This multipurpose drinking fountain, designed by ÉCAL industrial design graduate Dimitri Nassisi, can be used for fighting fires, quenching thirst, filling bottles and refreshing pet dogs.

Styled to look like an updated fire hydrant, the Drinking Hydrant is bright blue to attract the attention of anyone looking for water.

"In Switzerland you find some drinking fountains, but I don't feel there is enough of them. The problem I saw was that they would often be very discreet and people don't know where to find them," explained Nassisi.

"Also, it is very complicated to add new drinking fountains. It takes a lot of time to develop such a project and the costs are high."

Nassisi, who studied industrial design at Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ÉCAL) in Renens, Switzerland, set out to create a new drinking fountain that was both intuitive, attractive and used existing infrastructure in the city.

"Swiss streets are filled with lots of well-thought-out objects," said Nassisi. "What was profoundly interesting to notice was that the overflow of information on the roads pushes people to look at all these elements like an abstract painting."

When looking for easily accessible water in the city, Nassisi noticed that the traditional red fire hydrants were becoming increasingly invisible in the streets among all the other noise.

"My biggest question for the drinking fountain was what it should look like," he said.

Developing a new typography for street furniture became his major focus for the project. The hydrant had to be aesthetically pleasing to as many people as possible and be practical in case of city fires, but also had to appear new.

He resolved to model the fountain on these existing water sources, using the same process of construction used for regular fire hydrants. His new water fountain-cum-fire hydrant is cast out of iron.

"It is a very old technique that gives a lot of freedom for design," he continued. "Using this well-oiled making process was a way for me to take a reference to the past and add a touch of newness to it. Inspired by a spring, the drinking hydrant looks like it had just appeared during the night."

Only a concept prototype at the moment, Nassisi’s intention is that this new drinking fountain could replace some existing fire hydrants at strategic intervals around the city.

Nassisi’s research revealed that the hydrants could easily be removed and replaced without causing any roadworks. From the road upwards, the visible hydrant structure is only bolted down while the complex plumping under street level.

A double valve system enables firemen who need to use the hydrant to combat fire to fully open both valves and run the water at very high pressure. At other times, the valves would reduce the pressure for easy drinking.

Nassisi also included a dog bowl into the foot of the hydrant. "I want anyone to be able to enjoy the fountain – grown ups, children and even dogs."

The dog bowl has no water outlet of its own; it utilises overflow water that would otherwise be wasted.

As well as wasted water, the hydrants also address issues of plastic waste. By providing regular water fountains and bottle refill points would help combat the consumption of single-use plastic bottles.

In a previous year, fellow ÉCAL student Alice Spieser 3D printed a tap that enabled users to drink straight from the faucet more easily.

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A sculptural digital advertising board, designed by the late Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher, has been unveiled in west London.

Named The Kensington, the billboard was created by Zaha Hadid Design – a wing of Zaha Hadid Architects that designs home accessories – for adverting company JCDecaux.

Located on West Cromwell Road, one of the major traffic routes into London, the steel structure measures 30 metres long and nine metres high.

It comprises a curved digital screen that is 26 metres long and six metres high, wrapped in two interlocking ribbons of matt stainless steel.

Lighting is integrated into the rear of the advertising board, to illuminate a walkway for pedestrians.

"Both a civic gesture and a promotional medium, the intertwined, looped ribbon design expresses the dynamism of pedestrian and vehicle traffic movements that intersect at this important London junction," said Melodie Leung senior associate at Zaha Hadid Design.

"The stainless-steel ribbon twists as it encircles the screen, defining a varying silhouette when seen from different viewpoints," she said.

JCDecaux commissioned Zaha Hadid Design in 2014, with a brief to "create a new genre in the roadside advertising canon".

It replaces a pavilion containing two advertising boards, which previously stood on the site.

"It will be fascinating to see how brands respond to this sculptural digital canvas," said Leung.

"This has been a unique collaboration with JCDecaux to develop new possibilities for media platforms; transforming the billboard into public art," she continued.

Other design projects to emerge from Zaha Hadid's studio include a reinterpretation of a classic Hans J Wegner chair in stone and a hat based on the swooping shapes of an apartment block beside New York's High Line.

Photography is by JCDecaux, unless stated.

Project credits:

Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Project director: Melodie Leung
Project architect: Carine Posner
Project team: Evgeniya Yatsyuk, Ovidiu Mihutescu, Natassa Lianou, Saman Dadgostar
Project manager: JCDecaux
Contract administration: Lavingtons
Quantity surveyor: Lavingtons
Structure: Buro Happold Engineering
Civil engineering: Buro Happold Engineering
MEP: Hoare Lea
Lighting: Buro Happold Engineering
Landscape design: MRG Studio
Principal designer: Orsa Projects
Principal contractor: Knight Brown Construction
Stainless steel: Central Industry Group
Granite: S.McConnell and Sons
Specialty brickwork: Grangewood and European Building Materials
LED screen: Daktronics

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Three colourful stools are joined by a steel grid to form this modular bench by Belgian design office Nortstudio.

Jef De Brabander and Kathleen Opdenacker, founders of the Antwerp-based studio, said the geometric design is inspired by the forms and materials that are commonly found on construction sites. They call it Urban Shapes.

The bench's base is made up of three colourful stools that resemble children's building blocks: an orange square cuboid, a blue cylinder and a pink cuboid with a curved side.

Each one is designed to be reminiscent of a different object found on a building site, from industrial pipes to structural beams.

These blocks are scored with a lattice pattern, allowing them to be joined together by an orange steel grille. This grille, typically used on a construction site as a floor surface or staircase tread – slots perfectly into place to create a flush surface.

"By taking these materials and forms out of their context and combining them in a completely different way, a special tension is created," said the designers. "The geometric lines and shapes obtained by the grid become graphic elements and have an aesthetic value."

Because the bench is made up four separate parts that easily slot together, it can be taken apart and rearranged to create a different configurations.

A weatherproof anodised-aluminum version of the bench is also available for outdoor use.

"By creating a defiant bench, we see our design as an enrichment of public spaces such as museums and parks," added De Brabander and Opdenacker. "Naturally the bench is also suitable for private use."

Last year, Eindhoven design studio OS & OOS also debuted a range of furniture based on a grid system.

