Earlier this year RIBA London and London's Pleasure Gardens invited architecture students, recent graduates and emerging practices to design public benches for the Royal Docks in east London.
A chance to improve the Royal Docks site
Long before festivals as we know them today, Pleasure Gardens were summertime venues where people from all walks of life converged for entertainment – to listen to music, amble, drink, flirt, sit and immerse themselves in culture. Seating is an important part of the Pleasure Gardens concept, allowing people to stop, take in the atmosphere or just do a spot of people watching.
The designers of the benches for London's Pleasure Gardens have now been selected, providing them with a unique opportunity to showcase their work at this exciting new development. Successful entrants have a grant of £150 to realise their creations and after attending site visits, are now planning the finishing touches and sourcing materials ready for building this Spring.
The benches will be installed across the site from June ready for the London Festival of Architecture 2012. To find out more about this project please download the design brief|. Images and further information about the designs will be available shortly.