LAS VEGAS | Boom Project Rundown! 2.0 [Archive] - Page 6

Reverie

07-20-2006, 07:43 AM

Even with the bad news about Vegas 888, I discovered two new higrises now under construction :)

One Las Vegas Tower two is already on floor two with its own crane.

A new tower is under construction at the Grandview Towers Site. (it's located directly south of the Southcoast Hotel.)

Here's some photos.

Well I take it back with my "Gold bar" statement, it'll still look like a giant gold bar, but notice the white lines between each floor, I don't think that was in the renderings. Is it temporary?

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2424/255re0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

While on Trump might as well add this major observation about Trump's tower placement. I've always wondered why he would choose to put his tower in the back of the Frontier site. I thought well Ruffin's agreement allowed him to do so in order for the Montruex to be built in front. BUT.... Take a look at this google earth rendering. See it? yea, we all know the strip curves at aroudn the T.I., so going up the southern part of the strip, the T.I. always seemed to be in the middle of the street directly north. I did not notice anything different until trump's tower got tall enough to grow tall enough behind the T.I. to see that the Donald's Tower of Bling will be what people see looming in the middle going up the strip. He'll add a 2nd tower to double the effect.

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/8074/image1zd5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Allure Las vegas, a nice angle here...

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2373/258gd2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Panorama Towers, Building 2... Is it just me or it it taking months of top this thing off? Tower One's crane is gone btw. At night, the tower's red aircraft warning lights now turn on. They blink on and off every second or so, kinda cool. Most hotels have their lights on all the time.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1015/270jw4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

lastly, I will reserve my personal comments for this building...

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5436/271cw7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

BTW Scott, I personally love monsoon season, something interesting for Vegas's weather besides constant sunshine and heat :) Plus lightning is so cool to watch. Just remeber to respect the power and fury of nature.

See this page for other people's photos on the recent storms. The Frenchman Mountain one with the twin bolts is just stunning....
http://www.klastv.com/Global/link.asp?L=199245

Patrick

07-20-2006, 08:59 AM

WOW! Trump has grown fast!! It looks great!! and yes those white lines where in the rendering.

Ugh dont get me started with Aladdin, NOT Planet Hollywood. ;)

ScottG

07-20-2006, 04:09 PM

ive noticed that th epaint job on aladdin has stopped. right in the middle see how there is brown and tan still there.....maybe the owners came to take a look and they vomitted everywhere so they might be reconsidering the look?! keep your fingers crossed....but dont hold your breath....
i just cant image how the 'unvealing' will go...in a commercial they will announce planet hollywood is now center strip, they show the renovation completed, and everyone regards it as aladdin....maybe during a cloudy day when everything looks blue....

maybe the front will save it. the desert passage/ casino entrance might make it better, but the tower isnt anything to write home about- even when it was the aladdin.

philip

07-21-2006, 04:53 AM

I think it may be a lot better if they paint Aladdin all black and turn it into a Vampire Lair.

The_Analyst

07-21-2006, 06:56 AM

Looking closely at the Aladdin, I actually kind of like the window pattern. The old Aladdin scheme with its wacky jewels never looked quite right. But, with just the off-white paint and even the blue pinstripes, it looks kind of nice--not modern but not tacky either. The problem is the ridiculous all blue on the lower half and now that other color on the top 2 floors (what color is that? Army green?). Oh well, if not for the Aladdin, what else could we make fun of?

Reverie

07-21-2006, 07:50 AM

Why, it would have to be the Excalibur Hotel. Just who decided to put a pseudo medieval hotel casino is beyond me. Did someone have an irresistible urge to copy (poorly at that even) the Disneyland castle?The Excalibur was an embarrassing mistake that will hopefully never be repeated. It is the epitome of 90's era tacky Vegas and created Disneylandish stereotypes of the city and only now have begun to be eroded by the new slogans and ads. Not a day goes by that I don't have thoughts about them imploding that thing from existance and memory itself.

future29

07-22-2006, 03:45 AM

it will be a good day when they finally blow up the Excalibur.

Patrick

07-22-2006, 09:19 PM

I think the Excalibur is a classic, its easily reconised in Vegas. It might look tacky but a lot of hotels in Las Vegas are, look at New York New York.

LMich

07-22-2006, 10:14 PM

Yeah, I find the design of NY NY, nextdoor, worst than that of Excalibur, to tell you the truth. And, I find the casinos of the north Strip far more drably tacky than anything on the newer south Strip.

future29

07-23-2006, 06:01 AM

all the theme hotels on the south strip are pretty tacky. NY, Excalibur, Luxor, Paris. thank Steve Wynn for going away from theme hotels and starting a trend that the others have followed.

LMich

07-23-2006, 07:59 AM

I'm not yet convinced that the new "gold glass towers" (save for the Wynn) are any less tacky. lol

jazfingr

07-23-2006, 10:28 AM

Ya, gold glass is tacky. I predict that the next phase (after 2010 or so) will see Excalibur and NYNY reinvented. I doubt they'll implode them as they are modern buildings.

So, if it were up to me (and I had a couple gajillion dollars) I would..

Excalibur:
Loose the castle motif and re-skin the rooms towers. This could be done nicely if it were done right. I would sacrifice several rooms by removing the walls between them, creating nice sized rooms.

NYNY:
Keep the theme, but re-skin the towers using materials that appear more real.
Add new, taller towers (no, not the WTC) where that Carrow's restaurant and Travelodge (or whatever it's called) is.

Luxor: Loose the sphinx and it's a pretty nice place.

Circus Circus:
Kaboom

Daquan13

07-23-2006, 09:24 PM

Some projects are going to be cancelled, that is how it's always been, and how it will continue to be in the future. It's not a phenomenon; it is a given in any skyscraper/high-rise boom.

Yeah, I myself, didn't think all those projects will get built either.

It would be good if they did, but no, some of them won't.:(

GeorgeLV

07-24-2006, 04:57 AM

Circus Circus:
Kaboom

I doubt Circus Circus will be redeveloped anytime soon, but a renovation would be nice. At the very least they should update the institutional look of the facade on the hi-rise towers.

Reverie

07-24-2006, 07:02 AM

Yeah, I myself, didn't think all those projects will get built either.

It would be good if they did, but no, some of them won't.:(

Point taken, now here's a question, what are your (and other forumers) thoughts on what this guy wrote in the paper today? Quite frankly, he angers me with his "it's the end of the constuction boom" rhetoric. But then again some of his points seem valid.

"The Manhattanization of Las Vegas is over"

Today: July 23, 2006 at 7:43:27 PDT
Las Vegas SUN

Hal Rothman on how the old-fashioned approach to growth has reclaimed Las Vegas from a concept that was doomed from the start

The Manhattanization of Las Vegas is over. This gassy phrase captivated the regional imagination, but it turns out to be more smoke than substance.

We are not going to see a skyline that resembles the urban spaces of New York. Nor are we going to become a city of pedestrians who use public transportation to get where we are going. The idea was overblown to begin with; the phrasing was typical Las Vegas, designed to appeal to people whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs.

When the condo boom began almost two years ago, it was clear to anyone with any sense that most of the projects were conceived on a wing and a prayer, but I do not think anyone expected such a complete fiasco. A number of factors intervened.

The single biggest problem was that too many people without experience in this complicated market discovered it at the same time. Simply put, there were too many projects that were too similar, both in amenities and price. The proposed towers all looked the same, and their pitchmen sounded the same. Who could tell them apart? And why would they bother?

Even more, the price on most of the units was above $400,000, well outside the range of most Las Vegas families. This meant that the entire market was designed to appeal to the investor class, people for whom having a condo in Las Vegas was a desirable write-off of one kind or another. Such people are savvy; they have money and know how to use it to their advantage. Typically skilled at investing, they knew junk when they saw it.

Another intangible became the growing shortage of materials. It has become fashionable to blame this on Hurricane Katrina, but in reality, it is a symptom of a larger global problem over the competition for resources.