Inspired by architectural constructions, the Dutch studio constructed their Matrix furniture range by assembling laser-cut strips of steel into lattice frameworks.

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Landscape architecture practice Djao-Rakitine has erected a monolithic marble drinking water fountain and bench outside London's Selfridges department store.

The sculptural street furniture is located directly outside of the store's new eastern entrance designed by David Chipperfield Architects.

The boulder-like furniture was commissioned by Selfridges as part of the Duke Street public realm project, which seeks to upgrade the overall streetscape experience, including the quality of street lighting, paving, furniture, pedestrian comfort and traffic.

Made from Italian marble, the drinking water fountain and bench are intended to create a focus point in front of the new Selfridges entrance, while providing a place to rest, meet and rehydrate.

"Together with the wider and renewed pavements, we developed the idea of a plaza, a sense of place in front of the new entrance and within the streetscape, including four feature trees as well as two sculptural elements – the marble bench and fountain," the Paris- and London-based firm's founder Irène Djao-Rakitine told Dezeen.

"The idea of the drinking fountain was initiated by Selfridges and is in direct relation with their Ocean project against plastic bottles proliferation," she continued.

"It was initially planned to be inside the department store but it quickly became clear that the drinking fountain should be public and located in the public realm."

The sculptural marble bench has four different sized and shaped seats that are designed to cater to different people.

"It started with hand sketches," commented Djao-Rakitine talking about the development process.

"I then modelled and sculpted the elements with clay. Many times, with many variations. When we – Djao-Rakitine, Selfridges and David Chipperfield Architects – were all happy with the aesthetic, proportions, functionality and complementarity of both objects, we 3D scanned the models and started to refine the details digitally."

"The digital 3D models were then used to cut the stone blocks with a CNC machine," she continued. "Finally, I worked on the hand finishes of the sculptures with Dorel Pop, a very skilled stone mason and Lorenzo Carrino who assisted on the fabrication process which was all done in Toscana at the stone manufacturer Henraux."

The marble street furniture is placed alongside four new feature trees that are planted in tree pits with custom made tree grilles. The grilles have been developed to optimise tree growth in the cluttered underground environment while tree species are selected considering the different constraints of the site.

As well as respecting the Westminster bourough's palette of materials, Djao-Rakitine said she wanted the project to offer passersby an original and unique moment in Mayfair's public realm and increase the quality of one of London's busiest urban environments.

"Choosing this expressive green and white marble with strong geological movements was a way to evoke water, rocks, topography, mountains," said Djao-Rakitine.

"The marble we used –Verde Luana – is extremely dense and was formed around 25 million years ago in the Apuan Alps, Toscana, where we went to choose the perfect marble block that we would then carve to create the bench and fountain."

Djao-Rakitine collaborated with David Chipperfield Architects throughout the project to make sure there was a strong dialogue between the building and the public realm.

Framed by two black precast concrete pillars, David Chipperfield's grand new entrance is set back slightly from the facades of the existing buildings.

"Selfridges has a deep understanding of the architectural heritage and urban presence of the department store, as well as a clear vision for the future of luxury retail," said David Chipperfield.

"Our task was to unite the elements while stitching together various buildings along Duke Street."

Project Credits:

Client: Selfridges Retail
Landscape Architects: Djao-Rakitine (Initial concept design: Vogt Landscape)
Architects: David Chipperfield Architects
Civil Engineers: WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff
Djao-Rakitine Team: Irene Djao-Rakitine, Povilas Marozas, Charles Dujardin, Chun Wing Fok, Hortense Blanchard, Marzia Vanzati, Federica Terenzi.

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The residents of Thessaloniki, Greece, can now recycle their plastic waste into 3D printed furniture for the city, using a new laboratory set up by Rotterdam studio The New Raw.

The Zero Waste Lab is the latest enterprise of The New Raw's plastic recycling initiative, Print Your City, established in collaboration with drinks brand Coca Cola.

It offers local residents a recycling facility for their plastic waste as well as the ability to choose what the waste is turned into, with a robotic 3D-printing arm that can transform the sorted plastic into street furniture.

Users can customise the furniture via a website, choosing between different colours and functionalities and also selecting which public space in the city they would like to see it in.

Options for each object include a planter, a bike rack, a feeding bowl for dogs and a bookcase, among other functions.

Once the design is chosen, the website tells the user how much recycled plastic would be needed to make the object. For instance, a large triangle-shaped bench with a library and an urban garden would require 90 kilograms of recycled plastic to build.

"Plastic has a design failure. It is designed to last forever, but often we use it once and then throw it away," said The New Raw founders Panos Sakkas and Fonteini Setaki.

"With Print Your City, we endeavour to show a better way of using plastic in long lasting and high value applications."

The furniture is made primarily from PP and PE plastics commonly used in food packaging, which is sourced directly from the plastic waste donated to the lab.

The waste is sorted, washed and shredded before being melted and combined with pigments to create a printable material. The furniture can also be made from PET and PS plastics.

Print Your City aims to engage residents of cities around the world more directly with the recycling process by both turning the waste into objects that can be used by the public and giving them some control over what those objects are and where they might be placed.

Hanth Park in central Thessaloniki became the first public space to be redesigned with Print Your City furniture in January.

"More than 2,900 citizens of Thessaloniki voted where and how they wanted to see the new furniture of the city," the designers told Dezeen.

"For the production of the furniture, we recycled more than 800 kilos of plastic waste."

The designers hope to recycle four tons of plastic waste during the project, which they say is equivalent to the amount produced by 14 family households in Greece.

"Thessaloniki is a city with high rates in separating and recycling on a household level in Greece," the designers explained. "At the same time, the size of the city makes measurable the environmental footprint of Print Your City."

"The municipality of Thessaloniki actively supports the programme, enabling us to test this idea for the first time in a city scale and in public space," they said.

Panos Sakkas and Fonteini Steak founded The New Raw in 2015, after they studied in The Netherlands. They debuted their first furniture prototype from the Print Your City concept in Amsterdam last year with the XXX Bench, made from recycled plastic bags.

They decided to develop the project further as part of the Zero Waste Future programme currently being funded by Coca Cola across Greece and began working in Thessaloniki in November last year, with the project set to run until May 2019.

Recycled plastic is booming an increasingly popular material for designers, with recent examples including a chair made from fishing-industry waste, a demountable tricycle and a terrazzo-like surface material developed for use in interior and product design.

