As Novac/Barbara Ban writes on the 5th of October, 2020, the innovative Labin-based architect Drazen Smokovic figured out how to make sunbathing on rugged and rocky beaches without destroying the coast with construction or some other intervention possible. Meet Flatrocks.
The Croatian architect designed adjustable platforms called Flatrocks, which can be placed on any rocky beach, and there is really no shortage of them on the Croatian coast. They are prefabricated and are installed and dismantled without any damage to the substrate. This idea was liked by the popular Croatian hotel giant Valamar Riviera, who decided to use this idea for the beaches they own as well. As Smokovic revealed, the idea is to use such platforms seasonally during the swimming season, after which they are dismantled and stored away for next summer. The first prototypes were produced by the company Ferencic from Viskovo, and they were tested on the beaches of Rabac.
”I got the idea for “platforms on the rock” while swimming and looking at the rocky shore. As all people from the coast know, the sea is far cleaner and “more interesting” for swimming and diving along the rocky shoreline. The problem is that you will hardly be able to rest or sunbathe on such a coast. As I’m constantly “staying” in a virtual 3D space, I imagined flat surfaces by the sea where I could place a towel and sunbathe without getting bruises on my body, Smokovic stated, explaining that they can be used on literally any rocky terrain.
”After designing the platform for a certain position, the platform is then set up in that space and corresponds to that position itself because there are no two identical rock profiles, much like there are no two fingerprints the same. The prototype of the Flatrocks platform was made of plywood primarily for testing the manufacturing technology and 3D image of the rock. For commercial models, I consider various materials. There are plenty of alternatives on the market today. The priority is that they are environmentally friendly, and if possible, that they’re made of some type of recycled material,” pointed out the Labin architect.
”For the entire concept of prototyping, I’ve collaborated with several companies, and several of them have shown interest in this type of product. I’m currently in the phase of further research of the material and improvement of the product, but it’s already ready for sale. On the domain flatrocks.eu and on social media, I publish all the news regarding product development. Since I had experience with patents and I’m familiar with the process, I hired a company that researches which form of protection would be most suitable for this product,” pointed out the Flatrocks inventor.
”First of all, I expect that it will being about comfortable swimming and more places on the beaches and rocks,” he concluded.
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