LAS VEGAS, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Las Vegas Springs Preserve (Preserve), a $250 million non-gaming cultural attraction located a few miles off the Las Vegas Strip, is nearing construction completion. With 180 acres of green museums, botanical gardens, galleries, trails and concert venues, the Preserve is designed to set new standards in "green building" while becoming a new cultural hub for locals and even for tourists seeking a different kind of experience than you'd normally associate with Las Vegas.
As the largest commercial straw-bale construction project in the United States, the Preserve is erecting seven new green buildings intended to join an elite list of buildings nationwide that already have achieved "Platinum" Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Platinum LEED rating is the highest and most coveted designation a building can earn from the USGBC, which has become the most renowned national sanctioning body for green building. In simple terms, this environmental rating indicates that a large share of required building materials be either recycled, re-used or recyclable. For the Preserve, this translates into creating some of the most energy efficient commercial buildings in the country and the first ever Platinum certified buildings in a visitor attraction.
More specifically, this means incorporating innovative green products such as: carpet made from recycled pop bottles, bio-filtration ponds that reclaim on-site wastewater, certified sustainable lumber, rammed earth walls, straw bale walls, radiant floor heating, cool towers for evaporative cooling systems, computer controlled building operations systems, and "Low VOC" paints, furniture, fabrics and wood composites.
Although an increasing number of museums are "going green" by incorporating green building principles into their facilities, The Desert Living Center at the Preserve has taken that commitment a step further by using green living principles as the focus of interpretation within its Sustainability Gallery. Many museums today are finding that placing their collections within a sustainable building can yield significant energy cost savings while serving as an effective "lead by example" approach.
But Desert Living Center creators hope their bottom line impacts go beyond energy savings. By imparting practical sustainability knowledge throughout the visitor experience at the Preserve, they hope to tap into a "green movement" that becomes more mainstream and more relevant each year.
"It is a virtual miracle that a city like Las Vegas can exist and thrive in the middle of one of the most inhospitable and resource-poor climates in the world with an average annual rainfall of only 4.5 inches," said Francis Beland, Springs Preserve director. "This anomaly makes the concept of sustainable living a very relevant topic for Las Vegas."
About Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System(R) is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
LEED was created to: * Define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement * Promote integrated, whole-building design practices * Recognize environmental leadership in the building industry * Stimulate green competition * Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits * Transform the building market
LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED recognizes achievements and promotes expertise in green building through a comprehensive system offering project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources.
About the Desert Living Center
The Desert Living Center (DLC) at the Springs Preserve will provide a forum where visitors can learn practical means of protecting valuable environmental resources without compromising their quality of life. A complex of five buildings, the DLC consists of the Sustainability Gallery, dialogue center, design lab and technical training center, ticketing area and general classroom, conference and office space. The DLC will offer exhibits, classroom programming, events, conferences and activities illustrating the benefits of recycling, conservation and alternative energy sources in a fun and interactive environment for adults and children of all ages.
About the Ori*gen Experience at the Springs Preserve
Comprised of two historic museum galleries, a children's gallery, an indoor theater and a 2,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, the 97,000 square-foot Ori*gen Experience is designed to capture the essence of the land and early inhabitants who made the Springs Preserve their home. As the interpretive focal point for history at the Preserve, the Ori*gen Experience galleries will convey the natural and cultural history of the Preserve and its common designation as the "birthplace of Las Vegas."
About the Las Vegas Springs Preserve
Las Vegas Springs Preserve