But there is some debate about whether designers should focus more on recycling or on the development of new materials.

Young Dutch designers have described recycling as "the only choice", but in a recent interview, curator Jan Boelen told Dezeen that this would not tackle the "fundamental problem" of plastic pollution and that designers should instead focus on bioplastics.

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Brett Mahon, Joonas Parviainen, Saagar Tulshan, Shreyansh Sett have built a multi-level pavilion where people can gather and relax in Rijeka, Croatia.

Level Up is designed to be a new place for locals in the post industrial port city to socialise, and turns a previously disused rooftop area into a terrace.

The international quartet of architects created the site-specific pavilion as part of European Architecture Students' Assembly, (EASA) 2018.

The pavilion was built as an extension to Export Drvo, a 1950s industrial storage building by the Dead Canal. Rijeka is due to become Europe's culture capital in 2020, and the Export Drvo is set to be one of the key venues in the celebrations.

The pavilion, which doubles as street furniture, is formed of a series of levels linking up to a elevated terrace built on the roof.

Different places and surfaces for visitors to sit, swing or relax in a hammock are placed all along the extended staircase to the top of the structure.

On the terrace a platform provides a raised vantage point to look over the city and doubles as a place for speakers to address a crowd.

Mahon, who is from Northern Ireland, Parviainen from Finland, and India-based Tulshan and Sett, drew up the design prior to EASA 2018, where they ran a workshop for participants who helped bring Level Up to life.

"Instead of creating new public urban area, Level Up puts focus on reclaiming existing space," said the design team.

"It creates a balcony to the Delta with an industrial aesthetic, acting as a public frontage. In an era where permanence of the built form has been defining architecture, Level Up celebrates ephemeral urbanism, inviting everyone to ponder material and spatial impermanence."

Steel scaffolding was used for the structural frame, with wooden boards and decking used to create the levels, steps and furniture. Plants sourced from a local garden centre were used to decorate the pavilion.

Others repurposing unused places for public space include Jordanian architects Sarah Abdul Majid and Sandra Hiari, who have designed a series of stackable wooden units that can turn abandoned areas into children's playgrounds.

Photography is by Rahul Palagani.

Project credits:

Designers and tutors: Brett Mahon, Joonas Parviainen, Saagar Tulshan, Shreyansh Sett, Vanja Borovic
Participants: Ana Mateos, Anna Opitz, А​nton Fedin, Ásta María Thorsteinsdóttir​, Ayşe Tuğçe Pınar​, Birgit Fløystad, Caro Andrade​, Ciaran Magee​, Chloë Reyda, Felic Micallef, Gleb Rudenya​, Glenn McNamara​, Gustavs Grasis​, Ilia Bebi​, Joanna Lewanska, Julia Triches, Julien Hermant, Klemen Mraz​, Mattea Fenech​, Samúel Aron Laufdal Guðlaugsson​, Sebastian Bidault, Simona Svitkova​, Tadhg Spain.

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A giant sleeping whippet and a bright red sundial are among the playful street furniture enlivening the UK capital during the London Festival of Architecture.

Scattered throughout London's Cheapside financial district, the seats are the winning designs of the City Benches competition held by the London Festival of Architecture (LFA).

"The benches demonstrate not only the brilliance of London's emerging architects, designers and artists, but also how small interventions can make such a difference to how people can experience and enjoy London's streets and spaces," said Tamsie Thomson, director of the LFA.

"Cheapside is one of London's liveliest and most interesting districts, and thanks to the support of the Cheapside Business Alliance, is a setting where these young teams can showcase their work to hundreds of thousands of people."

The five winning benches were created in response to the theme of this year's festival, boundaries, and are intended to highlight the need for well-designed spaces for pedestrians in cities.

One of the designs is Benchtime by architect Anna Janiak, which is modelled on the The Jantar Mantar monument in New Delhi – a collection of life-sized astronomical instruments that double as a playground.

Installed at 150 Cheapside, it is designed to stand out from the surrounding stone architecture, and acts as a sundial to indicate time throughout the day.

Astrain Studio Architects created a series of geometric benches inspired by children's play blocks, in a bid to bring a feeling of youth and playfulness to Cheapside.

Named City Blocks, they are nestled within Cheapside Sunken Garden, and wrapped in a mix of colourful tiles intended to introduce a domestic, human scale to its outdoor setting.

Over in Bow Churchyard, Delve Architects with DragonSmoke Construction installed a giant, sleeping dog, named Whippet Good.

Designed in response to research that demonstrates the positive impact of dogs in the workplace, it is designed to "counteract current political and economic turmoil".

Whippet Good sits along Love Without Borders bench designed by Armor Gutiérrez Rivas and Atelier La Juntana, which responds to the number hard borders dividing countries throughout the world.

It has a gridded form, but is punctured by giant heart-shape void, designed to "transform the notion of a barrier into a window for social interaction".

Correlated Journeys by artist Sarah Emily Porter and maker James Trundle is the last of the five City Benches, positioned in front of the Royal Exchange.

It has a rectangular form with curved edges, and is adorned with a stripy multicoloured finish, which represents London's complex underground transport network.

The benches will remain in place for the duration  until the end of August.

Elsewhere in the city, designer Yinka Ilori has teamed up with architecture studio Pricegore to create a multicoloured pavilion outside Dulwich Picture Gallery, and leading UK architects have installed architectural paper-models at the V&A.

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A bench designed by architecture firm Snøhetta for the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo is shaped like a partial circle to encourage people to sit closer together and start conversations.

The project is described as a "peace bench" and is titled The Best Weapon, in reference to Nelson Mandela's famous quote, "The best weapon is to sit down and talk".

The six-and-a-half-metre long bench is made from anodised aluminium that was bead blasted and pre-distressed to create a robust surface that will withstand constant use. Nelson Mandela's inspirational quote is engraved into the metal.

Bench will be unveiled at UN headquarters

Snøhetta collaborated with Norwegian outdoor furniture producer Vestre and aluminium specialist Hydro to develop the installation.

It will be unveiled at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City this Thursday on Nelson Mandela Day, 18 July.

The bench will remain at the Headquarters' plaza through September before being transferred to its permanent location near Oslo City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually.

