Our London study trip in 2023 was an enjoyable exploration of architecture, streets, and urban life. We began by heading out to Kingston to see Grafton Architects’ Town House university building. Experiencing it firsthand highlighted how every detail contributes to a strong sense of place and civic engagement.

Back in central London, we visited the LSE, taking in O’Donnell and Tuomey’s buildings. The careful material choices, bold forms, and how the buildings sit within the campus streets immediately stood out. Inside the Grafton Architects’ LSE buildings, the play of light, the flow of circulation, and the scale of spaces felt both monumental and welcoming—a reminder of how interiors shape the way people move and interact.

Another highlight was our visit to the Sands End Arts and Community Centre by Mae Architects. The building felt playful, intelligent, gentle, and modest, tucked in behind an existing wall and the parkland. Generous public spaces, subtle material choices, and thoughtful detailing created an atmosphere that was both welcoming and purposeful, showing how contemporary civic architecture can support everyday social life while remaining inventive and sensitive to context.

As research for a new mews building commission, we wandered the lanes near Harrods and Knightsbridge, soaking up the character of these intimate streets. Narrow alleys, varied rooflines, and subtle shifts in materials gave each corner a distinct personality. And onwards to projects including 33/34 Architects and David Adjaye, we paused at Brompton Oratory and admired the loggia of the private residence by David Chipperfield, noticing how contemporary interventions can sit lightly within historic contexts, balancing innovation and restraint.

Walking these streets reinforced the value of seeing buildings in context. From the civic scale of Kingston, the LSE, and Sands End to the domestic, human-scaled mews, London offered a layered mix of history and modernity. The textures of stone, the play of light through alleyways, and quiet moments in carefully designed interiors reminded us that architecture is as much about the spaces between buildings as the buildings themselves.

The trip left us with a renewed appreciation for the richness of observing, walking, and experiencing architecture in the city.