There’s only so much you can learn about a place from behind a screen and there’s only so much you can get to know the people you work with from behind one too.

AWW’s study trips are just one of things that make AWW a little bit unique… The annual chance to step away from projects and deadlines, experience excellent architecture first hand and, just as importantly, spend some proper time together as a team.

Last year took us to Lisbon; this year, our Bristol and London studios came together a little closer to home for a day exploring the capital.

Learning from London

We started at the New London Architecture Centre, where Owen Wainhouse introduced us to the NLA and its work across the capital, followed by a bespoke presentation from Roger Walsh of JTRE on Appleby Blue Almshouse, winner of the 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize.

From there, we headed out for visits to Norton Folgate and Exchange Square, meeting members of the teams from Stanton Williams, Staticus and Fletcher Priest Architects.

Hearing directly from the people behind the projects and experiencing the spaces first-hand gave us a much better understanding of their scale, materiality, movement and relationship with the wider city - the things drawings and photographs can only tell you so much about. Then it was time to change the pace....

For the afternoon, we wanted to do something that got everyone exploring the city – and mixing with people they might not usually work alongside.

Enter DE:CODE London.

Part treasure hunt, part architectural challenge and part Race Across the World, with fewer tropical landscapes and considerably more London pigeons. Eight teams were sent across the city armed with clues, challenges and a WhatsApp connection to my team. There was a trophy, a prize, a whistle and, importantly, a megaphone.

It was competitive, occasionally chaotic and a lot of fun, but there was a purpose behind it too.

With two studios, busy teams and over 100 live projects on the go at any one time, making time to come together properly is an important part of AWW’s culture. Days like this give us a chance to step outside our usual circles, build relationships and create shared experiences that come back into the studio with us.

That connection lasts long after the study trip. It makes it easier to pick up the phone, ask a question, collaborate across teams and ultimately feel part of one AWW.

I feel lucky that dreaming up days like this and bringing them together is part of my job. There’s a lot of planning behind the scenes, but for me, the best bit is seeing what comes from it afterwards. Seeing newer members of the team feel more established and comfortable, people chatting to colleagues they might not have known before, or simply having a shared story to laugh about back in the studio. 

Those little moments are probably the biggest sign that it was all worth it – although seeing everyone genuinely enjoying themselves on the day is pretty special too.

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