Last week saw Associated Architects down tools for a day on our annual away day. This year the whole of the office traveled to Oxford to stay in the Grade I listed, Arne Jacobsen designed, St Catherine’s College. After being treated to supper at the head table in the Great Hall, the practice witnessed an explosive red sky as the sun disappeared – the perfect backdrop to view the college.

We were also blessed with a tour by Peter Denney, the project architect of the college from 1964 – 1970, who gave us a fascinating insight into the history, design and build of the college and enabling us access to parts of the campus that we wouldn’t have seen. A walking tour of the city enabled us to see many of Oxford’s architectural highlights, including a guided tour of the Blavatnik School of Government; an RIBA 2016 Award winner by Herzog & de Meuron.