New Gateway to the Center for Early Education in West Hollywood, CA
Rios Clementi Hale is at it again. They’ve designed a number of great-looking living walls in the Los Angeles area using our VGM Modular living wall system, including the Sunset House and La Plaza. Jennifer Schab at their office was responsible for the upgrade to the CEE, a private elementary school in West Hollywood where they used the VGM to create a new gateway for the school.
The CEE sign is mounted on a rail, extending from the horizontal gap between modules
The gateway is the public face of the school grounds
The planting used a mix of succulents, grasses, and sedums in 34 of the VGM-06 modules. Upon close inspection the coverage is good, and with a season of growth it will erase most of the module lines.
A combination of succulents, grasses and sedums were used
According to an article in the school’s magazine, the gateway installation was just one part of the greening of the elementary school campus. While they didn’t have a lot of space to green, they made the most of it. In addition to the gateway, they used Wooly Pocket felt hanging planters along many of the outdoor staircases along the building. The gateway and planters were outfitted with drip irrigation systems. The school is quickly incorporating the new “green” into the curriculum of the school.
Some areas are still growing in, but will be full after the growing season
It’s a strong statement for a school in an urban setting. We’ll look forward to seeing how it continues to grow in. Below, a short video by our regional sales representative, Jon Willingham.
The Urban Collection, shown at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ
In response to a number of requests from customers last year, we’re implemented a quick ship program for 2012. With the way that we typically work, it’s hard to get a pot order, even a small one, out in less than a week. This year, we decided to put in place a program that will make it possible! Best of all, there will be no additional cost for this service.
The quick ship program features two of our most popular FRP (fiberglass) planter collections, the Urban and Metro. Limited quantities of most rounds, squares and rectangles will be available to ship within 5-7 business days, depending upon the final color and finish. Metal infused finishes will typically take slightly longer than base or MMP finishes. Confirmed ship dates will depend upon order size and current inventory levels.
This existence of this program in no way guarantees a specific delivery window to any customer. Check with your Tournesol salesperson for product availability and specific details.
A Metro Collection square, as seen at the Crocker Galleria in San Francisco
When Tremco Incorporated, a leader in sustainable construction and part of the RPM Building Solutions Group, renovated its corporate headquarters in Beachwood, OH, they featured a 9000 sf vegetative roof from the Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance Division. Vegetative roof expert Rana Creek, based not too far from us in Northern California, did the design for them. Rana Creek recommended the use of Tournesol Siteworks FRP planters and our VertiGreen 3D Trellis system to cover several large structures on the roof, as well as screen an equipment area. A full documentation of the project can be seen at www.tremcogreenhq.com.
Wilshire Collection planters at the Kravis Center, Claremont-McKenna College
There are more to some jobs than meets the eye. This is one of those.
When Diane Fazio of Land Images in Los Angeles called us about this project, the clock was already ticking. Because of structural problems, a reflecting pool slated to surround this Rafael Viñoly-designed lounge in the center of the new signature entrance to the university couldn’t be installed. Yet the opening of the building was only two weeks away! This building is a big deal, and the reflecting pool was a very obvious component of this building:
Kravis Center consists of the construction of a five-level, 162,000 square-foot academic and administrative facility and will serve as the western gateway to the Claremont McKenna campus. The overall project includes offices, classrooms, seminar rooms, an underground parking structure, and outdoor courtyards. (from the university’s website)
Diane wanted to know if we had enough material on hand to be able to provide them with planters to ring the area originally intended for the pool. That worked out to be nearly 330 linear feet of planters! Not only that, but could we finish it and deliver prior to the dedication in two weeks?
Join ASLA – NCC on February 16th for the next lecture in its 2012 lecture series: Living Walls – the Intersection of Art, Ecology and Technology!
Living walls ignite the imagination of designers everywhere. And what is not to like, for as encapsulated visions of nature with their seemingly perfect beauty contained on a wall or screen, they tend to idealize nature in the urban realm. The panelists will expand the dialogue on living walls to explore the many facets and perspectives of how living walls create a perfect intersect of design, environmental science and sustainable technology. Dialogue will include both public and private sector projects and a discussion on available technologies and resources. Many of these walls and living design manifestations have been emerging as a response to today’s urban issues such as tight urban spaces, the general trend towards greener cities, fostering habitat in blighted neighborhoods, and emissions reductions. Some of the living wall projects that will be shared include recent Bay Area installations including the Drew School Wall, 12 Gallagher Lane, and the Metreon’s Moving Art Panels. Plus, there will be artful and inspiring examples from cities around the globe that may prove to expand your own definition of living walls. The question: “How sustainable are living walls – are they an urban panacea or just an iconic fad?” will be explored by each presenter.
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 is at this year’s New England Grows in Boston again this year, exhibiting with our distributor partner Bisco Irrigation.
We’re showing off our entire range of products at the show, including planters, living wall and trellis products, as well as our newest additions, Deck & Paver Supports and Site Furnishings. Come visit us during the show at Booth #2223, or see a few of the photos below for show highlights!
Tournesol Siteworks is pleased to welcome our newest employee, Hernan Espinal. He’s joined us as a manufacturing technician in our engineering group. His job is to make life easier for our production personnel by configuring our manufacturing space more efficiently, building fixtures and arranging equipment around the shop. He’ll be contributing to our quality efforts by documenting our standard operating procedures, as well as acting as a pair of eyes on the shop floor to look out for problems. Finally, Hernan will be helping to make Tournesol a safer place to work by participating in our safety committee, conducting training, and reworking processes to ensure that they don’t pose a threat to our production crews. He’s the first person to have this position at the company – we’d looked for over 4 months to find someone with his set of skills.
Hernan is fluent in both Spanish and English, growing up in Honduras then moving to Northern California. He recieved his high school equivalency at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, CA, then went on to study industrial engineering in Honduras. After returning to the US, he worked as a process operator and senior manufacturing technician at several local pharmaceutical companies. He lives in Union City, CA, and has 3 children.
Welcome, Hernan – we’re delighted to have you as part of the team!
The new terrace at the entrance to Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
Tournesol Siteworks was part of one of the hottest tickets in Las Vegas last fall when renowned Washington DC chef Michel Richard opened his newest eatery, Central Michel Richard at Caesars Palace. The restaurant was named to several “Top 10″ lists within months of opening. Landscape architect Chris Attanasio designed the outdoor terrace using our Wilshire Collection rectangles to create the terrace space, and Downtown Collection as focal planters.
Downtown Collection DS-6000 planters, in a custom shade of green
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!