Design encourages users to start conversations

The form of the bench represents a section of a circle that touches the ground at its lowest point. The gentle curve of the seat encourages users to sit closer together and creates a setting for conversation.

"In today's digitalised and polarised society, sitting down and speaking together might be the most effective tool that we have to find solutions and common ground," said Snøhetta founder, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

"We believe in using design as a tool to create lasting symbols that foster fruitful communication."

The installation is intended as a symbol of diplomacy and dialogue that pays tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and celebrates their efforts to unite people and resolve conflict across the world.

Communicates the value of peace

It balances its function as a piece of public furniture with its mission to communicate the values of the Nobel Peace Center as a symbol for discourse and peace.

"We hope that the bench will encourage people to sit down and talk – to their friends, but also to strangers and adversaries," claimed executive director of the Nobel Peace Center, Liv Tørres, adding, "Genuine conversations are requirements for peace."

Snøhetta was founded in 1989 by Norwegian architect Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and American architect Craig Dykers.

The firm is best known for its innovative architecture projects such as an underwater restaurant in a remote Norwegian village and a public library in Calgary, Canada, featuring a dramatic wood-lined atrium.

Snøhetta also regularly works on interiors, furniture and objects, such as the latest Norwegian banknotes and a chair made from recycled plastic and steel taken from fish farms.

Photography is by Lars Tornøe.

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The widely criticised design of the public water fountains that are set to be installed across London was decided by focus groups, says Thames Water, which oversaw the design process.

Thames Water told Dezeen that they used public focus groups to settle on the design, which was created by "international specialists". However, the water fountains have drawn criticism from critics and designers.

The fountains feature a white plastic column with the central section removed to house a metal spout and drain. A large model of a blue drop of water sits on the top of the fountain, to make it "stand out".

Provided by Thames Water and the London mayor's office, the fountains will be placed in 100 locations around the UK capital.

Various designs run past focus groups

Architecture critic of the Financial Times, Edwin Heathcote was one of many to speak out against the design, tweeting, "Jesus, who on earth designed this?"

The distinctive fountain was manufactured and distributed by the UK's largest water cooler providers, MIW, in collaboration with Thames Water and the Mayor's Office.

The eventual design of the blue and white plastic water fountains was chosen from a set of options designed by unspecified international specialists.

Jesus, who on earth designed this? Locations of 50 new London water fountains revealed | Plastics | The Guardian https://t.co/oN0ahltQXe

— edwin heathcote (@edwinheathcote) July 18, 2019

"We ran a few different options through some focus groups," explained Thames Water senior media relations officer Becky Trotman.

"The one that we've eventually gone with was the one that was the favourite with those various people that were involved with the consultation."

Accessibility was a key factor

According to Thames Water the fountains were designed to look distinct from other street furniture and be instantly recognisable.

"Blue is a colour that's associated with water, and we wanted something that would stand out," said Trotman.

"Obviously these fountains are going in places of very high footfall. So we wanted something that would be eye-catching and that people would be able to find easily."

A crucial factor in the design was to make the fountains usable for both the able-bodied and those with disabilities.

"We wanted to make them accessible for people with disabilities, so not something that's very high up off the ground," added Trotman.

"They have to be space-saving, so obviously not something that has a large footprint, bearing in mind that London's pretty congested as it is," she continued.

Criticism of the design on social media

On social media the designs have been widely criticised with research group Create Streets tweeted that the fountains demonstrate that "we have lost any sense of civic pride", and compared the design negatively to Victorian examples.

However, Thames Water stressed that most people are pleased to have free drinking water available across the city.

"The majority of the feedback that we've had is that people are glad there's a resource there for them to be able to access free tap water on the go rather than having to buy bottled water and contribute to plastic waste," said Trotman.

"You're never going to be able to come up with a design for anything that completely satisfies everyone."

On the left, London's new water fountains.

Oh the right, a Victorian example.

The collapse in quality is profound and goes far beyond design.

We appear to have lost any sense of civic pride, to be unable to build for the future rather than for the next few weeks.....

pic.twitter.com/HIUGYABdXR

— createstreets (@createstreets) July 20, 2019

The fountains are set to be rolled out at a rate of roughly one or two a week. The positions of the first 50 have been announced, with locations including at Blackfriars and East Croydon stations. The next 50 spots will be announced in due course.

London has been waiting a long time for the return of public water fountains. Back in 2014, six architecture studios including Zaha Hadid Architects and Studio Weave came up with designs for water fountains for sites across London.

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From female urinals for festivals to pissoirs on the streets of Paris, here are six of the freshest outdoor urinals designs for peeing in the fresh air.

P-tree by Aandeboom

When revellers at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark refused to stop peeing against the trees, Dutch design studio Aandeboom came up with an ingenious solution.

P-tree is a bright orange plastic urinal that can be mounted on trees, but protects them from the damaging effects of human urine. Pipes connected to the urinal can be hooked up to the main sewer system or funnelled into a tank.

Lapee by Gina Périer and Alexander Egebjerg

Launched at this year's Roskilde Festival, Lapee is a urinal that's bringing gender equality to the outdoor loo queue. Made from industrial-strength plastic, Lapee is a door-free place to pee that three women can use at once.

Screened by the curving form of the unit, the urinals are stepped up so a squatting woman is at eye-level with any passersby, making it safer than a normal toilet but still private.

Uritrottoir by Faltazi

These urinals caused uproar when they were installed on the streets of Paris. A portmanteau of the French words for pavement and urinal, French design studio Faltazi gave the Uritrottoir a bright red upper section topped by a box planted with greenery.

Users pee into the opening, and the urine is absorbed by the woodchips, straw or sawdust that's placed inside. This mix is periodically removed and mulched down into compost, which is then returned to nurture the plants that grow out of the top of the Uritrottoir.

Pollee by UiWE

An earlier design for a female urinal  – and another design tested at the Roskilde Festival – is the Pollee. Copenhagen-based studio UiWE designed four back-to-back troughs for women to stand over and pee touch-free.

The shared core is separated by fold-out screens for privacy, and handles allow people to squat and pee in the open air without touching any part of the urinal.

Fountain 2017 by Bureau A

Part art-installation, part practical-intervention, Fountain 2017 is a pink marble pissoir that was installed in a car park in Zurich. Made from imported marble resting on a wooden frame, the urinal references classical fountains.

