Hacked! – Update

Posted on October 10, 2012 by tournesol

Update- Finding the hack was pretty brutal. We actually didn’t need to take down our website to remove the bad stuff. However, it took better than two weeks of time to fix. I spent about one week myself, which included crashing my computer with a really nasty virus while I was searching around for answers. Fortunately, there are people out there that have described solutions to the Pharma Hack. Unfortunately, the hacker went beyond the simple-yet-time-consuming-to-resolve issues, and actually changed code on our main webpage (as well as the WordPress Blog). Thanks to our website design partner that finally helped identify the problem.

We’re waiting for Google to update our search listings, and still working to tightly secure our WordPress and Main website files. The moral of the story – #1) don’t think that this won’t happen to you and #2) change your passwords, change your passwords, change your passwords.

By the way, the most interesting thing was that our website traffic (as measured by Google analytics) didn’t really change that much as a result of the hack. That means that most people who wanted to visit our site weren’t deterred by the “Viagra” description on the Google results. Thanks for your patience!!

It’s the call you never want to get. Our friend James Shaffer of Streetscapes called me Monday morning. “You’d better take a look at your website”, he says. I pulled up our site, and everything looked perfectly normal. “No, not the website – your google results”, he continued. I typed in “Tournesol Siteworks” into Google, and the result had a new commentary line that it didn’t have on Friday last week – This website may have been compromised. Boy, had it ever – the description of our website was now an ad for Viagra!!

Continue reading →

ASLA 2012 in Phoenix

Posted on October 2, 2012 by tournesol

We just returned from this year’s edition of the American Soc. of Landscape Architects annual meeting & expo in Phoenix. Attendance seemed light this year, especially to the vendors standing around on the trade show floor between 11AM (after sessions started) and 3PM (once they were over). It did feel like the attendees we spoke with were busier than in previous years, and cautiously optimistic about the coming 12 months.

Continue reading →

Our New Catalog is Here!

Posted on September 21, 2012 by tournesol

It’s finally here! Once we finished with our new website, the marketing team needed something else to do. We went to work on the catalog – in the last two years, we’ve increased its size by more the 35%!

We added 20 pages (its now 120 pages) and well over 25 new products, including our new benches and tables (including TWIG and the new Flow planter bench), as well as our entire range of deck and paver support products. We’ve been selling most of these for almost a year, so it’s about time we got them in the book.

New for this year are sections detailing design services we’ve begun offering, as well as a new “project board” feature for each product group. We show off several new installations and link to its blog posting for more information.

The cover photo (above), a fantastic residential terrace on a high rise in Chicago, was just featured in our blog here. The Urban and Wilshire Collection pots (with CWM irrigation) have been on the patio for over four years, and still look terrific. The owner contacted after receiving our last newsletter to share how pleased they are with our product!

You can download a PDF version of our catalog here, or send an email to request that one be mailed to you.

ASLA 2012 in Phoenix – Come see us!!

Posted on September 14, 2012 by tournesol

The American Society of Landscape Architects national meeting each year is our “big show”. This year’s show in Phoenix is no different. The Expo runs from 9AM – 5PM on Saturday, Sept. 29th and Sunday, Sept. 30th. At least this year they didn’t have it on Holloween (like last year!). We’ll be in booth #559. Go here to plan your visit – make sure to include us on the list! Continue reading →

The new Flow bench planter

Posted on September 7, 2012 by tournesol

The Flow bench planter, shown at Genitope Corp. in Newark, CA

We did a photo shoot last week with our newest product from the Street and Garden Furniture family, the Flow bench planter. We thought we’d share a few of the photos.

Each planter, as shown, is approx. 30″L x 18″W x 16′D

Continue reading →

Our newest project: Canon USA Headquarters, Melville, NY

Posted on August 28, 2012 by tournesol

Canon USA Headquarters rendering for HOK, courtesy of Pixelplume

Tournesol Siteworks has been awarded a major contract for the production of our Wilshire Box hanging planters for the Canon U.S.A. Headquarters in Melville, NY. We look forward to working closely with Steven Dubner Landscaping, the installing contractor. Turner Construction is the general contractor, EW Howell the construction manager, and HOK the specifying architect. Continue reading →

Portland State University ecological learning plaza installed

Posted on July 27, 2012 by tournesol

Portion of test walls at PSU – VGM to left, custom wall center, hydroponic wall to right

Tournesol Siteworks is excited to be part of the new Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza, just opened on the campus of Portland State University. It serves several purposes – a research center for living walls, greenroofs, irrigation-free landscape, as well as a park for students, faculty and staff. Continue reading →

Scientific study – Green walls lead to cleaner cities

Posted on July 24, 2012 by tournesol

from the journal Environmental Science and Technology

We’ve been involved with greenwalls since 2008, and a frequent question we get is “why green walls?” Typically green roof projects can justify their existence (environmentally, at least), by retaining storm water and reducing the urban heat island effect, along with other benefits. Greenwalls don’t have that luxury – while they do insulate a wall of a building, it’s hard to cover enough of the wall to provide significant benefit. Typically we find they are installed for the visual effect more than any other reason.

Finally, there has been a study that provides compelling environmental benefits to putting greenwalls throughout cities.

from BusinessGreen.com:

Planting living “green walls” of vegetation could provide a faster and cheaper way of cleaning up the air in cities than large-scale initiatives such as congestion charging, scientists will say today.

Continue reading →

Dwell on Design, Follow Up

Posted on July 20, 2012 by tournesol

Quench: Los Angeles 2012

There has been a lot of great press surrounding the “Best in Show” award given to the Quench Collective at the Dwell on Design show. Bjorn Rust, one of the designers featured, produced the great video above highlighting the experience.

from the Core77 blog, image and text by Sarah Jacobson

A great overview of the exhibit was featured in the design magazine and resource blog, Core77. The post, written by Sarah Jacobson, included a note on David Shaw’s Flow bench planter:

There was David Shaw’s “Flow” planter, a divider/bench/planter nicely done in white and grey powder-coated steel. Flow is representative of Shaw’s public works design, for his studio Street and Garden Furniture Co. He creates bus benches, bike racks, drinking fountains, etc., with a clean yet classic sensibility greatly needed in public works design (at least in the U.S.).

We agree entirely, and are looking forward to releasing the Flow later this Summer!

“Best of Show” at Dwell on Design!

Posted on June 25, 2012 by tournesol

Quench Design won best booth in show!

We were first-timers this weekend at Dwell on Design. Clearly this conference already has quite a following, because it was packed all three days. Tournesol Siteworks partner Street and Garden Furniture exhibited as part of an Australian design collaborative called Quench Design. Although it was their first experience here, too, the booth was jammed with visitors throughout the weekend. The fantastic designs drew the attention of the judges, who awarded Quench (as a group) “Best Booth in Show” award. Quench Design is sponsored by the Queensland Government, who underwrote the travel expenses for the trip.

Continue reading →