Design a bench for Port Covington

It’s time to do The Greatest City in America one better.

The development firm backed by Kevin Plank and the city’s arts office are seeking designs for benches that will be used in Port Covington, the massive neighborhood-sized South Baltimore development that will be home to Under Armour’s new HQ, a rye distillery and the already-opened City Garage. Proposals for “The Next Great Baltimore Bench” are due to Sagamore Development and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts by April 29.
Get to sketching.
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Artists and designers are welcome. But this being a Sagamore-backed endeavor, they are welcoming all people who make stuff. An announcement encourages “wide-open thinking” about what an outdoor bench can be. It also seems like a good opening for tech. Phone chargers? WiFi?
We’ve heard in the last week that the development won’t be “too urban.” However, the priority on walkable and open activity space means benches will be important for grabbing a quick breather.
And don’t forget that the benches will take their place in a lineage that includes the slogan mentioned in the first sentence of this story and “The City That Reads.”
“While the competition is open to designers from anywhere, it is hoped proposed benches will have a positive Baltimore narrative and strong local connection,” an announcement states.
The competition will be judged by a panel, and semifinalists will be announced May 18.