Liquid collects in a channel at the base, which pours it out into a pothole filled with gravel and plants. After dark, a neon light serves as an invitation for passersby who might be caught short at night.

L'Uritonnoir by Faltazi 

Another Faltazi design, this time for urinals that can be set up in a field. L'Uritonnoir – a cross between urinal and the French for funnel – can be slotted into the side of a bale of straw and fastened there with a strap.

The urine collects in the bale, and the nitrogen reacts with the carbon in the straw to set off the process of decomposition. After use, the bale can be composted or simply left in-situ for a year to break down into compost.

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Please Be Seated is a giant outdoor seating installation made of three concentric rings of wave-like forms made from scaffolding planks.

Created by British designer Paul Cocksedge, the communal bench has been built in Broadgate for the London Design Festival.

Built in Finsbury Avenue Square alongside Make's Number One Broadgate office block in the City of London, Please Be Seated is made of three rings of benches that rise and fall in a wave-like pattern.

Each of the undulating forms – which increase in size and height from the smallest central element – are made from a steel structure topped with scaffolding planks.

Where the waves meet the ground they form benches, with the rising waves forming access routes to the central seating areas.

"Every single aspect of this is tailored to its environment as well as the function it serves," said Cocksedge.

"The curves raise up to create backrests and places to sit, as well as space for people to walk under, or pause and find some shade," he continued.

Cocksedge created Please Be Seated to enhance London's largest pedestrianised neighbourhood by being a installation which is also a useable piece of street furniture.

"It walks the line between a craft object and a design solution," said Cocksedge. "It occupies the square without blocking it."

Cocksedge established Paul Cocksedge Studio with Joana Pinho in 2004, with the studio creating numerous installations, including a floating illuminated telephone number that "had no explanation" also in London.

He has also designed many works of furniture including a series made from the floor of its own studio.

Please Be Seated is one of many public installations that have been created across the city as part of the 2019 London Design Festival, which runs from 14 to 22 September.

As part of the festival Sam Jacob has created a cartoon-style animation showing a watery scene filled with rubbish to highlight the threat plastic poses to the oceans, while Kengo Kuma has designed as installation made of reinforced bamboo.

Photography courtesy of Broadgate / Mark Cocksedge.

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French designer Camille Walala has installed benches, planters and flags adorned with her signature colourful patterns along South Molton Street to turn the road into the Walala Lounge.

The French designer created the furniture to bring colour and fun to the central London street, while also being a practical addition as the pedestrianised street previously had no public seating.

"I wanted to not only bring some colour to the street but to do something more interactive, more sculptural," Walala told Dezeen.

"I wanted Walala Lounge to be surprising and out there but also comfortable and home-like. And now that the benches are in place, it seems crazy that they weren't there all along."

Built as part of this year's London Design Festival for developer Grosvenor, but set to say in place for a year, the installation consists of 10 sculptural benches and a series of cube-shaped planters.

Each of the pieces, which were designed with Walala's creative producer Julia Jomaa, has been designed as a family of furniture that will bring joy to visitors to the street.

"Cities can be so grey, it can feel really oppressive sometimes. I want to change how it feels to live in a big city, to inject some colour and light into people's days," said Walala.

"It means so much to me when I can make people smile. That's how I feel I can have the most impact on the world. To take what I care about and share it with others."

Constructed from brushed steel and MDF, each of the benches has a geometric form made from a combination of cuboids, cylinders and arches. Although they each have a unique shape, the benches are united by Walala's signature colours and graphics.

"They are all brought together by my use of colour and texture, but also how they sit sculpturally together and with the architecture that surrounds them. They're all in conversation," said Walala.

"It's so difficult to decide [which is my favourite]! I was giving a tour of the benches recently, and I kept saying different benches were my favourite," she continued.

"But one that really stands out for me is the blue zigzagged one, about halfway down the street. When it is photographed it almost looks like it has been drawn into the photograph. I like that interplay between 2D and 3D."

Walala created the colours and patterns through a process of experimentation, until she found combinations that worked for the street-wide installation.

"I work very intuitively through any project. From early collaging and notebooks, to playing with materials and objects in space," she explained.

"Even though something might make sense on an architectural drawing or a computer render, it has to feel right in reality. There are practical challenges too, which I love responding to. A certain architectural detail, or like with South Molton, the sense of space along the street."

Walala established her east London studio in 2009. At previous editions of London Design Festival she has created an inflatable castle and a multicoloured pedestrian crossing in south London. She has also created much large installations, including a 40-metre-high mural in New York.

She believes that when colour and fun are added to cities it can make a big difference to people's experiences.

"The smaller details are always so important. Small changes can build up to something much bigger, but also just a slight tweak can be surprising and therefore very powerful," said Walala.

"It all leads somewhere. But also why do we have to stop at small changes? I want artists and designers to be involved in the city in much bigger ways."

Photography is by Charles Emerson.

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Precht and Mamou-Mani Architects have completed a sustainable sand-printed installation called Sandwaves in Diryah, Saudi Arabia.

The ribbon-like structure is 3D printed from sand and furan resin for use as street furniture at Diryah Season – a sports and entertainment event in the Al-Turaif District.

Precht and Mamou-Mani Architects chose to build Sandwaves using sand as it is the most abundant natural material in the country, and it also responds to local building traditions.

The pair hopes it will demonstrate "the kind of innovation that is needed for our time" in the building industry, and how nature and technology can work harmoniously together.

"We both believe in the cradle-to-cradle approach to design, using materials that can go back to their natural state, leaving no trace," Arthur Mamou-Mani told Dezeen.

"Building in an ecological way also means to build with local materials," Chris Precht added.

"We asked ourselves what is the most common raw material around, so sand came naturally to our minds," Mamou-Mani continued.

Sandwaves comprises 58 individual 3D-printed elements that are combined to form the continuous ribbon, making it the "largest sand-printed installation to date".

Its undulating layout is intended to be immersive, evoking a series of narrow alleys and wide plazas for visitors to explore.

Meanwhile, the perforated aesthetic of the individual elements takes cues from the surrounding architecture, brise soleils – or sun-breakers, and palm trees.

This is designed to create "different shades of transparency" throughout the pavilion.

Precht and Mamou-Mani Architects developed the form of each individual element in collaboration with engineers at Format, who used parametric design tools to generate the optimum shape and thickness of each piece.

