I walk through the John Henry Brookes Building (JHBB) at Oxford Brookes University on a daily basis but I have never actually taken a good long look at it and absorbed its magnificence. When I first walked through the building to collect my Biometric Restriction Card, I was entranced by the design in the Brookes Union room. It was no surprise when I found out that Oxford Brookes University had won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award. Just the site of this room alone explained the judges reasons for giving the award to Oxford Brookes.

Turning left from Brookes Union, you come across Deli which is the canteen I always go to when I am waiting for the bus back home to Witney. As you approach Deli, on the left is the Union Bar which also has quite a bright and beautifully designed wall. The seating arrangement is very relaxed as it has a couch as well as small tables. It has the look of both a cafe and a lounge for students to socialise in.

A flight of stairs separating Deli and Union Bar is a flight of stairs that takes you to the floor which has JHB Lecture Theatre and part of the library. The three floors above have classrooms. Going for a class doesn’t feel like a dreadful activity because the colours of the walls liven up the place and lift up your spirits even slightly as you walk to your lecture. The first floor landing over looks the Forum and again, since Oxford Brookes is so vibrant, its dotted with pink benches to balance out the grey.

It’s not a surprise at all that Oxford Brookes has won an award in Architecture because the things that students applying for the course learn are obviously applied right here at the university. It sets a great example and tells us that the lecturers are not just parroting what they have read in text books but are giving students relevant information that will help them design more buildings with exquisite aesthetic like this one in the future.