Natural stone and terrazzo specialist Diespeker & Co has embarked on an upgrade and extension of its south-east London premises.
The estimated £2.5m investment underlines the company’s commitment to remaining in South Bermondsey, where it has been located for over 35 years since moving from Diespeker Wharf in north London. It reflects a continued upward trend in business which has seen a 150% turnover increase over the past five years.
Planned works include a refurbishment of the factory to improve efficiency and increase capacity. This includes a restructure to the layout, with internal walls removed to facilitate a more streamlined, open-plan factory process. New factory equipment to be installed includes a CNC machine, saws and polishing machine plus an enhanced dust extraction system.
At the same time, the main building is to receive an overhaul. Initially the existing roof is being removed and replaced with a temporary one to allow for an extension to the top floor outward over the factory roof and the existing roadside parking area to provide an extra 400 to 450sqm of space.
The façade itself is to receive a makeover based on Art Deco designs of the 1920s with KHA Architects on board to oversee this element of the refurbishment. Construction will be undertaken in-house using a variety of natural stone as well as Diespeker’s latest bespoke material Rubblazzo which reuses rubble from London.
With solar panels providing electricity for the factory and recycled water from the roof being used in the factory processes, Diespeker hopes to lead the way in a sector not best known for good eco-credentials.
The work is scheduled to take between two to three years and has been planned to minimise impact on client projects as both factory and office operations continue as normal.
Diespeker Managing Director, John Krause said: “While moving to an out-of-town, purpose-built premises was considered momentarily, Diespeker has strong roots in the area and ties with many local businesses including fabricators. It’s also accessible to core clients such as architects and designers.
“Additionally, with this investment we are making a solid pledge to providing ongoing employment in this area of south-east London. This development really cements our place at the forefront of our industry and lays the foundations for the coming decades at Diespeker.”
