London designers, including Attua Aparicio, James Shaw and Studio Furthermore, have worked with local teenagers to develop a public bench for Camden council as part of a project by social enterprise Store that was unveiled at the London Design Festival.

The initiative, titled This Bench Has Legs, saw designers work with north Londond state school students aged 14 to 18 to create a public seating prototype that could be used in the King's Cross area.

Responding to a brief set by developer Argent, which was responsible for the regeneration of the King's Cross district, Store set out to create a modular seating system that utilises locally sourced waste materials.

Aparicio, who is involved in running Store's summer schools and after-school clubs, told Dezeen that the design and choice of manufacturing process were based on the objective of creating an affordable, scalable solution.

"Our ambition of having the bench implemented by the council meant that it had to be cost-effective," she explained. "For that reason, we focused on creating a bench that was industrially producible but also modular and playful."

Over the course of four separate after-school clubs, students explored modularity with Livia Lauber, glass with Dawn Bendick, plastics with James Shaw and aluminium with Marina Dragomirova of Studio Furthermore.

The final bench was created during a summer school run by Aparicio and Oscar Lessing – the duo behind Silo Studio – where students worked alongside local producers to realise the bench's components.

The design's most characteristic component is its irregular hexagonal legs, which are cast using recycled aluminium by Maybrey Reliance, a foundry based in Aylesford, Kent.

The expense involved with mould-making meant that only one shape could be created. A six-sided form was chosen as it allows the height of the seat to be altered by rotating the legs.

"The idea is to have one piece that can be as versatile as possible while also becoming iconic," said Aparicio. "With modularity and accessibility in mind, our goal was to have a bench that could have three different heights, which is desirable according to accessibility guidelines."

The legs are made by covering a plywood jig with upholstery foam. Cut cardboard shapes stapled to the foam create organically shaped holes that lend the piece a soft, pillowy look.

The foam models were 3D-scanned at the Bartlett School of Architecture and transformed into digital files that were used to CNC mill a replica of the final part.

The two halves of this pattern were then used to create sand moulds, into which the molten aluminium was poured to form each leg. The legs are fixed to the seat using laser-cut and welded steel brackets.

The bench's seating surfaces are made using either recycled plastic sheets donated by surface specialist Smile Plastics, or weather-resistant cedar sourced from London-based sustainable timber supplier Fallen & Felled.

The bench was unveiled during London Design Festival 2025 as part of an exhibition where visitors were invited to gather, sit and learn about the project.

According to Aparicio, further development is needed to evolve the prototype into a fully functioning solution that can be installed in the public realm.

Her hope is that Store can secure additional funding to help develop the system by adding a backrest and armrest. The ambition is that the council might purchase the benches, with the funds raised helping to support future after-school clubs.

Store is an association of artists, architects and designers that supports young people from underrepresented backgrounds as they seek to apply to creative courses. The collective runs workshops aimed at developing creative talents and practical skills in students, as well as assisting them in building portfolios in art and design.

Other projects from emerging designers at this year's LDF include a modular cob house, which artist Roo Dhissou erected inside the V&A, and a travelling exhibition of seating set in a Luton van.

The photography is by Paul Plews.

London Design Festival runs from 13 to 22 September 2025. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.