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Jess Cross | Vinyl DIGZ

one small seed — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:36:46 +0000

one small seed followed California-born Jess Cross around Cape Town and discovered her innate passion for music, art and records.

Jess talks of music being a form of art, and art being the most beautiful way to bring people together. After studying Critical Theory Social Justice at Occidental College Jess had the realization that is was all insane and decided to get out. She then moved to Howard University for one year and then UCT for one semester, after finishing off her last semester at Occidental, she graduated and now has moved back to Cape Town to live her dreams…

Jess bought to South Africa a hidden treasure that she found at the bottom of an old house in an old crack district; five crates of some of the most amazing records she had ever seen. Obsessed with the history and the cover art of the records, she began to put them all over her walls.

…and that was my first serious collection that was handed down to me and I was already curating and collecting and I did not even know it. It was like putting art up on your walls, that was where the love of this all really started.

She found a common thread in both the art and the music, spending hours at a time in the record stores; digging through the records as if it was a form of therapy. As a natural result she started Vinyl DIGZ, which gave her the chance to explore her talents as vinyl DJ, whilst also exhibiting her prints at a studio party which her an Pierre Estienne held locally in Cape Town. This gave the crowd the chance to appreciate something from an era past – both aesthetically and musically.

“Its pretty dope seeing like my artwork all around town now.

Jessica believes that the art movement is a beautiful catalyst for change and dedicates her life to it. She started a non-profit organization called Soul City Movement. Its inception came from her fascination by the streets and the people in them and so grew her desire to get closer and connect to those people and places, and at the same time introduce art.

Orchard Library by HMC Architects

one small seed — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:28:27 +0000

Officials at Orchard School in San Jose, CA, United States chose to improve their outdated campus library. Improving student access to technology, providing adequate space for a growing book collection and creating a central focus for the school were the organizers primary goals.

The result is a modern building that is attractive for both students and teachers, as well as eco-friendly. The project is currently registered with the United States Green Building Council for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. LEED is an internationally recognized mark of excellence providing building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. The Orchard school library utilizes a high-performance exterior building envelope, interior day lighting, natural ventilation, photovoltaic panels, upgraded mechanical systems, green-certified interior furnishings and finishes, water-saving plumbing fixtures, and careful siting and orientation to reduce solar heat gain all to achieve a high level of sustainable design.

Dating back to the 1850s, Orchard School is one of the oldest operating schools in Northern California. Its library, located at the heart of the campus, connects the elementary and middle school areas. Because of that ideal central location, a renovation and expansion of the 3,000-SF space made more sense than new construction elsewhere. Using the centralized location to advantage, the design team planned for opposing elementary and middle school entries to the library, thus defining a spatial organization that acknowledges the distinct identity of each group.

With its location tucked between stucco-clad, flat roofed 1990s-era buildings, designers and school officials knew they needed to distinguish the library from its surroundings. The expanded and renovated library responds to this challenge through the use of a metallic composite-panel façade with zinc plate accents and abundant glass, giving the library a striking aesthetic reflective of its position in the heart of Silicon Valley. The angular, sloping windows emphasize the building entries and focus interior vistas obliquely toward view corridors. They taper the building’s scale in response to its smaller users, and effectively block the unattractive view of an adjacent building’s blank rear wall and mechanical equipment, yet maintain a continuous sense of connection with the landscaped plaza outside.

Inside, the dramatic full-height glass brings natural light deep into the expanded 6,000-SF space, a drastic departure from the obstructed views of its predecessor. A natural wood screen, locally crafted from FSC-certified wood, helps to define space and provide boundaries without compromising supervision. With the circulation desk installed in the center of the space, librarians are now able to survey students while greeting anyone coming and going. Dark existing instructional spaces for elementary and middle school classes were relocated to corners filled with natural north light; the renovated existing space, with no access to windows, now houses stacks for the 18,000-volume collection, along with a new technology lab for up to 36 students.

The library has been hugely successful in creating a focal point for this rambling campus, providing new instructional opportunities, and attracting student, staff, and community users; as a bonus, its natural light and spatial quality have made it the most popular spot on campus for after-school faculty meetings and training sessions. The Orchard Library is a testament to the passion and creativity of all those involved in its creation, especially the talented people at HMC Architects.

Clearly an architectural marvel, the Orchard Library sets new precedent for educating grade school children. The library incorporates state-of-the-art technology to teach the future generation life in their modern world. Students benefit from an improved sense of community, access to technology and the profound sense that adults care about their education. Crumbling facilities send the message to students and teachers, even parents, that education is not important. The Orchard Library, in contrast, provides a shining example of a community where adults take early childhood education seriously. These adults–parents, teachers, architects and administrators–have put their money where their mouths are to improve the lives of the next generation.

Source: King , Victoria . “Orchard Library / HMC Architects” 23 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 30 Jan 2012. http://www.archdaily.com/201366/orchard-library-hmc-architects/
Photos: David Wakely
http://www.davidwakely.com/

TREEHOUSE LIVING: KEEPING YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

one small seed — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 06:00:55 +0000

First recognised as the benchmark of an ideal childhood, whether it was real or a Hollywood construction, the lucky kids always had a treetop getaway in their backyard. It then became the muse of the musician and movie star, where we’d hear of conflicted creative’s shutting themselves in secluded cabin locations to heal their wounds before resurfacing to the world refreshed; masterpiece in tact.

Well, now is the age for anyone who wasn’t included in the cast of ‘Stand by Me’ (1986) or ‘The Little Rascals’(1994) to take sanctuary in a glorious haven where the modern world meets the natural. Situated in lush, mystical forests, these treehouses are far removed from the draining city’s chaos, I can’t imagine anything better for your soul than to wake upon a balcony suspended by branches to a view of tall trees piecing the morning mist and dreamy landscapes.

Baumraum Treehouse, Plendelhof Stables: Germany

Green Magic Nature Resort, Kerala: India

Don’t be deterred… it’s not as if these homes are taken out of the doggy-eared leaves of a hippy’s book. Many are designed by some of the most serious players in architectures around the world, and it’s going to take more than a few homegrown peanuts to nestle yourself between these branches. Just take the iconic location of the ‘80s film, ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’, situated in Illinois and going for a swanky $1.65 million.

‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ home, Highland Park: Illinos
Just think what all that fresh air can do! And if you can’t quite imagine yourself severed from your cellphone implants, or find you simply cannot go on without cues on alien religion by Tom Cruise, you could always choose a more temporary retreat such as a week or two in one of the treetop communities in Laos, Southeast Asia. It’s known as the ‘Gibbon Experience’ where you, like a Gibbon, will be swinging around the jungle via ‘foffy slides’ and munching natural foods, all the while having a positive effect on the ecosystem.

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Besides the bliss of treetop living, most of the houses are made out of organic materials and are self-sustainable. Much of the interior is kept to a minimalist style, not detracting from the forests’ natural wonder. Tickle your fancy? Go check out Pete Nolan’s beautiful compilation called ‘New Treehouses of the World’ (2009).

Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Treehouse, Sebastopol forest: California

WORDS: MEGAN KING