The expansion of China's economy has put tremendous pressure on raw materials. With a 10 percent growth rate, China sucks up almost every loose piece of steel or yard of cement. That meant Las Vegas builders were paying higher prices for materials even before the local demand soared. That drove up already exorbitant costs and prices followed.

Nor was there enough skilled labor in the Las Vegas Valley for all these projects. We have always had a shortage of labor here, but never before has it been so severe. Las Vegas contractors have been having a field day. One fellow I know tells of a general contractor who gave him a price one month and then asked for double the next. When the man balked, the contractor said that he was welcome to find someone else. Of course, there was no one else available.

This extends all the way through the skilled trades, the plumbers and electricians. There has always been a premium on skill in greater Las Vegas, but it has never been as acute as it is now. Everyone with trade skills is booked halfway into the 2010s.

What this means is what it has always meant - a rush to dependable brands and projects where the quality is guaranteed and the work will get done. In the newest Las Vegas, the post-Mirage Phase market in which we live, this means MGM Mirage. The company that staked its future with the Las Vegas Valley has become the largest real estate developer in Nevada history. Its bricks-and-mortar operations inspire confidence in buyers. They are lining up in numbers for the CityCenter project, which is not taking reservations yet.

So we find that people with money do not always throw it around. They run to places where their investments are safe. They are more sophisticated buyers than we have previously seen in the Las Vegas Valley and they have loudly voted. The condo craze has become a bust.

There is an important lesson in this for people who think that they can just show up in Las Vegas with money and take over the town. The scale of the poker game that is Las Vegas development is so great that no amount of outside money buys more than a seat at the table. And a seat alone is no promise of success. Investing on the Strip and its surroundings has taken a new direction.
Hal Rothman is a history professor at UNLV. His column for the Las Vegas Sun appears Sunday.

CHAPINM1

07-24-2006, 07:41 AM

Within the next 20 years when the construction costs are reasonable to the value of a dallar due to inflation, Las Vegas will once again see rapid growth. ;)

However that article was one of the most negative things I have read in a long time. :( The auther has to be a NIMBY...

Bender13

07-24-2006, 05:15 PM

I've read Hal Rothmans articles before and he never seemed like the NIMBY type. He's just being overly pessimistic in this article. The condo market has slowed down, but nobody expected it to stay on that high it was at a couple years ago. But even with slowdown Vegas is in the middle of its biggest highrise boom in it's history. Then take away the condos and the construction of new hotels and casinos is bigger than it has ever been. It may have slowed down but the boom is not over.

On a personal note, I'm sad to say that I've moved out of Las Vegas. I'm now living in Portland, OR. I love my new home but I miss Vegas and will try come back to visit as much as possible. Just keep those construction photos coming.

leftopolis

07-24-2006, 06:27 PM

Miami developer to build high-rise

By TONY ILLIA
BUSINESS PRESS

Boulevard Properties, a Miami development firm, recently unveiled plans for a new 350-foot-tall condominium tower in downtown Las Vegas. The project, Evolution Lofts, will be located on a half-acre lot at the northwest corner of Charleston Boulevard and Third Street.

"We believe in the mayor and his vision for downtown," said Len Edelman, a principal of Boulevard Properties. "Evolution Lofts is located in the downtown Arts District, which is quickly becoming the place to live, work and play."

Designed by JMA, the 29-story high-rise will consist of 159 residences with 19 different floor plans. Home range from 806 square feet to 2,100 square feet in size, priced from the mid-$400s up to $1.4 million with median sale price of $600 per square foot. Each unit comes with floor-to-ceiling views, hardwood floors, and balconies, among other features.

The tower will contain a double-height lobby with 2,800 square feet of retail followed by seven levels of parking. It's topped by an eighth-floor amenities deck with an outdoor pool area, a gym, and a community room. There will also be a business center, a sauna, and a 16-seat media room.

Martin Harris Construction has been named as the general contractor, with Corus Bank of Chicago providing the constructing financing. The project is expected to cost $65 million to build, or about $350 per square foot. It's already received city and Federal Aviation Administration permitting approvals.

Boulevard Properties bought the site three years ago for $1.5 million or about $68.87 per square foot. Ground breaking is anticipated in June 2007, with project completion by mid-2009. The tower, however, must first reach 70 percent sell-out in order to qualify for the Corus construction loan.

The project, as such, is going straight to contracts as opposed to a lengthy reservation-to-sales period. The Prinsloo Group, the team responsible for Panorama and Icon, is heading-up Evolution's sales effort.

"We're going straight to contracts because it shows we're serious about building," Sarah Prinsloo said.

There were 135 proposed luxury high-rise condo projects totaling 91,934 units at the end of June, yet only 14.6 percent of those units were actually under construction, reports Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas-based business advisory firm. An estimated 6,900 units had suspended sales, while another 1,900 units had officially called it quits.

"While projects that are currently under construction have reached the critical mass in terms of sales to provide sufficient financing, the remaining units vying for potential buyers will either prove their ability to move forward in the 12 months, or not," said Brian Gordon, principal of Applied Analysis. "Construction cost dynamics and consumer perceptions about extended sales periods decrease the likelihood for success for many of these projects."

http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2006/07/21/breaking_news/01news.txt

Patrick

07-24-2006, 06:30 PM

Good to see Evolution Lofts going forward.

ScottG

07-24-2006, 09:13 PM

from the headlines this week:

Bye Bye Beach
The owners of the popular The Beach nightclub near the convention center have received approval from the county to tear down the building and build a 600-room hotel/condo and casino complex on the land. Included in the plans are 300 hotel rooms, 300 “resort condos” (meaning they can be rented as hotel rooms by owners as well), a 20,000-square-foot casino, and a restaurant and lounge in a 39-story building. There are plenty of regulatory hurdles left to jump through and the details of things like financing and timelines are sketchy but the owners insist they are serious about doing this. It is a prime location for the convention-goer crowd and the intense competition in the nightclub market means that there is probably a much better use for the land, but I’m still taking a “believe it when I see it” attitude on this one.

and

Vacationing Child Eats Used Condom Found In Caesars Palace Suite
Just a general note here... if you happen across a used condom, don't put it in your mouth. Thanks!

A horrified family are suing a luxury Las Vegas hotel after their five-year-old daughter found a used condom in their room and put it in her mouth. Little Caitlin Kilcoyne was rushed to hospital after dad Gerald and mum Jacqueline found her blowing up the sheath like a balloon. The anxious parents, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, feared she may have been exposed to AIDS or another disease. They are suing the world-famous Caesar's Palace hotel and casino complex - and legal experts believe they could win hundreds of thousands of pounds. Their lawyer, Nolan Mortimer, said: "Their daughter found a used condom in the bed in her room.

"She put it in her mouth and inflated it believing it to be a balloon and then removed it immediately.

"A claim is being brought on behalf of the child and parents for the potential exposure to contracting a communicable disease.

GeorgeLV

07-24-2006, 09:19 PM

I've read Hal Rothmans articles before and he never seemed like the NIMBY type. He's just being overly pessimistic in this article. The condo market has slowed down, but nobody expected it to stay on that high it was at a couple years ago. But even with slowdown Vegas is in the middle of its biggest highrise boom in it's history. Then take away the condos and the construction of new hotels and casinos is bigger than it has ever been. It may have slowed down but the boom is not over.

His complaint that "the price on most of the units was above $400,000, well outside the range of most Las Vegas families," is just bizarre. Ignoring the fact that hi-rise condos aren't exactly marketed to families, the median home price in Las Vegas is over $300,000. It's not a great logical leap to to figure that $400,000 is well within the price range of a substantial number of Las Vegas home buyers. Moreover, it is certainly in the range of California, New York, and Florida investors.

ScottG

07-24-2006, 11:15 PM

http://www.manhattanization.com/las-vegas/gateway-/profile.rub

check out the new high rise for downtown -THE GATEWAY

http://www.vow2.com//library/images/reml/user/4/cd724ac9e1d45ddc7ff979f00c9fc847.jpg

ironic- one project fails (vegas 888) one project announced.
happens every time.

