Zorka Furniture Builds 29-Foot Parametric Plywood Bench for South Carolina Mall

Zorka Furniture has installed STRATUM, a parametric plywood bench spanning nearly 29 feet (8.76 meters) and assembled from more than 600 individually CNC-cut components, at Haywood Mall in Greenville, South Carolina. The studio designed, milled and fabricated the piece in-house. It now occupies the mall's central concourse.

The structure weighs over 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms). Zorka milled the components from roughly 100 plywood sheets, each profile cut to a unique geometry calculated by digital design software. Stacked into a layered three-dimensional mass, the varying contours produce a rhythmic sequence of curves, integrated seating niches and arched pass-throughs built for visitor interaction.

How did a 5,500-pound bench reach the site?

Fabrication into modular sections solved the logistics. Zorka shipped the bench on five pallets and assembled it overnight, working around the mall's operating hours rather than closing retail space. For practices used to month-long installs in occupied buildings, the sequence is the relevant precedent: 100 sheets of plywood became a walk-through sculpture in one working night.

What does the geometry do for visitors?

The layered profiles create a fluid, undulating silhouette that merges conventional public seating with large-scale architectural sculpture. Arched openings in the lower profile invite physical interaction, and the seating niches run the length of the bench.

Zorka described the intent in its own promotion of the project: "Not just a bench. This is STRATUM — a sculptural parametric art installation that transforms ordinary public spaces into unforgettable destinations. Every layer is precisely engineered to create a flowing architectural form that invites people to sit, explore, interact, and take photos."

The studio also named its reference point. "Nature became our blueprint. Inspired by Utah's iconic arches and dramatic landscapes, we sculpted those flowing rock formations into a functional work of art," Zorka wrote on TikTok.

A model for computational fabrication at retail scale

The numbers frame the achievement: roughly 100 plywood sheets, 600-plus unique CNC-cut parts, one overnight assembly. Digital tools calculated each component's geometry, and every piece left the machine ready to slot into the stack. The result reads less as furniture and more as a small building whose program is sitting, walking through and photographing.

STRATUM signals where commissioned public seating is heading: parametric geometry, flat-stock material and overnight installation routines that let malls and other occupied venues host architectural-scale work without disrupting operations. Firms that already run CNC workflows can treat this as proof that the jump from furniture to interactive landmark is now a matter of parts count, not new tooling.