The Southwest Washington Medical Center Parking Structure, Vancouver, WA
Back in the Fall of 2005, we were just starting to hang planters off the side of buildings. We had recently acquired Flower Framers of Cincinnati, a manufacturer of window boxes and other hanging planters. That led to the insight that we could probably do the same type of product for larger commercial applications. The planters at the Southwest Washington Medical Center, installed in 2005, were one of our first attempts at the design and fabrication of large, custom hanging boxes. The photograph taken above, and most following, were taken by our sales manager John Denman during a visit to Vancouver, WA in December, 6 years after the product was installed.
Custom hanging planters, taken in the Fall of 2011
Tournesol Siteworks has been working closely with our partner Elmich in Singapore to bring you the next generation of VGM modular living wall – the VGM3. For those who have worked with VGM in the past, you’ll find the great features that made VGM a superior living wall solution (availability in 4″ and 8″ soil profiles, ease of removal/installation, open planting space, recycled materials) are all still there.
We’re not content to rest on our laurels – we want the best system to be better, at a lower overall installed cost!
Welcome to 2012! We took the holidays off (from posting on the blog, anyway), but are excited to be in the new year.
We’ve just published our new 2012 commercial price list. This is typically the price that contractors will pay, and the price that is available through our distributor network.
The pricelist includes several important things for 2012:
Cool VGM living wall installation uses the boxes' modularity
When it comes to creativity, the designers we work with have us here at Tournesol Siteworks beat hands down. Architect Ross Andrews and Landscape Architect Jim Ridge came up with this design for a small living wall installed on a retail center in Fountain Valley, CA. Instead of viewing the modularity of the VGM system as a drawback, they leveraged the geometry to create something quite spectacular.
Installed by Matsunaga Landscape Maintenance, and grown in by our friends at Instant Jungle, this wall adds pop to an otherwise bland area. The one column reaches all the way to the ground, which allows irrigation to be run up behind it. As the wall grows in, the variation in plant material’s colors will containue to add to the effect. A great installation, and one that shows what creativity can do on a budget.
all images courtesy Joe Zazzera, Plant Solutions, Scottsdale, AZ
Jeff Basset of Unisource Global Solutions, in Chandler, AZ, recently worked with our regional sales representative Jon Willingham to design an interior living wall for their offices. They enlisted the help of Joe Zazzera and his team from Plant Solutions in Scottsdale to install and maintain the wall.
We frequently have people ask us whether it is complicated to install a TerraScreen system. This series of pictures answers that question better than anything…
All images courtesy of Michelle Bond, Thumbellina Gardens
Since starting in the green wall business, we often get the comment – “it looks great when it goes in, but what about a year later?” Thanks to Michelle Bond of Thumbellina Gardens in San Francisco, we can show you a time lapse of a living wall in San Francisco. We featured the installation of this wall last December (here), and then revisited it again 6 months later (here).
We just recieved word from Elmich, our partners in Singapore, that they have received certification for the VGM Modular living wall systems at wind speeds up to 68mph. They contracted with a testing agency in Melbourne, AUS, who created and executed the test. While the video above might not be particularly exciting, the results are excellent.
The short story-
The new 3rd generation VGM modules (coming at the end of November) feature an optional plastic retaining clip that keeps the module in place. While it was tested here with wind, the same clip can be used for seismic retention and vandal prevention purposes.
With the wind coming from three different directions, there was still no appreciable uplift on a typical module. That is, the brackets held the boxes fast on the rails no matter the direction of the wind.
The 3rd generation modules also feature planting windows with additional retention bars. These prevent wind erosion of the soil or plants, and help keep the planting bag in place.
We’ll be featuring a post on the new modules shortly after they debut in December. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, they feature full stainless steel hardware, and a fully removable lid. As a bonus to the installing contractor, the new bracket system will be faster and easier to assemble than the previous generations.
Our living wall continuing education course has been a great success thus far. According to the people at McGraw-Hill and Construction.com, over 1300 continuing education credit tests have been taken (and, we assume, passed). Click to continue »