EDIT Gateway was proposed a while back...this is just a new rendering and the jump start to it actually getting on the ball....

heres the old rendering....

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5044/ghj1ot.jpg

Patrick

07-25-2006, 08:47 AM

Check this out:

http://i.i.com.com/cnet.g2/images/2006/193/932240_20060713_screen005.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/718/718269/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060712021957188.jpg

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/708/708038/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060511060400530.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/707/707035/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060510104703163.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/707/707035/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060510104706975.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/718/718269/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060712021955923.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/707/707035/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060510104712038.jpg

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/707/707035/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060510104710507.jpg

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/700/700453/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060406102213329.jpg

Those are shots from the upcoming game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas for PS3. In the near future, Las Vegas is attacked by terrorist's, the city is held hostage and becomes the setting for a terrorist threat of global proportions.

Also there is a very cool high-def preview trailer That looks amazingly real!

I'm bored so I'll post the changes.

Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Tropicana, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo
All still in the game, only name chages as it appears.
New York New York
Replaced by some ugly yet large hotel, with a tall tower.
Exalibur
Replaced by two hotels at is appears, a blue one and a one that resembles the Mirage (if only it where real :) )
Project CityCenter
Replaced by two large hotels. One that looks simular to the Bellagio, the other hotel includes a supertall tower that looks exactly like the Turning Torso in Sweden.
Polo Towers/Marriott's Grand Chataeu
Both replaced by a plain hotel with a very tall tower, like the Stratosphere Tower. The Tower has a sign on top (there is a screenshot of the rooftop above)
Aladdin, Paris, Bally's, Flamingo, Barbary Coast, Harrahs, Venetian
All still there, aah the Aladdin in its glory days. The Flamingo has large Time's Square Signs on the building.
Bellagio
The Spa Tower is actually in the city, the hotel looks exactly the same except, it is called the Villagio.
Caesars Palace
Gone! Just a parking lot, with a small hotel taking up a quarter of it. Maybe they will add a fictonal hotel on the site.
Mirage and Trasure Island
Both still there.
Imperial Palace and the rest
Hmm not there yet..

There was even an article about the game in the Review Journal

Jul. 08, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Terror On The Strip

Video game depicting attacks in LV makes some officials wince

By CHRIS JONES
GAMING WIRE
Masked gunmen fire rifles into a crowded Las Vegas casino as pixelized images of spraying bullets reflect from a spinning roulette wheel.

Gamblers scatter amid the chaos, and a terrorist shouts, "Everybody down!"

Advertisement

The scene abruptly shifts outside, where an explosion blasts through the front of the Monte Carlo. Helicopters fly past Bellagio's lake, unloading squads of anti-terrorist military personnel onto the Strip below.

Shootouts ensue amid the slot machines. A sniper explodes the forehead of a terrorist holding a pistol to the head of a screaming woman.

Police radios blare with talk of further attacks on Fremont Street, followed by the ominous cry that "Las Vegas is now under martial law."

As its Internet preview suggests, "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas" has the makings of a kick-ass video game.

But the fictitious adventure could also present a marketing headache for Las Vegas because of its on-screen setting, sources said this week.

"It could be harmful economically, and it may be something that's not entitled to free speech (protection)," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said of the game's realistic scenes, which he had not personally viewed.

"It's based on a false premise," Goodman said, adding federal and state leaders have repeatedly assured him that Las Vegas is "the safest place imaginable" nearly five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the East Coast.

"I will ask ... whether or not we can stop it," Goodman said of the game's planned November release.

Sheriff Bill Young questioned the wisdom of showcasing terrorists in this city's bustling tourist corridor.

"It's unfortunate that we're the backdrop for a lot of stuff because of our profile," Young said of Las Vegas. "I'm not a big believer on pushing violence on young people anymore, particularly the more-realistic stuff that's coming out today."

As a child, Young said he and his friends played "cops and robbers" and other imagination-based activities.

"But now it's gone to terrorism, and (video games) make it so realistic. ... I just wonder about bombarding young people's senses with this type of violence," said Young, whose department is dealing with the effects of 19 officer-involved shootings this year, including one that killed a 31-year-old man before scores of Strip visitors on Independence Day.

Las Vegas' high-profile status has long drawn media attention, often showcasing dangerous actions. Frank Sinatra's 1960 caper "Ocean's Eleven" was based on casino robberies, while the 1971's James Bond flick "Diamonds Are Forever" included a Fremont Street car chase.

A plane slammed into the Hard Rock Hotel in 1997's "Con Air," and CBS' hit series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" offers up a new Las Vegas murder each week. The Stratosphere tower even exploded in "Domino," a Keira Knightley film released in the fall.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will spend nearly $120 million over the next 12 months marketing and advertising the area as a fun adult getaway. That effort helps make the area one of the world's most-recognized locales, for better or worse.

"I'm confident that the general public can distinguish between what's reality and what's fiction," authority spokesman Vince Alberta said. Nevertheless, Alberta said Goodman has asked the authority's legal team to look into whether the game infringes on any Las Vegas trademarks.

Local casino companies will also monitor "Rainbow Six Vegas" closely.

MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said the company was unaware of the game until contacted by the Review-Journal Friday. Company officials will investigate the game's content, and take legal action "should we determine that our trademarks or copyrights have been violated."

Boyd Gaming Corp. wished Ubisoft had tabbed another city for the game's setting, said spokesman Rob Stillwell.

"We go to great lengths to present this as a safe and secure destination," he said. "To the extent that this portrays our destination as an unsafe place to visit, it's concerning."

Ubisoft, a French video game maker, has high hopes for the fifth title in its popular "Rainbow Six" series. The story centers on "an escalating terrorist siege in "Sin City" that threatens to take world terrorism to new heights."

Some Las Vegas icons were altered -- Bellagio's sign reads "Villagio," for example -- while others were made up altogether, including the nonexistent Calypso hotel.

But many local elements are precisely detailed, from Fremont Street's lighted canopy to the replica Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.

"You will find lots of details about (Fremont) Street in the game," a Ubisoft artistic director wrote on a Web log detailing the game's creation. "In truth all the casinos, hotels -- lets face it, the whole damn city -- are magnificent and really absorbing to create in-game. We were so inspired we wanted to create the entire town to the finest details!"

Ubisoft's game designers set the game here to better showcase new technologies that allow for sharper-than-ever images, said Tim Cummins, Ubisoft's San Francisco-based corporate spokesman. Game designers toured the town to ensure their re-creations were authentic.

"Las Vegas might be the perfect location to show off next-generation console technology," Cummins said. "Not only is it a world-famous and recognizable city, it is iconic, action-packed and completely unpredictable."

Cummins did not respond to questions on local leaders' objections to the game.

But Liping Cai, director of the tourism and hospitality research center at Purdue University, said a video game-themed terror attack should have little short-term impact on people's willingness to travel here.

"However, if that video game becomes so popular that a whole generation is educated on that image, it will" affect people's perception of whether this is a safe destination, he said.

Branding expert Rob Frankel also doubts "Rainbow Six Vegas" will deter people from traveling here.

"I don't think it hurts Las Vegas at all," Frankel said. "If anything, it's going to come across as the unfortunate victim of the video game company."

Controversy surrounding the game, Frankel said, could hurt Ubisoft, much like recent criticism of Rockstar Games' popular -- but equally detested -- "Grand Theft Auto" video game series.

"The guys who are in for a lot of heat are the developers of the game," Frankel said. "We're starting to get to the point where people have had enough" of violent images.

Regardless of any bad press, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software, enjoyed profits of $37.5 million in fiscal 2005. And several factors suggest that Ubisoft's Las Vegas gamble will be a hit with consumers.

The game's characters are based on those popularized in author Tom Clancy's best-selling books including "Clear and Present Danger" and "The Sum of All Fears."

