NEWSWORTHY
UP ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY ON AWARD-WINNING DESIGN
A new timber-clad youth centre in the Melusi informal settlement west of Pretoria – one of two new structures designed by University of Pretoria( UP) Architecture Honours students in partnership with local community members – received a Maverick Prize at the recent national Timber Design Competition. This small meeting place of about 6.6m by 3.2m – which was once an abandoned shack – enables the Melusi Youth Development Organisation( MYDO) to offer many more important services to the sprawling community via what’ s been named its MYDO 2 Building.“ Through our lengthy needs analysis process and discussions with community representatives, we learnt about the real need for two structures: a sheltered, private waiting area for patients who visit the clinic, as well as an extension of the youth centre in the isolated western part of Melusi,” Oberholster says.“ The new clinic space can now also be used for outdoor screenings and health talks, to extend the clinic’ s operational abilities.” Sara“ Mamthembu” Mojapelo, Caretaker at the COPC Clinic, is proud of her involvement in the process. She says the people of Melusi are very thankful for the new addition, as it allows clinic services to continue even on rainy days.“ Adding value isn’ t about how much you do – it’ s just about choosing to do something,” she says.
MOSO AFRICA CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
Moso Africa celebrates its 10-year anniversary as a pioneer in engineered bamboo solutions for Southern Africa. Since 2015 Moso Africa has brought sustainable, high-performance MOSO Bamboo products to landmark projects across the region, from corporate headquarters and commercial properties to luxury hotels and ecofriendly safari lodges.
Moso Africa( Pty) Ltd was formed in October 2015 as a joint-venture with global leader MOSO
ANDY PAIGE Managing Director, Moso Africa
Bamboo. Moso Africa has offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and works with a number of distributors to enable the efficient supply of MOSO products into sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. The MOSO Bamboo product range includes decking, cladding, beams, panels and flooring.
Sustainable alternative to traditional building materials MOSO Bamboo believes in bamboo as a solution to the over-exploitation of tropical hardwood timber and the excessive use of our planet’ s non-renewable materials. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth, growing up to one metre a day. This rapidly renewable resource can be harvested after 4-5 years, without deforestation, as new stems grow from the plants’ root systems all the time.
The production process increases the strength and durability of the bamboo material, making the products suitable for high traffic areas and harsh climates. These factors made MOSO Bamboo Decking the premier choice for projects such as the East Pier boardwalk at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town, the Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch in Johannesburg and many eco-conscious safari lodges around the continent.
Choice of materials like bamboo helps luxury wilderness lodges“ Visitors to luxury wilderness lodges increasingly expect lodges to be constructed and operated in more sustainable ways, aligning with their love for nature and the natural surroundings of the lodge”, says Managing Director Andy Paige.“ The environmental benefits of materials like bamboo help guests to understand that lodges take their eco-vision seriously.”
To celebrate this 10-year milestone, the Moso Africa team picked ten projects that showcase the versatility, durability and elegance of bamboo.“ Even after many years and many amazing projects that have used MOSO Bamboo products, I still get completely awestruck by the creativity and skill of the architects and designers who create projects like these,” concludes Paige. www. moso-bamboo. com
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