commentCityCenter
CityCenter Scores Greenbacks for Going Green
Project CityCenter, MGM Mirage’s starchitect-studded $7 billion complex on the Las Vegas Strip, is the nation’s largest privately funded development. It also aims to be the greenest for a project of its size, seeking a LEED Silver rating.
Image courtesy Gensler
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Situated on 76 acres between the Monte Carlo and Bellagio resorts, CityCenter includes 18 million square feet of hotels, casinos, retail shops, and residential space. Among the architects tapped to design it are Rafael Viñoly, who did a 50-story, 1,543-unit condo-hotel; Norman Foster, who produced a hotel and condominium tower called “The Harmon”; Cesar Pelli, who is doing a 61-story, 4,002-room hotel; and Daniel Libeskind, who designed a 500,000-square-foot shopping center, with interiors by David Rockwell.
This who’s who roster is fueling sales of the more than 2,700 condominium and condo-hotel units, says Tony Dennis, CityCenter’s residential executive vice president. But the project’s green edge is also helping—particularly since it includes financial incentives for homebuyers. Nevada offers up to a 50 percent reduction on property taxes, lasting 10 years, for residential buildings that achieve LEED certification.
CityCenter’s master architect, Gensler, is spearheading its LEED efforts. Key sustainable features include incorporating recycled materials, a co-generation power plant, and landscaping that requires little water. Public transportation, such as a monorail and people-movers, will also play a major role in the project.
“LEED is an added marketing incentive,” Dennis admits, “but it’s also a smart business decision due to operational savings. It reflects our company values as well as today’s lifestyle.” CityCenter broke ground in last year and is scheduled to open in November 2009.
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