Ljubljana-based design studio Lufta presents its first product — a seven-metre-long inflatable bench designed for public spaces.

Lufta’s Croatian premiere is organised in collaboration with the creative centre Center Rog, where the Lufta collective has been based in one of the project studios for the past three years. There, it also uses the shared production infrastructure, which includes nine labs, equipment, technologies and professional support for development and prototyping.

The bench is in everyday use on the terrace of Center Rog. It was not conceived as an installation, but as a mobile piece of furniture for public space — for sitting, lying down, working, talking and informal gatherings. During Zagreb Design Week, visitors will be able to use it as part of the garden, where installations, workshops, lectures and concerts will take place.

The bench is seven metres long and 1.6 metres wide. Despite its size, it can be deflated in just ten minutes and packed into a compact bundle, transforming its scale into temporary, easily transportable infrastructure.

The development of the bench took almost three years and closely reflects this year’s theme, Friction. The project began as an idea for the marine industry, went through dozens of unsuccessful prototypes and ultimately resulted in a new application of *drop-stitch* technology, a material most commonly associated with inflatable SUP boards.

The result is an object that explores the limits of material, mobility and the ways in which we shape shared space.