Sweet home Las Vegas

Major new development projects seek to transform the hugely popular American tourist destination of Las Vegas into a desirable place to live

Las Vegas attracts an astounding three million or more visitors every calendar month and is able to command an average room rate of around USD 100. It is a city like no other in the world. It has traditionally relied on the history of other places to provide its character and its charm: Ancient Rome and Egypt, New York, Paris, Venice – they’ve all been the inspiration for major Las Vegas hotels and resorts. But in reality, the history of Las Vegas as we know it began as recently as the 1960s, and since then its population has been overwhelmingly transient.

A 30.8 hectare site on the Las Vegas Strip has been cleared
to make way for the construction of CityCenter

Now, in a city with a penchant for pulling things down and starting again, the ethos of Vegas is starting to change. The city is finally putting some roots down.

Truly epic project
Nowhere will this be more apparent than at CityCenter, a project of epic scale currently taking shape on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Very much influenced by modern architectural styles, sustainable design, energy efficiency and the idea of community, CityCenter will help provide a modern legacy to a city with so much fake history.

CityCenter, a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Dubai World, is an unprecedented urban development that will cost in excess of USD 8bn, making it the largest privately financed development in the history of North America. It will feature a soaring 61-storey, 4,000-room hotel resort; two 400-room hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental; approximately 2,650 luxury residences; and The Crystals, CityCenter’s 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district.

New York’s Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut and Kuhn came up with the original master plan, before MGM Mirage pinpointed eight world-renowned architects that they wanted to work with on various aspects of the projects. These included London’s Foster & Partners, Pelli Clarke Pelli, Rockwell Group, and (in an overseeing design role) Gensler, the largest design firm in the world.

Building harmony in pandemonium
Much thought has gone into making CityCenter a harmonious whole rather than a cluster of random buildings. Promotional literature for CityCenter aptly quotes 19th century American city builder Daniel Burnham, who once wrote: “We have found that those cities which retain their dominions over mankind achieve that result through the harmony and beauty of their civic works.”

From floor plans and sightlines, designers approached each and every one of CityCenter’s 2,650 residences as a unique work of art, with “the appeal of a collectible as well as its own sense of comfort”.

Public spaces will be filled with art works and sculptures; a tram will move residents from one side of the complex to the other; there will be restaurants, nightlife and superb shopping – even a brand new Cirque de Soleil venue is part of the plans.

Creating a new hub
But can CityCenter avoid the problems that have troubled major new residential complexes in the past? In so many new urban developments, nobody knows each other; there’s no community. How do you go about bringing a neighbourhood to life in a single stroke?

Planners think they can pull it off: “Some might say it’s not possible,” reads a promotional brochure for CityCenter, available from the many CityCenter information booths already installed in top Vegas hotels. “CityCenter will demonstrate that a new urban place can have authentic richness and variety from the outset.”

Terry Lanni, chairman and chief executive of MGM Mirage, says: “CityCenter’s stunning contemporary architecture coupled with its singular collection of amenities will set this global city apart as a place not just to visit, but to live.”

Reaching higher
CityCenter may be the dominant construction project in Vegas today, but other large-scale developments happening in Vegas also merit mentioning.

The Cosmopolitan Resort, at a cost of USD 3bn, will feature luxurious condos as well as restaurants and a nightclub. It will be managed by Grand Hyatt and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2010. A 1,800-seat theatre will complement an impressive 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space.

And gracing the 87 acres where The Stardust and Westward Ho complexes used to be will emerge the USD 4.8bn Echelon, set to be the centrepiece of the new north strip. With nearly 5,000 rooms divided into five towers, the Echelon project will also encompass one of the largest convention centres in the city, 30 restaurants and bars, and a 4,000-seat stadium-style theatre. It is due for completion in the third quarter of 2010.

Fresh style, familiar spirit
So with Las Vegas seeking to be a more stylish destination, will the themed resorts started to look passé and dated? Will there be more spectacular demolitions happening soon, with ultra-sleek modern resorts taking their place? The dilemma for Vegas will be getting the balance right – how to modernise Vegas without completely taking away its soul.

Vegas remains in a class of its own as a brand. To destroy its own trademark would be folly, but projects like CityCenter will certainly be a welcome addition, helping the Las Vegas Strip to avoid looking tired and past its sell-by date. The city wants to bring residents into the centre, to create a feeling of community; a city where not everybody you see is a tourist. In true Vegas style it’s a gamble, but if they succeed then Vegas will cement its position as one of the most desirable destinations on earth.

This city’s population has tended to roughly double every decade since the 1940s. By hauling itself into the modern world and attracting more residents to its touristic heart, it might just be able to maintain that staggering trend.