art bench sculptors

Through a partnership with The Woodlands Township and the generous funding of underwriters, twenty-nine Art Benches and six Art Bike Racks have been commissioned and installed along The Woodlands Waterway and in the Hughes Landing commercial area adjacent to Lake Woodlands. Designed by local, national, and international artists, these one-of-a-kind public art pieces add beauty to our community while serving a practical function.

Design Durability and Maintenance Guidelines:

All Art Benches to be created and installed shall be of a kind and nature reasonably acceptable to be displayed in a family-oriented, public setting, giving due regard to the colors, structural design, contextual design, and functional design for intended use as outdoor park/civic plaza bench.

Bench must be constructed of highly durable materials that will be easy to maintain in an outdoor, hot, humid, sunny, semi-tropical environment for at least ten years. Ideally, the bench will be able to be maintained by power-washing.

Each artist will supply The Woodlands Township with necessary information for proper conservation. If maintenance work becomes necessary for an installed work the Township will contact the artist to discuss a course of action.

All works will be in public areas, as such, must not present a danger to public safety, health, or welfare.

Bench designs should be comfortable and safe for at least 3 people to sit on.

Final bench design must be approved from those who maintain ownership or easement interests in the location site, as well as Howard Hughes Corporation and The Woodlands Commercial Standards Committee.

Artists are encouraged to work conceptually with the chosen site and the underwriter’s vision.

Bench Materials

Art Benches must be constructed with high quality commercial grade materials. Materials may include, but are not limited to, iron, steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, bronze, natural stone, glass, HDPE plastic, fiberglass, concrete, wood or a combination of these materials. Any other material proposed for Art Bench construction must be approved in writing in advance of the construction of the Art Bench by The Woodlands Township.

Wood materials must be durable and suitable for high-humidity, high-temperature outdoor environments. All wood material must be made weatherproof, water resistant and capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions with minimal maintenance for a minimum of five (5) years.

Screws, bolts, nuts and other fittings for fabrication of Art Benches must be made of stainless steel or be galvanized.

Bench Design Standards

Bench seat height must be a minimum of 16 inches above grade and not more than 19 inches above grade.

Art Bench must be designed and fabricated to be surface mounted with 1/2 inch Drop-in Anchors onto a 48-inch-wide 96-inch-long by 4-inch-deep impervious surface, such as concrete or brick pavers; or the bench must weigh more than 1,000 pounds; or the bench must be secured with 1/2 inch bolts, poured in place with a concrete foundation.

Design, fabrication, and anchoring of Art Bench must be able to withstand wind loads of 140 mph.

The seating area of the Art Bench must be smooth in texture, completely free of any sharp edges, and comfortable for adults and children to sit. The Art Bench seat(s) must be heat-resistant/reflective.

The materials and the fabrication of the Art Bench must be structurally sound and capable of supporting a minimum load capacity of 400 pounds. Any back support should support a minimum of 250 pounds