A concrete pineapple and a pair of colourful cartoon eyes are among the playful benches that young architects and designers have installed for the London Festival of Architecture.
Enlivening London's Cheapside financial district, the street furniture was created for the London Festival of Architecture's (LFA) annual City Benches competition, which aims to showcase new design talent.
This year's winning cohort was by emerging creatives and design studios hailing from Denmark, Belgium, Italy and the UK.
A Pineapple for London bench. Top image: Oli Colman's Look Up seats
"City Benches is a fantastic programme, giving opportunities for fresh design talent to respond to the streetscape of the City of London," said Tamsie Thomson, director of the LFA. "This year, creating new seating in the context of Covid-19 restrictions was an additional challenge, and one that this year's cohort have risen to brilliantly with benches that can brighten any day while allowing more socially distanced outdoor space."
The City Benches competition is organised annually with the Cheapside Business Alliance and City of London Corporation.
The Two-Seater Rule street furniture for social distancing
A Pineapple for London is a faceted bench that doubles as a planter, designed by Hugh Diamond, Archie Cantwell and Cameron Clarke. It was handmade by the trio at RARA Workshop by combining chunky pieces of pigmented concrete.
Its design is a reference to architect Christopher Wren's init...