Previous "Rainbow Six" games sold more than 14 million units worldwide, and the series' latest version will for the first time take the franchise onto so-called "next-generation" video game consoles.

Ubisoft previewed "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas" at May's Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where it was favorably reviewed by the popular online video game forum GameSpot.com.

Based in the Parisian suburb of Montreuil-sous-Bois, the 20-year-old Ubisoft is an international powerhouse in the video gaming realm.

Thanks to popular titles such as "Myst" and the "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" series, Ubisoft last month reported sales of more than $698 million in its 2005-06 fiscal year ended March 31.

Sales are expected to grow by 5 percent to 10 percent this year thanks in part to the planned rollout of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii game consoles, Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft's chief executive officer, said in a recent earnings release.

Microsoft Corp. released its next-generation console, the Xbox 360, late last year. Ubisoft quickly capitalized on demand for the new platform: 360,000 units of its "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" game sold within a week of the title's debut.

"Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas" -- whose logo even borrows from the Strip's iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign -- will hit stores in November, Cummins said. The initial versions will play on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a home computer version to follow later.

illmatic774

07-25-2006, 09:27 AM

I saw this on IGN about a month ago. I knew I shoulda posted!

BTW, in your photos i noticed a lack of Fremont Street ;)

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/707/707035/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-vegas-20060510104708679.jpg

Patrick

07-26-2006, 05:21 AM

New Renderings of the Renzi Towers Las Vegas, maybe this project isnt cancelled after all.
http://www.kobikarp.com/images/renzirend001.jpg

http://www.kobikarp.com/images/NewRenzi06a-site.jpg

LMich

07-26-2006, 05:44 AM

Do you know if they new renderings? Or, just something you found recently?

Patrick

07-26-2006, 06:15 AM

I've been to the Architect's website dozens of times, It only had one rendering, I went on it today and there was two new renderings. They must be new...

Dougall5505

07-26-2006, 06:33 AM

Also there is a very cool high-def preview trailer That looks amazingly real!
where is this trailer, it looks like very interesting game

Reverie

07-26-2006, 03:48 PM

There's now a tower crane at CityCenter.

I also saw an Evolutin Lofts ad in the paper last weekend.

Boca Raton
http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/284/306la4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

World Market Center - And Restaurant

Two billion dollars just won't stretch as far as it used to.

But with a third billion on tap, the developers of World Market Center are promising that locals and out-of-towners will soon have another reason to visit downtown Las Vegas, including a 16th-floor nightclub/restaurant that will be open to the public year-round.
Advertisement

Since its inaugural furniture market 12 months ago, the center's once-barren 57-acre site has drawn an estimated 112,000 visitors to buy and sell wholesale furniture.

And 50,000 attendees are expected at this week's five-day summer market, which ends Friday.

Biannual furniture shows have so far proven successful attractions, but Managing Partner Shawn Samson on Monday said more-diverse amenities are planned for seven yet-to-open buildings within the 12 million-square-foot project.

Several will be found in Building B, a $345 million tower scheduled to open in time for January's winter market.

"There will be lounges, ballrooms and offices, things customers have told us they need," Samson said. "We're talking with some big-name restaurant operators about creating a space similar to ghostbar and Mix.

"We want something that will benefit downtown as a whole. ... There's nothing of that caliber currently available downtown."

At 378-feet, Building B's tower will offer views similar to those at Mix, a popular nightspot atop Mandalay Bay's The Hotel, as well as The Palms' 55th-floor ghostbar.

Like those venues, World Market Center's 20,000-square-foot nightclub/restaurant would offer indoor and outdoor space to maximize views of the valley.

World Market Center has not selected who will run the nightclub/restaurant, though several operators of New York and Los Angeles hot spots have expressed interest.

"It's a beauty contest," Samson said of the selection process, adding the preferred vendor could someday operate multiple sites as World Market Center expands.

One company not in the running is the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, which passed on World Market Center due to its commitment to cater events at the proposed Lou Ruvo Alzheimer's Institute across the street.

Despite that rejection, Puck's Senior Managing Partner Tom Kaplan called World Market Center's site "pretty unique and interesting," though its distance from Strip resorts could present an obstacle.

Still, night spots such as Cherry at Red Rock Resort and Whiskey at Green Valley Ranch Resort draw Strip patrons from several miles away. So could World Market Center, Kaplan added.

"It's a dynamic location that could thrive with the right operator, the right vibe and feel," he said.

Samson hinted that the likely operator is already doing business in Southern Nevada when he said that the new nightclub/restaurant will open by late January.

When asked if such an abbreviated timeline was realistic, Samson said yes because food could be supplied from sister restaurants already operating locally.

"There obviously is a lot of new interest in downtown," Samson said. "As (prospective partners) see the kind of audience we've generated, they see that it's an audience that's not been provided for downtown."

Which begs the question: Would World Market Center build its own hotel to compete with the older, sometimes run-down array of Fremont Street hotel-casinos?

The idea was considered, likely in partnership with a third-party hotel operator.

But with plans progressing for development of the city's 61-acre Union Park parcel, Samson said World Market Center's leaders believe their space is better used for furniture showrooms and supporting activities.

World Market Center's 12 million-square-foot complex was previously expected to cost $2 billion. The new $3 billion figure resulted from added amenities, including a 15-story parking structure, as well as an accelerated construction schedule.

The entire project is on pace for completion in 2013, Samson said.

Beyond talk of planned developments, most market attendees quietly went about their business on opening day.

Some complained about the oppressive 109-degree heat; others noted progress made on Building B's tower in the six months since they were last in town.

As two salesmen discussed how to pitch a prospective buyer over dinner at Lawry's The Prime Rib, a female buyer from Arizona complained that some exhibitors were "too busy to take my orders."

She hoped the crowds would dissipate today when a 1 million-square-foot showroom opens at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

THE STRIP: Boyd Gaming selling South Coast

Boyd Gaming Corp. Tuesday announced it has reached an agreement to sell its newest hotel-casino, the 1,350-room South Coast, to the man who built it.

The resort on Las Vegas Boulevard south of McCarran International Airport will be sold to Michael Gaughan, founder and former operator of Coast Casinos, which Boyd Gaming acquired two years ago in a $1.3 billion merger.
Advertisement

The sale is expected to close in the second half of 2006, pending regulatory approval. It will be sold for a yet-to-be determined price equal to the net proceeds from the sale of approximately 15.8 million shares of Boyd Gaming stock owned by Gaughan.

No ceiling price was set and the minimum price was not disclosed.

Based on today's closing price of $36.49 for Boyd stock, the resort would sell for about $576 million, which, coincidently, Boyd Gaming President Keith Smith said was the book value for South Coast. The original construction cost was about $600 million.

"If you go by what the place cost to build, I'm getting a good deal. If you go by the (operating profit), Boyd's getting a good deal," Gaughan, 63, told The Associated Press. He said he expected the property to turn an operating profit of about $40 million for the year.

"I'll straighten this place out," Gaughan said. "I've kind of been too far removed from it. I've gotten lazy. It's time to go back to work."

Boyd Gaming Chairman Bill Boyd said that Gaughan met with him about six weeks ago and said he did not enjoy the corporate life he has led since the merger and wanted to return to running his own business.

"We felt (selling) South Coast made a lot of sense, we had a fairness opinion and we proceeded to do it. It's something that's fair to both of us," Boyd said.

However, Boyd Gaming President Keith Smith said during a Tuesday conference call to announce the company's second-quarter earnings that it is no secret that business at South Coast has been soft since it opened in December.

In its first six months, the property generated $16 million in cash flow, or earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortization.

"The success of the South Coast is several years down the line as far as return on investment is concerned, so we were satisfied to give it up for a fair price," Boyd said.

Analysts were skeptical about Boyd Gaming's motivations for selling the South Coast.

They pointed out that another former Coast Casinos property now owned by Boyd, The Orleans, also got off to a rocky start. Boyd Gaming is keeping The Orleans, which has improved its business since the merger.