As sand is not a naturally strong material, this led to the pieces being thick and weighing approximately 160 kilograms.

"It is such a pleasure to work with a team who believes that technology can help the planet, who are willing to explore and experiment with new techniques and to inspire with new possibilities despite the big challenges," concluded Mamou-Mani.

3D-printed architecture is typically quick to build, low cost and resource efficient. In recent years, many designers and architects have used the technology to experiment with new materials and reimagine the potential for traditional ones.

Other examples of 3D-printed structures on Dezeen include the world's longest 3D-printed bridge in Shanghai and Yves Behar's proposal for the first 3D-printed community for low income workers in Latin America.

Photography is by Roberto Conte.

Project credits:

Studio Precht: Chris Precht, Fei Tang Precht, Andreas Stadlmayr, Zizhi You
Mamou-Mani Architects: Arthur Mamou-Mani, Ayham Kabbani, Nina Pestel, Sash Onufriev, Youen Perhirin
Designlab Experience: Mootassem Elbaba, Hibah Elbakree, Nausheen Baig
Fab.Pub: Giovanni Panico, Holly Hawkins
Format: James Solly, Sara Andreussi
Special thanks: PSU university students, Afan Sufak Manziel, SMI, Rely

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Engineering firm Arup has designed parklets, hybrid street furniture and planters to help Liverpool's restaurants reopen as the UK's coronavirus lockdown lifts.

Arup collaborated with the city council and Meristem Design to develop the scheme, called Liverpool Without Walls. The modular elements slot together to create outdoor seating areas made from hardwood, screened from each other with plants and perspex glass.

"The modular parklets are designed to be easily swept up, cleaned and washed down with flexible furniture which can be easily moved," said Arup's Jonathan Mottershead.

"The cafe-style seating means that chairs and tables to be easily stacked for cleaning," he told Dezeen.  "This will also enable businesses to manage customer spacing more flexibly, such as catering for different group sizes."

Nine parklets to be installed in Liverpool

Starting on 4 July the first of nine parklets will be installed on Bold Street, a thoroughfare in the city with many bars and cafes.

From 4 July in most parts of the UK pubs, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to open as part of changes to the country's lockdown rules. Only groups made up of members of two households will be able to sit indoors while dining out, however.

Groups of up to six people who are not from the same household can only gather outdoors. This means venues will need more outdoor seating and ways of keeping customers a safe distance apart.

Arup got the idea for the parklets from the firm's 2017 scheme called FitzPark – a temporary seating space dotted with planters installed in London's Camden neighbourhood.

"We felt that we could easily take the parklet design and adapt it to make it safe to meet social distancing guidelines to help give the bars, restaurants and cafes in Liverpool much needed outdoor space," said Mottershead.

Parklets designs for parking spaces, pavement and streets

Arup has designed four different types of parklet for Liverpool Without Walls that could be installed in parking spaces, on pavements, streets and in larger open spaces.

"Traditional parklets are those that occupy a former parking space, loading bay or single traffic lane on the carriageway," explained  Mottershead. "Pavement parklets are in spaces off-road and do not require changes to traffic or road closures," he added.

"Street parklets usually close a whole street by placing planters and vehicle security barriers at the ends of the road so that seating and parks areas can be installed. Finally, Bespoke parklets are considered for larger car parking areas or unusual shaped spaces."

The greenery element of the scheme, said Arup, is a key part of making sure the parklets actively improve the public space while performing their function during the pandemic.

"Hardy, drought-tolerant shrubs and perennials such as ivy, periwinkle, asters and lavender will be used to provide a variety of colour, textures and scents through the season," said Arup landscape architect Emily Woodason.

"Liverpool City Council really wants this to be a community project and are encouraging local businesses to support with watering the greenery and also helping chose the planting selection," she added.

"For example, a restaurant may wish to plant edible herbs or to grow strawberries for use in the kitchen."

The council is also looking at other streets that could benefit from having their own parklets. Arup designed the parklets, which take six to eight weeks to build and install, to last for up to five years. After the pandemic, the council can move them around to new spots.

"We hope the parklets become part of the independent fabric of the streets they are situated and stay providing long term benefits in reclaiming the streets for people," said Mottershead and Woodason.

Designers around the world have been responding to the coronavirus pandemic with solutions for cities to reopen safely.

Architect Ben Masterton-Smith has designed a scheme for London's Soho neighbourhood that includes decorative hygiene screens. In the US, MASS Design Group has released a report on how restaurants could be adapted.

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Superverde is Italian architect Stefano Boeri's design for modular street furniture for cities that comes with trees, plants and benches.

Boeri's practice Stefano Boeri Interiors created Superverde for Metalco, an Italian street furniture maker. A metal edge will frame the planters, which would contain an appropriate mix of soil and greenery for the climate it is installed in.

Metal benches can be fixed to certain points of the frame so that passersby can sit and rest amongst the foliage.

"Superverde is a permeable and flexible surface, which is measured and purchased per square metre," Stefano Boeri told Dezeen.

"It is designed to be assembled according to the context in which it is placed," he added.

"Thanks to a system of modules, edges and hidden side structures, it allows for composing landscapes of different shapes and sizes."

Superverde also comes with an energy-efficient autonomous maintenance system.

"Thanks to a dense irrigation system and sensors for the control and analysis of the wellness and moisture of the soil, it is possible both to manage the use of water and of all resources and to guarantee the plants health," said Boeri.

As well as providing decoration, a pleasant space to sit and a habitat for insects, Superverde could improve the immediate climate claimed Boeri.

The areas of greenery would "decrease the 'urban heat island' effect" and "reduce temperatures in high-density areas," he said.

An Urban Heat Island (UHI) is where built-up areas become hotter than the surrounding countryside because the land has been covered with dark, heat-absorbing surfaces.

Trees and vegetation can be used strategically to reduce the air temperature around them by casting shade and through evapotranspiration, the combination of plant transpiration and water evaporating from the soil.

The smallest version of Superverde measures between nine and 20 square metres and can hold up to three trees and 20 shrubs along with grasses and perennials. An extra-large version covers between 60 and 100 square metres and holds up to a dozen trees.

"Superverde increases the presence of trees in the city, thus improving air quality and consequently the lives of citizens," added Boeri.

Boeri often uses plants in his projects, most famously for his vertical forests – apartment blocks with balconies planted with trees and shrubs.

