Benches, parklets and a sculpture commissioned by the London Festival of Architecture offer places to linger in the Square Mile
This year the London Festival of Architecture celebrates Boundaries as its theme, with five new public benches, three ‘parklets’ occupying kerbside space and an installation of gilded angels on swings outside St Paul’s Cathedral.
Architecture and design students, recent graduates and emerging practices were invited to enter the City Benches competition, organised by the LFA with Cheapside Business Alliance and now in its second year. More than 85 teams responded, with the final five teams selected by a jury that included Tanya Parkin of Eric Parry Architects and Ellie Stathaki of Wallpaper* magazine.
Benchtime by Anna Janiak Studio at 150 Cheapside takes its inspiration from the life-sized astronomical instruments of Jantar Mantar, New Delhi that provide an unusual playground for the residents of the city. Placed in an unshaded area facing north, Benchtime acts as a gnomon – the part of a sundial that casts a shadow – to indicate the passage of time throughout the day.
Artist Sarah Emily Porter and maker James Trundle have designed Correlated Journeys, a bench that is inspired by London’s complex underground transport network and the Tube map created by Harry Beck. Located in front of the Royal Exchange, its form and colours represent the seven Underground lines that run beneath the City of London.
Astrain Studio architects’ City Blocks bring a sense of youthful playfulness to Cheapside Sunken Garden. These colourful interlocking geometric benches recall children’s play blocks, and are tiled to establish a domestic scale within their City setting.
Whippet Good by Delve Architects with DragonSmoke Construction is informed by research that finds dogs in the workplace can bring support and comfort, even perhaps in the current political and economic uncertainty. This light-hearted bench in Bow Churchyard takes the form of a sleeping whippet, encouraging its users to snuggle in and, like dogs, live in the moment.
Never before have so many hard borders separated the world’s countries. Love Without Borders in Bow Churchyard by Armor Gutiérrez Rivas of Atelier La Juntana aims to challenge the concept of physical borders as boundaries, transforming the notion of a barrier into a window for social interaction. While the bench’s profile is inspired by well-known walls around the world, its heart-shaped opening is intended to promote cross-boundary encounters.
Three city ‘parklets’ or miniature landscaped spaces are the result of a competition organised by the LFA in partnership with the City of London Corporation. Architects, designers and artists were invited to submit a design proposal for a bespoke public parklet that would transform an unused kerbside space into a place to rest, relax and admire the City. The final three entrants were chosen from 90 teams. It is intended that the parklets will play a part in the City Corporation’s new Transport Strategy, which highlights the importance of prioritising pedestrians
Throughout London, York stone slabs form a canvas for pavement artists, who draw directly onto the pavement and their illustrations only exist for a short time. Presenting flagstones on a series of timber easels, The Pavement Art Gallery by Patrick McEvoy at 1 St Martins le Grand enables passers-by to create their very own pavement art using the chalk provided.
As the era of fossil-fuelled transport draws to a close, what happens to our vehicles at the end of their useful lives and to the spaces they occupy in our cities? For The London Cablet Fatkin has taken a decommissioned diesel black cab and cut it open to reveal a public place for sitting, relaxing and playing. Hardy, pollution-absorbing planting provides a habitat for pollinating insects and adds colour to West Smithfield Rotunda.
Considering London’s history as a marshland, Rocks and Reeds on Billiter Street, by PARTI, mixes ecological construction within flamboyant design. Material taken from an adjacent demolition works has been reused within gabion constructions to create a whimsical bench and a planter, while a collection of tall grasses and wild flowers filter the air to tackle pollution from the construction site and a nearby road.
Lunch Break has been designed by architecture studio KHBT in collaboration with artist Ottmar Hörl. The public sculpture is the winner of a design competition with 22 entries, organised by the LFA and the Cheapside Business Alliance. By suspending the angels high above passers-by on randomly arranged bars, the team has made imaginative re-use of the St Paul’s Plinth, which was created by ScottWhitbyStudio and Arup for the LFA in 2018.
The project celebrates what can happen at the creative boundary of art and architecture and creates a conceptual and visual link with St Paul’s Cathedral and the golden cross on its dome. The rich interior and ornamental nature of the Cathedral is reflected in the intricate detail of each angel.