Smith, however, said the situations were not comparable because Boyd Gaming has new, strategic developments under way since the merger and Gaughan came up with an offer that was difficult to refuse.

Matthew Jacob, senior gaming analyst with Wall Street-based Majestic Research, however, questioned whether Boyd Gaming is getting the best price for the South Coast or if this is the best time to be selling it.

"The problems that they have been facing seem short-term, such as roadway access," he said. "But in six months, you should see the property ramp up some. The results so far may not be indicative (of how the property can perform."

Smith said Boyd Gaming appointed a special internal committee to review the buyout proposal, which determined that the minimum price, which was not disclosed, was fair.

Smith also said that the company was selling South Coast to an insider rather than putting it out to auction because it doubted it could improve on the terms.

But some analysts also expressed skepticism about the strength of the locals gaming market.

Jacob, for instance, said the Las Vegas locals market seems to be slowing down.

"It has grown, driven by the opening of South Coast and Red Rock (Resort), but when you back those two out of the market, there seems actually to have been declines," he said. "That's true for both Boyd (Gaming) and Station (Casinos, owner of Red Rock). On a same store basis, it looks as if the market is actually declining. It seems weak consumer spending trends may be affecting locals casinos' operations."

Boyd Gaming Chief Financial Officer Paul Chakmak conceded that there has been a significant increase in the capacity in the Las Vegas locals market this year, referring to the opening of Red Rock Resort.

However, he and Smith said that had little to do with the decision to sell South Coast.

Chakmak said the market has started absorbing the added capacity and noted that no other locals casinos are set to open until 2009.

The problem with keeping the south Strip resort, Smith said, was that it will take years to ramp up South Coast's performance, while other locals casinos are being developed in the area and Boyd Gaming is focused on other ventures, including its $4 billion Echelon Place project that will be built on the site of the Stardust. Boyd Gaming is also planning a North Coast hotel-casino in North Las Vegas.

The other ventures he referred to include Anthony Marnell III's M Resort on the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and St. Rose Parkway and the Southern Highlands hotel-casino between Interstate 15 and Las Vegas Boulevard South, opposite Southern Highlands but on the other side of the freeway.

In addition, Station Casinos, which opened Red Rock Resort, owns 40 acres zoned for hotel-casino development one block south of South Coast.

Gaughan also owns the slot operations at McCarran International, which are privately owned and do not report results, but which are said to be tremendously successful.

Also on Tuesday, Boyd Gaming announced that in the second quarter of 2006, it had revenue of $264.4 million, up 15.8 percent from $228.3 million a year earlier.

The company also had cash flow of $167.3 million, up 5 percent from $159.2 million.

And it reported net income of $10.2 million, or 11 cents per share, down 79 percent from $48.6 million, or 54 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2005.

Adjusted earnings for the second quarter 2006 were $42.5 million, or $0.47 per share, as compared to adjusted earnings for the same quarter 2005 of $50.3 million, or $0.56 per share, taking into account expensed stock options; write-downs and other charges, mainly related to the retirement of the original gaming vessel at Blue Chip; and preopening expenses related to Echelon Place and Borgata's public space expansion project.

SniZeppelin

07-26-2006, 05:04 PM

Great Mall of Las Vegas gets go-ahead

http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2006/07/24/news/news05.txt

BY TONY ILLIA
BUSINESS PRESS

The Great Mall of Las Vegas, the city's first enclosed shopping center to be constructed in more than two decades, received final approval recently. Triple Five Nevada is developing the $750 million complex at the northeast corner of Grand Montecito Parkway and Deer Springs Way, adjacent to US Highway 95.

"We expect to begin infrastructure work in January 2007, with vertical construction by the first quarter of 2008," said James Grindstaff, Triple Five's vice president of planning. "We'll open in either August 2009 or May 2010, depending on scheduling."

The development, however, was forced to scale back its condominium towers. Plans now call for two, 200-foot-tall buildings, which are 50 feet less than originally requested. The twin glass-and-concrete towers will house roughly 800 homes. Residents are expected to begin moving in between late-2011 and early 2012. There will be another 100 units stacked above ground-level retail along an outdoor portion of the mall.

'MINI CONSERVATORY'

Triple Five, meanwhile, is incorporating eight acres of open spaces and amenities into its project as per a city-negotiated requirement. There will be 15,000 square feet of enclosed park with fountains, grass and benches serving as a kind of "mini conservatory," Grindstaff said. Another one-acre enclosed park with playground equipment, benches and trees will be located at the southeast corner.

But the firm first must relocate water and sewer lines, and upgrade a stretch of Grand Montecito Parkway. The infrastructure site work is expected to take about a year to complete before construction can begin in earnest.

Situated on 49.8 acres, the project calls for a three-level enclosed mall with 250 stores and shops. It will be co-anchored by a Dillard's, Robinson May and Regal Cinemas that will occupy a combined 450,000 square feet. The mall additionally will have 100,000 square feet of office space as well as 40 restaurants, including a 50,000-square-foot food court and a dozen sit-down fine-dining venues. There will be 1.575 million square feet of commercial space, in addition to the dual residential towers.

"It's going to have a clean, contemporary design with a sophisticated look that will set it apart from other projects in the valley," said Jim Naven, project architect and president of Perlman Design Group. "This is going to be a hybrid of a traditional enclosed mall for hardcore shoppers, with an outdoor lifestyle center."

20,000 PEOPLE PER DAY

The outdoor portion will resemble The District at Green Valley in Henderson with two four-story buildings forming an open-air promenade of loft residences above street-level shops and eateries. The enclosed mall, however, will be air-conditioned with skylights along the corridors as well as common gathering areas.

The Great Mall is expected to be a great draw for northwest valley residents with mid- to high-end national retailers attracting an estimated 20,000 people per day, according to project officials. There will be four garage structures onsite combining for 6,000 parking spaces to service the anticipated traffic flows.

"The northwest is rapidly expanding with limited retail available to service new residents," said Brian Gordon, principal of Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas based business advisory firm. "Retail vacancies in the northwest submarket were 1.7 percent in the second quarter, 1 percent lower than the valley average, while asking rents were $2.38 per square foot, or 41 cents higher than the median."

Downtown Joe

07-27-2006, 04:57 PM

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/jul/27/566650614.html:

Today: July 27, 2006 at 7:38:46 PDT

Mayor to developers of tardy high-rise projects: Build it or lose it
By Dan Kulin <dan@lasvegassun.com>
Las Vegas Sun

A year ago, a company called the 702 Group bought a 1.1-acre site in downtown Las Vegas for about $5 million, then later won City Council approval for a 55-story condominium and retail project on the property.

Now, having not moved ahead with that 349-condo project, the partnership has the land at Las Vegas Boulevard and Garces Avenue - still with a nondescript one-story building on it - on the market for $9.5 million.

Impatient to see more high rises and fewer "For Sale" signs on downtown sites pitched to the council as the future home of glitzy, skyward-soaring projects, Mayor Oscar Goodman wants to put developers on a shorter leash by giving them less time to deliver on their promises - and, more important, less time to try to "flip" their land.

"Two years is plenty of time to flip," Goodman said, referring to the practice of buying land, securing development approvals - also known as entitlements - and then selling the land for a higher price.

"But if they flip it, the project never gets done, and that's not what I want," he said. "That's not accomplishing our dream and vision."

During the last few years, the council has approved more than 30 high rises for downtown . To date, however, only one has been completed and three are under construction.

Like the 702 Group's property, some of those other sites - none showing any physical evidence of the high-rise projects promised - also are for sale. And in the near future, some city officials fear, more could be.

Determined to squeeze out the speculators and limit permits to those who actually intend to build, Goodman hopes to shrink the period for which downtown high-rise plans are valid from the current two years to one year. At the end of the year, plans would expire and developers would have to get the council to reapprove them, which typically hinges on whether a developer is securing financing or obtaining building permits.

