Theatre is celebrated and brought to life with an animated façade where the residents are the players. A boutique, residential development in the heart of Southwark provides 86 residential units in a tenure-blind mix which includes market housing, social rent and shared ownership as well as homes for wheelchair users. The whole area is alive with the theatre with Shakespeare’s Globe, The National Theatre, The Old and Young Vic nearby. Costumes for productions have been produced adjacent to the site for many decades. It was this connection which inspired the design response, specifically in the dramatic corner piece which is conceived as a series of shuttered perforated boxes which residents control in response to the external light conditions. The scheme is part of the wider vision to bring Blackfriars Road back to life, linking it with the regeneration areas of Bankside and Elephant and Castle. An active frontage contains new and retained retail space and a cafe to the ground floor, with new landscaped public realm integrated in the scheme. The inclusive, contemporary design is a composition of elements of varying heights, from 6 to 10 storeys with repeating design details. The continuation of the architectural language unifies the scheme. Warm and calm brick colours combine with the gleaming, metal corner form, which as well as providing the drama, also extends the balconies and creates a transition from one element to another. The Residence achieves CfSH Level 4 and is Lifetime Homes – Building for Life compliant for the residential units and BREEAM Excellent for the commercial areas.