What is Athens Bench Mark?

A collaborative initiative of ‘The World of Athens‘ with the City of Athens united in the effort to change the benches of Athens and help improve city life!

Athens Bench Mark is comprised of two competitions and a volunteer program:

The first competition is the Athens Bench Mark industrial design contest sure to give a makeover of new benches throughout the city. The public will view and vote for the best 100 proposals until April 6th and a jury will decide the final three works whose creators will receive cash and prizes. At least one project will be implemented and produced en masse to gear up Athens for the change!

Have a look at the Entry Terms and Conditions and the Technical Specifications

The visual contest Future Bench will ensue until April 26th: it is a creative competition where the only limit is, imagination. Public voting for Future Bench will last until April 29^th and will highlight 50 works to be showcased in a major art exhibition of Future Bench. The most accumulated votes will grant the artist with the most popular work the Audience Award of Future Bench. Additionally, prizes will be awarded to the three finalists who are selected by the evaluation committee whereby the project to win 1st prize will be the only one to be produced as a single prototype for construction and installation in a public space in Athens.

Have a look at the Entry Terms and Conditions and the Technical Specifications

The Volunteer Program of Athens Bench Mark concerns all those who love Greece and believe that citizen participation is the way to a better life in our city. City technicians will organize and guide teams to refurbish old benches into new.

Your opinion counts! The registration process is simple and brief so that everyone can vote and reward creators by showing off the new bench in Athens until April 18th.

Ελληνικά

CREATE YOUR OWN BENCH
LEAVE YOUR MARK ON THE CITY

GEARING UP ATHENS FOR A CHANGE
MAKING THE CITY OVER

What a bench means to me

N. Kaklamanis, Mayor of Athens

T. Karapanagiotis, President of "The World of Athens"

K. Katsampe, President of ETOAA

Etymology

bench (a) nm, a simple structure placed in open spaces (parks, bus stops etc.) and used as a seat

<Etymology
bench (a) nm, a simple structure placed in open spaces (parks, bus stops etc.) and used as a seat

Future Bench TV Spot

Mega TV Spot Athens Benchmark

Design Specifications

The competition Athens Bench Mark is for new benches that will undergo industrial production, therefore it is neccessary to design benches with specific standards in mind.

Design aesthetics and harmony - the way it is implied by the central idea of the contest - in the relation of the relevant proposal with the urban environment.
Object ergonomics to suit not only the average user but as well the elder, disabled people ect.
Quality of materials and functionality
Innovative and sustainable design.
Environmentally friendly and other possible materials and methods of building the final product in an eco friendly or energy saving manner…”Green product”. More > >

Inspiration

The competition Future Bench has no required design specifications. Designs will be the free creation of the artist. Benches will be exhibited in a major art exhibition called Future Bench.

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