The shortened time frame could deter speculators by making their initial land purchases riskier, given that they would have less time to try to sell the property to someone else.

But 702 Group co-owner Paul Freed argues that Goodman's plan ultimately could harm rather than expedite downtown high-rise development.

Freed said companies like his provide a necessary service for the development community by securing land, wading through the approval process and assuming the risk of permit denials so that builders don't have to .

"The mayor and council have done a great job of creating an environment that attracts developers from all over the world," Freed said. "But reducing the time frame would indicate they are pulling in the reins and have a psychological effect on developers."

Developer Paul Murad said he agrees with the mayor's objective but is not certain that his proposed solution would work.

"I agree you need to slow down the entitlement and flipper schemes," said Murad, who is working on securing financing for a 39-story condominium/hotel project at Charleston Boulevard and Fourth Street, which the council approved in March.

"The flippers drive up the price of land and that stifles development, and you have extra middlemen involved," Murad added. "But obviously having more government control is not always welcome."

Tightening government regulations, Murad said, could undercut Las Vegas' developer-friendly reputation. "Right now it's a very easy place ¦ to do business."

Although Goodman is accustomed to getting his way on downtown-related matters, it is uncertain whether the council would go along with his idea. Some have expressed concerns about meddling with development regulations.

Councilman Larry Brown said while he needs more time to examine the mayor's proposal, he questions the wisdom of changing the rules.

"That's a market-driven process," he said, adding that more government regulations might make downtown less appealing to developers.

Brian Gordon of Applied Analysis, a real estate advisory firm, said he is not sure how tightening the timeline would affect development.

The market, not the city, dictates timing of the development of a high-rise project, he said.

Reverie

07-27-2006, 07:00 PM

^Well I sorta of like the Mayor trying to push more projects with this idea, and I hate flippers. But if if this means he makes it less appealing to future developers who may want to build something, there'll be less proposed buildings. I think the best way to still to try to get the few developers that do care about downtown, such as Sam Cherry to start the ball rolling and creating demand, hype, and other draws so that other developers who would not have jumped into such a risky market will do so in the future after seeing Cherry's success.

jazfingr

07-27-2006, 08:06 PM

Is this Club Ren ?

No, it's a project by the 702 Group called Las Vegas at Garces.

702 Group has a website (http://www.the702group.com/) showing all their teaser projects. I had a feeling that these were all bogus since all five of them popped up at the same time.

ScottG

07-27-2006, 09:37 PM

club ren IS in the same boat. its not part of the faux 702 group, but did 'break-ground' a while back, but no 'construction' has taken place. its a vacant lot with a single building rotting away. so club would fit in with these properties. but at least there is still hope for it....hopefully.

on another note, i was looking at http://www.eekarchitects.com/portfolio_intro.cfm
and noticed that there is a project or part of one for city center.....

there are dozens of cranes, trucks, and concrete mixers on the city center site. but i noticed a week ago that there is a crane and constuction goin on between new york new york and monte carlo...where the restaraunt arrows once was.....

Check out this picture.....

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5253/untitledgl6.png
http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/7341/untitled2yw6.png

there is NO info about this project ...they only talk about city center. so it seem that city center not only runs between cosmo and monte carlo, it actually seeps behind monte carlo and around the side inbetween monte and NYNY. not to mention the design offices are now built behind NYNY.....

ScottG

07-28-2006, 12:28 AM

CHECK OUT THESE VEGAS SCALE BUILDING MODELS!

http://www.globalarchitecturalmodels.com/gallery.htm

Some are old, some new- some changed....

solstadwest

07-28-2006, 04:35 PM

anyone wish to guess on the fate of cosmo?!

Reverie

07-28-2006, 06:49 PM

Don't tell me Cosmo's in touble too ! Good grief !

It shouldn't be. So far, only pure condo projects have been cancelled. AND it's already under construction!

HUE part of wave of new downtown LV development

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-28-Fri-2006/photos/hue.jpg
HUE Lofts developer Eddie Haddad talks Thursday about the project from his sales center office. "It's a long design process," he said.

It's been more than a year since real estate entrepreneur Eddie Haddad paid $1.8 million for a half-acre parcel in the heart of the Las Vegas Arts District at Charleston Boulevard and Casino Center Drive and announced plans to build HUE Lofts, a 38-story, 450-foot luxury condominium.

HUE is part of some $14 billion in new development coming to downtown Las Vegas, including dozens of high-rise projects that have yet to secure financing and break ground.
Advertisement

SoHo Lofts, a development by Sam Cherry, is completed and Newport Lofts and Streamline Tower are under construction. Others appear to be pie in the sky, destined to join Krystle Sands, Aqua Blue and most recently Vegas 888 as the 30 percent to 40 percent of proposed high-rise units that experts predict won't get built.

Haddad said he's glad he didn't start selling units in 2005 when construction costs were a moving target.

"A year ago, I had permission from Nevada Real Estate Division to go to sales, but had I gone, I'd have a problem right now because I sold too cheap," the 34-year-old president of Las Vegas-based Resources Group said at HUE's sales center at 300 W. Charleston Blvd. "There'd be lawsuits."

Now that he's zeroed in on hard construction costs of about $150 million, Haddad will begin taking reservations of $1,000 on the 270 units.

A total of $10,000 will be due when buyers select their units, followed by the balance of 10 percent of the purchase price at contract and another 10 percent when construction starts, scheduled for January 2007.

Completion is expected in early 2009.

Denver-based RNL Design is designing the project and Vancouver, British Columbia-based UPA Group is general contractor.

Units range from 1,100 square feet to 1,800 square feet and are priced from $700 a foot.

That sounds expensive now, but Haddad expects high-rise units to go for $2,000 a square foot in the next five to seven years.

"Why did it take so long? Because we had to talk to our subs, talk to our general contractor, talk to our engineers to get a target budget and stick to it. What we're giving is reality. You can't build this for cheaper than you sell it," Haddad said.

"We'll go to sales contract only when I get a guaranteed maximum price, which means I'll have city comments on the plans, once we get the loan commitment, the insurance commitment and guaranteed price," he also said.

All units are two-story lofts with 19-foot floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies, creating a high-rise that's "about transparency and openness to the outside," Haddad said. Amenities include concierge service, valet parking, business center, rooftop pool and 24-hour security.

Haddad said he's debt-free on the land and soft costs such as design, entitlement and marketing.

"You know what it is? Put your money where your mouth is," he said.

It's hard to substantiate a high-rise in Vegas with all of the negative press about other projects that have failed and developers being sued, Haddad said.

"These are the external forces I'm trying to maneuver around and finish my plan. It's a long design process," he said. "You have to hire the right contractor to work with you and the subs. I go to lunch once a week with our major subs. I can tell you where every screw is going in this building."

Haddad has put together a rental program for investors that would pay a 7 percent return annually plus property taxes and association fees. Rents would be at least $2,800 a month, he said.

Las Vegas has a few buyers for million-dollar high-rise units, but most of the buyers will come from out of state and out of country, especially with the weakness of the U.S. dollar, Haddad said.

Patrick

07-28-2006, 06:56 PM

CHECK OUT THESE VEGAS SCALE BUILDING MODELS!

http://www.globalarchitecturalmodels.com/gallery.htm

Some are old, some new- some changed....

Thanks for the link! The Website has a model of the HGVC
http://www.globalarchitecturalmodels.com/images2/pics/bghgvc002.jpg

Also the Canncelled Versallies Grand Condominiums
http://www.globalarchitecturalmodels.com/images2/pics/bgversallies.jpg

Vegas Grand which is taking forever to start construction
http://www.globalarchitecturalmodels.com/images2/pics/vegas_grand_site.jpg

Turnberry Place, you can see one tower is different
http://www.globalarchitecturalmodels.com/images2/pics/bgturnberry001.jpg

ScottG

07-28-2006, 07:59 PM

what and when was Versallies Grand Condominiums proposed? any renderings?

and what do you mean about cosmo...any news? it is under construction...unless you are insinuating something.

does anyone have an idea about that malll being built between nyny and monte carlo....i hear the whole front of monte carlo is being redone (but the source aint creditable) however, the sidewalk on the LV blv is fenced off where that mall is goin......its crazy how citycenter is crawling all over the place!

