy me a tea and we sit outside together.
How did you establish a relationship with him?
I think it’s the power of Ahmed; some people have a pure energy. I don’t see him having the same relationship with everybody, but he always remembers my name. We ask about each other’s families – it’s the little things like that. I genuinely enjoy going to do my dry cleaning, because I get to engage with Ahmed. He really resets my day.
Now we’ve got the chores out the way, what’s next on the agenda?
After lunch I like to do more creative things. My work is rooted in a fair amount of research as well, so there will be lots of books lying open around the place. I love to just spend two hours reading and writing. But I’m definitely a laptop person, mainly because there is so much to manage all the time.
Is there a place in your flat that you find particularly inspiring to work?
Yes, the dining table is lovely. It’s Lotty’s and it has a glass top with gold pyramid-shaped legs. I think she brought the table back from a film she was working on. Sitting there you can see out over the Barbican and into the distance. It’s a beautiful place to work.
What projects are you focusing on at the moment?
We’re working on the interior of the V&A East. We’ll be designing everything you can see and touch, such as the gallery and circulation spaces. It’s a really physical project. Then there’s the Venice Biennale, but I can’t say too much about that yet.
What makes you say ‘yes’ to a brief?
If there’s a mission that we align with attached to it. But it’s also about the value that we can bring – if our lens will be useful. I’m interested in projects where we can contribute to the conversation.
What’s your favourite part of a project’s process?
That’s like picking between your babies! I actually find starting one tricky – but I also enjoy that there’s usually a conundrum to crack. Each project involves working with new people, who you have to get to grips with. It’s a riveting challenge. Once there’s an understanding between everyone and you get into gear, there’s an ideas-generating moment, which is really beautiful.
Is there anything you like to do separate the working day and the evening?
As the sun sets, Lotty and I like to go for a long walk. It’s something that became part of our routine during the pandemic and has stuck ever since. It’s nice to get out of the house together. We are both so busy with our work, so it’s important for us to have moments where we can just hang out.
Where do you like to go?
We like to switch up our route, because there are so many good ones around here. Walking through Smithfield Market is fun. If it’s a Sunday, we like to walk through the city. From Bank to London Bridge is nice when there are fewer people around. Or we just do a couple of good loops just around the Barbican. The sweet spot for me is walking for about 45 minutes.
Describe a dream evening at the flat.
Quite often, we like not doing anything – we sit and talk about life and aspirations. We don’t have a typical routine together because she spends six months of the year away working. I love just being in the space. We like to have a takeaway and watch a film together. Sometimes, we’ll head to Pham Sushi, near Guildhall, which is delicious.
How do you wind down?
I like to have a bath. Our bathroom is an original Barbican design. All the tiles fit precisely in the space.
What time do you go to bed?
I try to go to bed by 10pm. That way, Lotty and I can get up early and spend time together in the morning. But I used to work late into the night – I’d have no qualms about it because I love my work and making projects happen.
What work do you feel most proud of?
Queen’s Market is the kind of project I’m really interested in. It’s about the languages that are spoken there and the sounds that you hear. We’ve worked closely with the traders on it too – they have to come first. There’s no way we could do this without engaging with them in a deep way. We’ve also done arts and crafts days targeted towards young people, we’ve run women-only events and done workshops with elderly residents. The project might not have the glamour of Fashioning Masculinities, but it will change people’s lives.
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