The commission for Tower Bridge House dates back to 1987 when RRP was appointed by Taylor Woodrow Development Limited to design a new office building at the corner of East Smithfield and St Katharine’s Way at the edge of the City of London. The building would provide seven floors of office accommodation, and retail space that would serve St Katharine’s Dock and other nearby offices. The new building replaces an outdated office building constructed in the 1960s which itself was built on the site of the Telford warehouses destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.

Construction of Tower Bridge House was delayed for many years until the tenancy of the existing building expired. During this period the planning consent was reviewed at regular intervals. The design was also modified in response to changes in the brief and advances in building technology. The current planning consent was granted in 1999 with a stipulation that a tenant was found for the new building before the existing one was demolished.