ScottG

07-29-2006, 12:45 AM

http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/aia/awa2004/ub03068_02.jpg
no she's not back (yet)

but i found a site that shows some cool designs, some we've already seen, some with rendering that we havnt,

http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/aiaawa05.html

check out each year...
some projects are pretty interesting..some are from firms some from student work....i belive.

Patrick

07-29-2006, 07:11 AM

what and when was Versallies Grand Condominiums proposed? any renderings?

It was proposed a while ago, it had a website, an emporis page but never started constructed.

Reverie

07-29-2006, 07:41 PM

Here are some random photos, hope you like them...

Been awhile since we've seen this one eh?
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2102/296on2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Strip Skyline from South
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8264/298ff7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

LOFT 5
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/2973/311yi9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

ONE L AS VEGAS
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/5028/314wa4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

CityCenter
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/3861/316ni3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

SKY LV
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7700/329qu5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

MGM/PANORAMA - I like this photo, I don't know why.
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/6775/283ye1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

SKY Again
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/2958/294os3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

ENCORE, how tall is this thing supposed to be again?
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/8973/324bw9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

ThreeHundred

07-29-2006, 08:54 PM

It would be sweet if we knew what Encore looked like. Stupid Wynn..

Downtown Joe

07-31-2006, 04:32 PM

Does anyone know the story with Soho? When is it going to open?

ScottG

07-31-2006, 10:25 PM

tower 3 of panorama now has a crane up. city center parking garage is almost done (and HUGE) mgm residences tower 2 almost done. alllure getting tall with turnberry tower 1 taller and tower 2 coming close. newport is big, soho (aint open?) WMC=goldmine- crazy driving past that on the freeway. city center has so many construction realignments/cranes/ concret mixers/ trucks/ cranes/ cranes/ cranes everywhere, cosmo gets lost in it all...i will asume there are lots of drilling there too...

evelution lofts now have billboards everywhere.....wheres its website?

CHAPINM1

07-31-2006, 10:50 PM

What floor are they at on Trump? Also does anybody know if there is a link for a webcam? Thanks in advance. ;)

ScottG

07-31-2006, 11:37 PM

trump has got to be on floor 12 lets say (its getting up there- its a big bar of gold)

has anyone realized that flatiron is exactly like ivana (aka the summit) BOTH are flat-iron type sites. and the design is the same for both except flatiron stops halfway up.

Reverie

08-01-2006, 01:40 AM

Jul. 30, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

INSIDE GAMING: Strip flip in the offing, industry sources say

Harrah's Entertainment recently picked up options on the former Westward Ho site, adjacent to the Stardust, industry sources say. It then used the options as leverage to open talks with Boyd Gaming Corp. Boyd owns the Barbary Coast, which is in the middle of the two Strip blocks owned by Harrah's. The theory is that Boyd should be willing to swap the Barbary Coast for the Westward Ho site plus some cash. Boyd could then expand its planned $4 billion Echelon Place development on the Stardust site and Harrah's could master plan its two blocks without a Boyd property sitting in its midst. Negotiations are said to be under way, but so far Boyd is unenthusiastic.

Advertisement

Industry insiders last week said Michael Gaughan's deal to buy back the South Coast from Boyd Gaming Corp. was a clear sign competition is alive and well in the gaming industry, even the Las Vegas locals market. One top executive, not wanting to be named talking about competitors, said new entrants are knocking at the door and Wall Street financial types are lined up to back the right kind of deals. "Michael proves there are even old-timers panting to get back in to one of the hottest industries in the country," another said, also not wanting to be named.

There's a new mutual fund to watch, focused as it is on the politically incorrect territory of casino, gaming and lottery companies. The fund is managed by Dan Ahrens, author of "Investing in Vice," and was set up to exploit the "dark side of human nature," which some say is a natural for Wall Street, especially during economic doldrums. Ahrens wrote in his book that no matter what the stock market is doing, individuals indulge in vices such as gambling, drinking and smoking. With gaming stocks up more than 25 percent year-to-date, Ahrens and a lot of investors see his new "socially irresponsible" fund as a good bet. Only one other fund fits the mold, the Vice Fund, which Ahrens previously managed.

Surveys nationwide are now showing it may take $4 a gallon to get people to significantly change their driving habits. But they confirm there is a price point out there somewhere. And they also find the decision isn't strictly between gasoline prices and driving. It's between their discretionary spending and lifestyles they can realistically afford. At some point, those surveyed say they realize they'll have to give up something and decide what that is. Hospitality industry insiders still believe Americans will yield on a lot of other luxuries before they give up vacations, which they see as a God-given right.

Gaming Wire Editor Rod Smith can be reached by phone at 477-3893 or by e-mail at rsmith@reviewjournal.com.

Reverie

08-01-2006, 01:40 AM

oops

GeorgeLV

08-01-2006, 04:45 AM

Viperlord

08-01-2006, 05:39 AM

from this article... on slowing condo sales.
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640198786,00.html

"In Las Vegas, projects nixed include high-profile developments such as Aqua Blue, a $600 million, 825-unit luxury condominium-hotel resort that counted Michael Jordan as an investor; the $3 billion, 4,400-unit Las Ramblas resort, backed by George Clooney; and Ivana Las Vegas, a $700 million, 945-unit tower named after Donald Trump's ex-wife."

Patrick

08-01-2006, 09:09 AM

wow Loft 5 popped out of noware, Platinum Looks Great. Signature at the MGM has such a prominent place in the skyline, the towers look great, the renderings didnt lie. I dont know about Sky LV though, it looks a little plain, I thought the top had more detail. Panaorama looks great, actually better than the renderings. Metropolis looks dissapointing, it still looks unfinished and the tower is plain without the spire.

Bender13

08-01-2006, 02:46 PM

New Mandalay Bay condos. Yay!!!! more gold towers!
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Aug-01-Tue-2006/business/8803174.html
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Aug-01-Tue-2006/photos/business.jpg
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Aug-01-Tue-2006/photos/southstrip.jpg
Aug. 01, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DEVELOPMENT: South Strip condos proposed

Additions to Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand planned

By MIKE KALIL
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Southern Nevada's overall housing market may no longer be sizzling, but the Strip's biggest gaming player believes demand will continue for luxury condominiums with a Las Vegas Boulevard address.

MGM Mirage is seeking initial county approval this week for two high-rise tower projects that would add some 2,500 condos to the south end of the Strip.

The company has not formally announced either proposal, and a spokesman said their likely development dates remain undetermined. But documents filed with Clark County provide architectural renderings and details of both projects.

The Clark County Planning Commission is scheduled tonight to consider approval of MGM Mirage's plans for The Place at Mandalay, a proposed 520-foot tower with 1,344 units that would rise on the northwest corner of the Strip and Mandalay Bay Road, only feet from Luxor's pyramid.

On Wednesday, the company will ask the Clark County Commission to approve plans for two additional high-rise towers behind MGM Grand that would add 1,152 more condos to the 1,700 hotel-condos that are there or are now under construction.

MGM Mirage was already betting big on Strip condo development before proposing The Place at Mandalay and what amounts to a nearly 70 percent expansion of the high-rise hotel-condo projects at MGM Grand.

Some 1,650 condos are planned within the company's $7 billion Project CityCenter, the massive mixed-used development slated for 66 acres on the west side of the Strip between Monte Carlo and Bellagio.

"While our first order of business is Project CityCenter, it is not the end of our plans in Las Vegas," Gordon Absher, an MGM Mirage vice president, said Monday. "Having projects in a development pipeline assures us an ability to meet the variety of commercial property needs of the future.

