London Office Summer Trip 2025

10 July 2025

In early July, Eckersley O’Callaghan’s London Office made their way to Folkestone for the annual summer trip. Taking in the scenery, the group enjoyed two days of architectural talks and tours, sandcastle building, skateboarding at the world’s first multi-story skatepark, and a wonderful dinner at Rocksalt.

The team’s programme was centered around the regeneration of the faded beauty of the seaside town of Folkestone. Local businessman Roger De Haan established the Creative Foundation in 2002, and since then his investment has driven the revitalisation of the Creative Quarter, centered on the Old High Street.

His investment is transforming the harbour area. We had a tour of the recently completed first phase of the acme masterplan for the harbour. A is For Architecture have recently gained planning permission for the large scale development of the future phases, for which Eckersley O’Callaghan is providing structural, civil and facade engineering design. Duarte Lobo Antunes of A is for Architecture hosted a talk and walking tour of the Harbour Development which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Later that day, the aptly named Sunny Sands Beach was turned into a temporary construction site for a giant sandcastle building competition! With buckets and spades at the ready, the teams chose their project site and voted for the winners, based on their creative flair, circularity, use of natural resources, and structural stability.

In the evening followed a fabulous team dinner at Rocksalt Restaurant, designed by architect Hollaway Studio. With some karaoke to end the night, everyone had a great time.

The next day, the trip concluded with a visit to the world’s first multi-story skatepark, F51. Its architect Guy Hollaway gave us an insightful talk about the design and engineering needed for the successful completion of the skatepark. The team then dropped into the bowls to test their skills, followed by fish and chips on the beach before we headed home.

This fantastic trip was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the year’s successes and engage in some fun teambuilding for everyone in the London office. We are all looking forward to next year’s destination!