"You say to a brick, 'What do you want, brick?' and brick says to you, 'I like an arch,' and you say to brick, 'Look, I want one too but arches are expensive and I can use a concrete lintel,' and then you say: 'What do you think of that, brick? Brick says: 'I like an arch.'" - Louis Kahn 55 & 57 Tower Bridge Road are two very interesting sites that lie within the Bermondsey Street Conservation Area. Both sites, being very long and narrow (approx. 35x 4.5m), retain their historic plots that date back to c. 1800. David Stanley Architects were appointed by both clients of the two adjacent sites in March 2012 to undertake a study and propose a scheme for their development. The brief stipulated that although the schemes would be developed and built in tandem the clients would retain ownership of their respective plots of land once development was complete. The proposal, which is currently in for planning permission, is therefore to demolish the two existing buildings and construct two new 4-storey buildings plus basement in their place. The new building at 55 Tower Bridge Road will comprise a mix of D1/ A1/ A2/ A3 occupancy at basement and ground floor levels with 3 levels of residential units above. The new building at 57 Tower Bridge Road will comprise of A1/ A2/ A3 occupancy at basement and ground floor levels again with 3 levels of residential units above.