Containing 16 flats of different sizes, this housing development is situated in the borough of Southwark, an area once dominated by trade and warehouses, legendary theatres and pubs. Today, there are still many tokens of this historical past. In designing the present scheme, the architects reversed the features of the warehouse, creating large areas of transparent walling, with solid surfaces where the openings occur. In place of windows, they set heavy sliding doors with larch boarding, the rough surfaces of which are boldly contrasted with the smooth, reflecting glazing and anodized-aluminium panels. These three elements are independent of the load-bearing structure, so that neither floor slabs nor columns are visible.