The Leaf was designed as a place to gather; a place to rest; a place of performance; as a frame for observing the landscape; and as a floating sculpture to add to the calming beauty of the riverscape.

The structure is a hybrid of bamboo and steel systems. While bamboo is not native to Slovenia, there are certain species currently growing quite successfully in the country that are suitable for construction. Based on our research, the Leaf would be the first predominantly bamboo-based architectural work in the region.

The Leaf tries to derive as much use from its limited volume as is possible. Its main floor is a space for gathering and looking. The roofscape offers a different platform for observation, but is also conceived as a platform for performance (either while docked, or while floating). Although we are primarily using a unique material (bamboo), the construction systems composing the project are rather conventional. Three types of prefabricated steel connections are used: (1) to connect bamboo to the floating platform; (2) to connect bamboo members to other bamboo members; and (3) to connect the bamboo trusswork to the steel trusswork above. There is a 2m x 2m grid used throughout the structure, with clusters of bamboo members forming the columns holding the bamboo/steel trusswork above. Certain gaps within the grid are created to accommodate a more-open and flexible floorplate. The flotation systems are modeled on those given in the competition brief. The roofing is composed of a layer of polycarbonate, and a layer of perforated metal—creating a firm shelter, an occupiable roofscape, yet also allowing for filtered light to trickle through.

Being the first of its kind in the country, the Leaf would serve to foster a discussion of the potentials of bamboo architecture in Slovenia. It would also operate as a long-term case study to assess how bamboo architecture ages and weathers within the regional climate. Slovenia has a long and rich lineage of timber-based architecture. We believe that bamboo, being fast growth, lightweight, offering fairly-impressive structural properties, and requiring minimal treatments to achieve weather/pest resistance, can offer fertile grounds for investigation and innovation to this local building culture. And more important, this project can serve as a constructive addition to the discussion of sustainable architecture in Slovenia and the surrounding region in the years to come.