Also concerned by the UHI, UNStudio and Monopol Colors have created a super-white paint that can be painted on buildings to reflect the heat of the sun.

Project credits:

Project: Stefano Boeri Interiors
Partners in charge: Stefano Boeri and Giorgio Donà
Project leader: Jacopo Abbate
Team: Esteban Marquez, Giovanni Nardi, Pierpaolo Pepi
Landscape project: Lorenzo Rebediani, Vera Scaccabarozzi (Vannucci Engine)
Client: Metalco

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Dutch company GreenPee has installed eight hemp-filled sustainable urinals in Amsterdam to combat an increase in people urinating in the streets after the coronavirus lockdown ended.

Amsterdam council rushed to install the public urinals in the city centre as tourists returned and pubs reopened.

Users urinate into the openings on the sides of the GreenPee planters, which have an internal tank filled with hemp fibres from the cannabis plant.

The tank is emptied when full, and levels can be checked manually or by using a smart sensor that sends a message when it's nearly full.

Once emptied, the mix of urine and hemp can be used for organic fertiliser for the city's parks, roof gardens and urban farms.

Amsterdam city council first collaborated with GreenPee in 2018 when they installed four of the urinal planters.

"Independent evaluation showed that there was  50 per cent decrease in wild peeing after installing the GreenPees", GreenPee inventor Richard de Vries told Dezeen.

"So Amsterdam wanted to expand the project and place more GreenPees in the central district of the city."

Despite global reports of the coronavirus lockdown creating a lack of public toilets, it has caused a drop in demand for the GreenPees, de Vries said.

"Cities told me there are no people on the streets, so there is no need for public facilities," he said. "Hopefully this will change and there will be no further lockdowns in the near future."

As Holland's lockdown eased up Amsterdam's council decided to install the new urinals, which had been ordered in 2019 and on hold since February.

"Last month, more tourists came to Amsterdam and the pubs opened, so more people were on the street and there was more nuisance from wild peeing," de Vries said.

The latest models have been adjusted based on feedback from the first four and now have more privacy and more openings to pee in. The company also designed a special, slimmer model that can be placed in narrow alleyways.

GreenPee has also installed urinals in Dutch cities Vlaardingen and Beekbergen, as well as Mechelen and Genk in Belgium.

De Vries says the planters can save thousands of litres of drinking water as they don't need to be flushed with litres of water, unlike traditional urinals.

GreenPee is also a more sustainable option because it converts the urine into organic fertiliser for plants.

"Urine has a lot of phosphates in it and the phosphate mines are drying out so this is a very good sustainable alternative that we would otherwise flush down the toilet," said de Vries.

As well as being decorative, the urinal's planters act as micro-ecosystems for insects.

"The plants in the GreenPee also give a positive environmental message, clean the air and attract bees to the city centre," added de Vries.

Other innovative urinals include the Lapee female urinal that was designed to reduce festival loo queues and the open-air eco urinals by Faltazi that caused an uproar in Paris.

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Norwegian street furniture brand Vestre is showcasing the Code planter and the bench system Stones as part of the Dezeen x Planted collaboration during this year's London Design Festival.

Both of Vestre's designs are modular, with the cuboid steel planter forming part of the wider Code system, which includes two different angular, wood-topped bench units.

These can be stacked together vertically and horizontally like building blocks to create different furniture configurations and can be connected by a single sheet of bent steel to form a picnic table.

The simple geometry of the matching planter is designed to fill the empty spaces in between while integrating more greenery into urban spaces.

It is available in two different sizes – a shorter version that has space for smaller plants and 250 litres of soil and a larger, 500-litre version that can accommodate small trees.

The Stones system offers a softer, more rotund look, with three bench modules of different sizes perched on stubby, cylindrical feet.

Each features gently rounded corners and comes in two different heights so they can be combined to form an undulating seating landscape, reminiscent of a Japanese stone garden.

Perched on top of the steel body, the seat is made from Nordic pine wood that has either been proofed with linseed oil or Kebonised, which involves treating it with furfuryl alcohol to enhance its strength and durability.

For indoor use, there is also an option to go for lighter woods such as oiled ash or oak.

As with all Vestre products, both the Code planter and the steel base of the Stones system can be powder coated in 200 different colours, so that they can be easily matched or contrasted with surrounding modules.

With the goal of creating longlasting products, the company also offers a lifetime guarantee against rust and a 15-year anti-rot warranty on wood.

Vestre describes itself as the first company to manufacture climate-neutral outdoor furniture, with the aim of creating "sustainable, democratic and inclusive meeting places that bridge social and cultural divides."

BIG has recently designed a factory for the company, which the brand claims will be "world's most eco-friendly furniture factory".

The Stones system was originally unveiled at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair earlier this year as part of Vestre's award-winning stand, which was made from re-usable materials and detailed the carbon expenditure involved in each product.

Dezeen x Planted

Exhibitor: Vestre
Website: vestre.com
Contact: uk@vestre.com

Planted is a contemporary design event, which aims to reconnect cities with nature will make its physical debut as part of London Design Festival alongside an online trailer for next year's main event.

The Planted x Dezeen collaboration presents a series of projects by international designs that align with the ideals of the Planted design event.

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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.

"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.

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 initial plans to crown the adjacent St. Paul's Cathedral with an 18-metre-tall model of the fruit.

In the Cheapside Sunken Garden, Bartlett graduate Oli Colman has nestled two seats that take the form colourful eyeballs that look up to the sky.

Aptly named Look Up, it is designed to provide "space for someone to sit and contemplate both the world around them and the marvels of the City skyline above".

The Chim Chim bench pays homage to London's Victorian-era houses, with a backrest made from four traditional residential chimney pots.

Its base, which is constructed from bricks, is unified with the chimneys by a bright-red finish that architecture studio Profferlo chose to set the bench apart from its surroundings.

Nearby is The Two-Seater Rule bench, which takes the form of two throne-like chairs linked by a two-metre-long bench.

It was created by Iain Jamieson with Dave Drury to encourage people to engage in face to face discussions while keeping a safe space between them – adhering to the UK government's Covid-19 safety guidelines.

The final bench was made by Studio Mxmxm from laser-cut powder-coated steel plates, which each represent an axis in the geographic coordinate system.

