The Garden Bench by Eleanor Dodman Architects, 150 Cheapside
The Garden Bench © Agnese Sanvito
The Garden Bench pays homage to the historic pocket parks that are scattered around the City of London, integrating moments of planting into the City streets. The bench is made of steel, with sustainable cork seats, and the planting incorporates edible and medicinal herbs whose smell spreads throughout the streets as a reminder of the existence of green space in the City. The angular form of the bench reflects the hidden parks that are breadcrumbed round the area.
The Garden Bench © Agnese Sanvito
City Benchmark by Elena Boni + Studioort, Creechurch Place
City Benchmark © Agnese Sanvito
City Benchmark translates the visual language of stock market fluctuations into a solid form, where two benches complement each other graphically and their forms slot geometrically into each other.
City Benchmark © Agnese Sanvito
Interacting with their context in the City’s financial hub, the two benches interact with each other in a ‘yin and yang’ relationship, fluctuating between green ‘profit’ and red ‘loss’ oppose and complement each other.
Ceramic City Bench by Maria Gasparian, Bow Church Yard
Ceramic City Bench © Agnese Sanvito
The Ceramic City Bench playfully interacts with this London’s bricklaying heritage, combining sculpted bricks of various colours and glazes to reflect the bustle of the City. The visually exciting textures and patterns of the bench reflect the City of London as a place of trade, exchange and religious diversity.
Ceramic City Bench © Agnese Sanvito
Ceramic City Bench was shortlisted for the UK Brick Awards in 2018.
City Ghosts by Mariya Lapteva, Royal Exchange
City Ghosts © Agnese Sanvito
Maria Lapteva’s City Ghosts bench features concrete facades of buildings that once stood in the area, paying tribute to the City of London’s specific heritage, including East India House and the various Leadenhall shop fronts that have been demolished. The bench is held together by 19 identical wooden panels and was fabricated at Blackhorse Workshop in Waltham Forest.
A Bench for Everyone by McCloy + Muchemwa, One New Change
A Bench for Everyone © Agnese Sanvito
A Bench for Everyone © Agnese Sanvito
A Bench for Everyone incorporates the shapes of domestic furniture – including sofa, bench and deck chair – into a single form, providing nostalgic seating that suits all ages. The yellow rubber and plywood frame bench could extend infinitely in any direction, wrapping around the City and providing a familiar touchpoint for users.
Double Bench by Mills Turner, Fen Court
Double Bench © Agnese Sanvito
Installed in Fen Lane, just off Fenchurch Street, Double Bench is made up of curved timber pieces that slot into steel bars and screw secure at either side, allowing the bench to be assembled, dismantled and flat packed with ease. The organic shape of the bench replicates the human forms of its users.
Money Box by Nicholas Kirk Architects, London Bridge Station
Money Box © Agnese Sanvito
Money Box © Agnese Sanvito
Made using 45,000 copper pennies which compose three plinths holding up its seat, the Money Box bench draws on its London Bridge station context as a gateway to the city, where millions of people commute to for work.
Here Lies Geoffrey Barkington by Patrick McEvoy, Jubilee Gardens
Jubilee Gardens was once home to Houndsditch, a Roman ditch running alongside the London Wall. This protective channel was regularly used for the disposal of waste and – in particular – deceased dogs. At the tailend of the 20th-century, several dog skeletons were uncovered in the area during construction works.
Here Lies Geoffrey Barkington © Agnese Sanvito
Here Lies Geoffrey Barkington pays tribute to a fictional dachshund, and interacts with the City’s Roman heritage and the idea of historical memory in a playful way.
The Giant Causeway by Studio Yu with tomos.design, Bloomberg Arcade
The Giant Causeway takes its inspiration from the ancient Irish geological formation, providing the City of London with modular public seating in Bloomberg arcade that can be arranged and reconfigured in a number of different ways. The hexagonal blocks act as both planters and seating, and are made of recycled plastic terrazzo.
The Giant Causeway © Agnese Sanvito
