The City of London’s benches have had a creative boost to celebrate the London Festival of Architecture

Have you seen a lot of odd benches around recently?

That will be because a bunch of up-and-coming architects and designers have been invited to celebrate the Square Mile with exciting street furniture as part of the London Festival of Architecture in partnership with the City of London Corporation. The City is a focus area for the festival this year so expect to see more wonderful creations. Here are some of our favourites.

(Click or tap on the images to see them in full screen)

The giant causeway Studio Yu with tomos.design bloomberg Arcade Shaped to be reminicient of the natural rock formations of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, it’s made from recycled plastic terazzo to contrast with the skyscrapers.

Double Bench Mills Turner Fen Court Repeatable timber curves threaded onto steel bars and screwed tightly together at either end. This one gets bonus points for being located right outside City A.M.’s office.

Here Lies Geoffrey Barkington Patrick McEvoy Jubilee Gardens Named after a Square Mile dog buried in Houndsitch. The area was so named as it marks the site of a ditch that was dug in Roman times outside London Wall where people would throw their dead dogs. Several dog skeletions were discovered during construction works in 1989 and Geoffrey’s gravestone was built in memory of them.

A Bench for Everyone McCloy + Muchemwa Inside One New Change This bench evokes the comfort of your sofa. It’s finished in classic Nora studded rubber on a plywood frame and it’s bright yellow so hard to miss. It is imagined as a linear public place that is as poetic and it is ergonomic.

City Ghosts Mariya Lapteva Royal Exchange This bench revives East India House and the little shopfronts that once lined Leadenhall Street, but have since been demolished.

City Benchmark Elena Boni + Studioort Creechurch place Drawing inspiration from stock charts, the green and red bars represent the symbiotic nature of profit and loss. The benches are meant to complement each other in a yin and yang relationship.