MNN - Mother Nature Network

If you have never been to the Las Vegas Strip, it is a shining example of excess. The Eiffel Tower, the Sphinx and the Venetian Canals can all be found in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Later this year, the next massive multi-use attraction CityCenter will open on the Strip.

 

CityCenter is an 18 million square-foot multi-use development on prime Strip land, between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. The project will include a 61-story casino resort, a Mandarin Oriental property, residential towers, retail and entertainment space, and a new Cirque du Soleil production centered on Elvis Presley’s music. In a city of excess, CityCenter is definitely going to be one of the more extravagant properties.

 

However, the project’s developers have kept an eye on sustainable features during the entire process. Upon completion, the development will likely include several LEED Gold and Silver certifications. Several features will help the builders achieve LEED certification including on-site natural gas generation, water conservation technology, CNG-powered limos, slot machines that are also floor air conditioning units, and a massive recycling operation.

 

“Most significantly, collaborating with the foremost sustainability and LEED consultants from throughout the nation, CityCenter has introduced more than 10,000 construction trade and craftsmen to green building techniques that can be implemented at other developments throughout Las Vegas and beyond.” Source: PR Newswire

 

I was in Las Vegas in December, and CityCenter is truly a massive project. I visit the city a few times a year and while I’m used to the grand scale projects that are always underway, this project really stands out. It is huge. Words on a page, nor pictures, can describe how large it is.

 

While I’m glad to hear that eco-friendly measures were taken, I feel that in the age of less is more, this project is just too much. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a green project, but I’d put it in the greener category.