It is named 51°30'48.6" N 0°05'17.9"W after the coordinates of its setting in front of the Royal Exchange. These have also been engraved into the top of the bench.

LFA is the world's largest annual architecture festival. It usually runs throughout the course of June, however, this year it was forced to follow a digital format in light of the pandemic.

Many of its physical initiatives, like City Benches, will take place throughout the autumn. This includes its wayfinding competition, which Charles Holland Architects won with a pyramidal post called The Tooley Street Triangle that is topped by a mirrorball.

Photography is by Luke O'Donovan.

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CoronaCrisisKruk is a bench with a handle designed for social distancing by Dutch design firm Object Studio to let users sit together while staying apart.

The piece of lightweight street furniture has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the seating design category.

Object Studio created CoronaCrisisKruk to help people adapt to life following government guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic.

CoronaCrisisKruk is formed of two krukken – stools in Dutch – joined together by a beam with a handle in the middle. The furniture is made from CNC-milled birch plywood pieces that slot and screw together.

It can be picked up and moved, then placed anywhere for two people to sit while remaining 1.5 metres apart. Phrases on the benches contain social distancing puns such as "met afstand het leukste park", or "by far the nicest park".

"When the coronavirus hit the Netherlands in March this year, the Dutch government responded by setting new guidelines for its people to strictly refrain from touching others, and remain distant from each other," said Object Studio founder Björn van den Broek.

"We all had to behave differently from what we were used to," he added.

People in the Netherlands were instructed to stay 1.5 metres apart from others in public.

"I live right next to the Noorderpark in Amsterdam, and from my house, I can easily see the park visitors passing by. I saw the struggle happening and recognised my own uncertainty in the behaviour of others," van den Broek said.

CoronaCrisisKruk is designed to help people remember and visualise the safe distance to keep, thanks to ruler-style measuring lines that are etched into the sides

Van den Broek designed the benches in March and had six manufactured by a local maker round the corner from his house.

"As soon as I had put them in the park, the response was amazing," he said.

"People understood them right away, and just loved using them. Even in a circle around them people kept the right distance from each other, without having to check or correct others on their behaviour."

The first benches have the names of the Noorderpark on their sides, and the Amsterdam Museum has bought one for its courtyard.

"One of the benches recently got vandalised, but I am repairing it, with a nice add-on with a positive 'hold on people' text," Van den Broek told Dezeen.

"People are fed up with the virus and the social distancing rules, but we have to stay strong and hold on for some extra time."

Object Studio is now offering custom versions for any organisations that want their own CoronaCrisisKruk, with all profits donated to Doctors Without Borders.

More design for social distancing includes a restaurant serving tray by Austrian studio March Gut that is 1.2 metres long, and mobile screens for separating students in school by furniture brand UNIT Fabrications.

Photography is by Cees Hin.

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A stone courting bench and a giant teacup are among nine imaginative seating designs that architects and designers have created for the London Festival of Architecture.

Dotted through Aldgate and the Cheapside financial district, the street furniture was made for London Festival of Architecture's (LFA) annual City Benches competition that aims to showcase emerging creatives.

The nine winning benches respond to the theme of this year's festival, care, and invite discourse on how people can better support each other and the environment.

"City Benches is now an established fixture in the London Festival of Architecture's public programme, and it's exciting to see how the programme has expanded for 2021," said Rosa Rogina, the programme director for LFA.

"Despite the constraints of the pandemic, this year's diverse group of emerging architects and designers has risen to the challenge with a fantastic series of installations that enliven the City of London and Aldgate, and bring architectural creativity to new public audiences."

The Conversation bench is a contemporary interpretation of a 19th-century courting chair. It is made from interlocking stone offcuts that can be disassembled and reused.

It was designed by NVBL with Webb Yates Engineers and The Stone Carving Company for a site next to the Aldgate Pump to advocate the use of stone as a durable and sustainable building material.

The timber Quick Getaway bench in Bow Churchyard was created by Ex Architectures with Flu-or Arquitectura as "a holiday-inspired oasis in the heart of the city".

It comments on travel as a form of care that many people have been deprived of throughout the Covid-19 pandemic due to national lockdown restrictions.

Another seat in the Bow Churchyard is The Friendly Blob, made by Jelly Collaborative as a reminder for people to take care of their mental health.

It also doubles as a miniature model of the City of London to encourage visitors to explore and learn together about the capital's architecture.

The wavey It Takes Two bench by 10F invites users to sit at either end. This is a nod to the new ways that people have occupied public furniture during the pandemic to maintain physical distance.

It is made from recycled blue plastic, informed by old public amenities in the capital such as decommissioned police boxes.

Hoped to encourage interaction, Lisa McDanell Studio's Plant Yourself Here seating comprises two scooped seats that face onto each other.

The chairs are made from cork adorned with graphic motifs and surrounded by scented plants. They were created in collaboration with Maher Model Makers to challenge traditional outward-facing public seating.

Jesmonite and waste coffee grounds from local cafes were used to craft the monolithic Sobremesa bench, named after the Spanish tradition of relaxing after a meal with a coffee.

Located at the Royal Exchange, it was conceived by Pebble Haus to encourage friends to catch up over a cup of coffee after time apart.

Edinburgh-based architect Nick Green has also used waste to create his bench, which is named Do you care about your city?

Fragments of litter are sealed within concrete and resin to evoke terrazzo, reminding passersby of the lasting impact of litter on the environment.

Playful motifs that illustrate local community landmarks and celebrate Aldgate's architectural history adorn the Monuments to Mingling benches.

They were designed by Sohanna Srinivasan for a site by Toynbee Hall in collaboration with Joyce and Joyce Joinery and A Small World to encourage conversations between different communities and age groups.

The final bench is A Cuppa by The Mad Hatters. Installed at 20 Middlesex Street, it takes the form of a giant teacup covered with bright patterns colours.

It celebrates drinking tea as a ceremony that unites people across different cultures and communities and encourages passersby "to pause and have A Cuppa".

This year's City Benches competition was organised in partnership with Cheapside Business Alliance and Aldgate Connect BID. The benches will remain in place until the end of June.

Last year's winners included a concrete pineapple and a pair of colourful cartoon eyes that look up to the sky.

Photography is by Agnese Sanvito.

London Festival of Architecture (LFA) takes place from 1 to 30 June 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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