Local firm DSDHA has completed a workshop building for jeweller Alex Monroe near London's Tower Bridge, featuring a facade covered by horizontal metal slats that allows passers by a glimpse of the jewellers at work.

DSDHA previously designed a studio and boutique for Monroe that was completed in 2012 in the same area of Bermondsey on the south bank of the River Thames.
The new workshop is located within a ten-minute walk of the earlier project, in a part of town that was historically home to many trades, including leather and tanning workshops and breweries.

"When I realised we needed a new manufacturing centre I was keen to work with DSDHA again," said the designer and jewellery maker. "We have designed a space that enhances and improves our design and craft practices, communication and staff well-being." The project's site on Tower Bridge Road places it within a typical London streetscape comprising housing, shops and hostelries. Adjacent streets retain the area's industrial character, which the architects sought to reference in the new building.

"Analysis of context has been fundamental in the development of a design which is of its time, yet maintains a strong sense of local identity, capturing the creativity and craftsmanship associated with this address," said DSDHA.
An existing three-storey building was demolished to make way for the four-storey structure, which houses the workshop on its ground floor, with offices accommodated on ...