"There will be other MGM Mirage projects beyond these," Absher also said.

This week's agenda items, Absher said, are "initial steps on a lengthy road" and "part of an orderly process in a companywide master plan for future development."

MGM Mirage owns 831 acres on the Strip, many of which are undeveloped or underdeveloped.

County officials appear poised to support the projects.

"I think it's a good thing. The trend is to have more vertical development," said County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, who represents the district where both projects would be built. "Sprawl is not necessarily a good thing."

The shift from people renting rooms on the Strip for a few nights to owning them permanently will not necessitate a big boost in municipal services for these new property owners, Reid said.

Planners and developers project that condominiums in the resort corridor will be used much like hotel rooms: mostly rented out to tourists for brief visits.

"The owners will use them on a periodic basis, and when they're not they'll put them into a (timeshare) pool," Reid said. "(Owners) are not going to live full time there. A lot of people are buying them as vacation homes or investment properties."

Although it would be located on Luxor's property, architectural renderings submitted to the county for The Place show its exterior design retains the metallic gold-on-white motif of nearby Mandalay Bay and The Hotel at Mandalay.

"Architecturally, it's going to look like Mandalay even though it will be pretty much adjacent to Luxor," said Anthony Molloy, the county principal planner working on the project.

The two additional towers on the MGM Grand site will retain the sleek white look of the Signature towers already under development there, according to renderings.
The Las Vegas market for single-family homes has slowed as the inventory of homes for sale pile up, but county planners say they see no signs that demand for luxury condos on Las Vegas Boulevard is waning.

"The market is fairly healthy and people continue to come in with applications," Molloy said.

The Planning Commission on Thursday is scheduled to consider plans for yet another mixed-use condo project on Las Vegas Boulevard. But the hearing for the proposed R Resort several miles to the south at the boulevard and St. Rose Parkway is likely to be moved to September, said project consultant Greg Borgel.

R Resort principal Ray Shapiro, a local businessman who operates restaurants and convenience stores, has submitted plans to the county showing a 1,500-room hotel, 720-unit condo tower and an 85,000-square-foot casino there.

He could not be reached Monday.

Review-Journal writer Chris Jones contributed to this report.

ScottG

08-01-2006, 11:01 PM

^^^^ GREAT!^^^^^^

I looked at ariel shots of the strip, that parking lot infront (and to the left) of luxor is really the only peice of land not developed (or being developed) on the strip. that high-rise would have the best views of the strip, looking all the way down it. (except if you get one looking at mandalay bay) the hotel towers are goin to get obstructed views now.

that area is goin to have ALOT of gold there. already THE hotel and mandalay bay shine with gold, adding another tower of gold. jeez. also- how would that look sitting ontop of luxor? (it realy will ruin the look of the pyramid having a big peice of gold bar sticking over its side.)

so now theres Palms Place and one queensridge place, but why stay at those places when you can stay at THE place!

ScottG

08-02-2006, 12:07 AM

i was looking at the rendering for palazzo and realized this...

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7819/palazzomc0.jpg

the circled area is a vacant lot that has a sign on it saying a walgreens coming 2004. obviously this has been there for many years (i believe way back when there was that old motel on the palazzo site) SO it seems that palazzo didnt/ couldnt buy that land....similiar to the city center/ cvs situation. on google earth there is a small crane and construction boxes that site, but it looks like palazzo is just using the site to put temporary storage there. so if the rendering is acuate (which most are not) then there will be a large gap in between the venetian a palazzo, but even the construction of palazzo is not goin on this site....

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6091/untitledxt3.png

iys goin to be cheesy to have a gap or drug store RIGHT between two faux italian resorts

similiar thing also happened to the aladdin,,,how the county reserved land to make harmon be re-aligned for city center

Reverie

08-02-2006, 01:02 AM

Well, another day, and another gold building!!

Just kidding, the more buildings the better. And one less parking lot. It will create crazy reflections being that close to the Luxor beam.

Reverie

08-02-2006, 03:47 AM

Las Vegas developer secures all financing for mixed-use project

>100% financing? That's quite impressive!

By HUBBLE SMITH
REVIEW-JOURNAL

While several construction projects in Las Vegas have failed to secure adequate financing, not all lenders have turned bearish on the declining real estate market.

Las Vegas-based developer Glen, Smith & Glen received 100 percent financing for the entire $800 million building costs of Sullivan Square, a 16-acre mixed-use development in southwest Las Vegas Valley, principal Kenneth Smith said Monday.

"We're going to be able to build out as fast as the market dictates and never have to go back and visit this (financing) issue again," he said.

The loan comes from Harcourt Developments, a privately owned company based in Dublin, Ireland, whose projects include Ireland's largest business park, Carlisle Bay hotel in Antigua and the Titanic Quarter regeneration project in Belfast.

Sullivan Square, part of the West Village concept that at one time included The Curve development, is planned for 1,300 residential units, 45,000 square feet of retail, office buildings and a Central Park.

The first phase is estimated at $150 million, including 152 units in the first tower, retail and infrastructure work, Smith said. Construction is expected to begin in February or March, after reservations are converted to binding contracts later this year.

Jeremy Aguero, principal of research firm Applied Analysis in Las Vegas, said the financing of Sullivan Square separates it from a flurry of proposed developments that lacked the wherewithal to proceed beyond the drawing board.

"I think the capital markets have tightened up substantially lately," Aguero said.

"The broader markets, venture capital and private money coming in has taken a step back, a wait-and-see toward Las Vegas and how much money they're willing to put into the high-rise market. It depends on what their appetite for risk is. With the escalation in the price of land and construction and per-square-foot pricing, the upside of the reward is not what it was 24 months ago," Aguero also said.

Smith said Harcourt believes in the Las Vegas market, believes in Glen, Smith and Glen and bought into the vision for Sullivan Square.

"We offer something unique and needed in Las Vegas, an integrated community where people will want to live," he said.

"Our retail is geared toward people who live there. They're not living above The Gap. They're living above a coffee shop, above a deli. We've never seen it in Vegas, where you can park your car on Friday night and not get back in it until Monday morning," he also said.

Residential options at the project will include brownstones, lofts, terraces, high-rise condos, townhomes and live-work units, Smith said.

Patrick

08-02-2006, 08:33 AM

wow I didnt think that the Mandalay Bay would expand again, let alone add a condominium tower, it was only a matter of time :) Looks nice although too much like THEhotel.

ScottG

08-03-2006, 07:01 PM

Goodbye, condo mania
Buyers are getting better deals as the froth fizzles and sellers offer concessions. And the glut is likely to get worse.

By Pat Mertz Esswein, Kiplinger's

Condo prices near you
What's ahead for housing?
Apartment rents are on the rise
Buy your college kid a condo?
Condo owners, who had been cruising along propelled by double-digit price gains, are encountering cooler currents and the prospect of perilous waters ahead.

The supply of existing condos for sale increased by almost two-thirds during the year that ended in April. At the same time, sales fell slightly, according to the National Association of Realtors. Investors -- about one-third of all condo owners, according to mortgage-data tracker LoanPerformance -- have been fleeing like proverbial rats.

Sale prices of existing condos have fallen a bit, too. At $222,000, the nationwide median price of a condo is once again less than that of a single-family home ($222,700). Condos had been appreciating more quickly than single-family homes because they are concentrated in high-cost metro areas, where prices were rising rapidly. As home prices cool in overheated urban markets, the drop in condo prices is likely to be more precipitous. (Check out condo prices where you live.)

Even more ominous: Over the next two years, "a tsunami of new units will swamp the market," reports the National Association of Home Builders (NAR). Conversions of rental apartments to condos are adding to the glut.

Don't panic
Although the median price of a condo rose nearly 14% last year, double-digit increases appear to be a thing of the past. The NAR expects prices to rise 3% to 4% in 2006 (compared with 6% for single-family homes). And the outlook varies by region. Condo owners in the Midwest, concentrated in the Twin Cities and Chicago, probably have the least to worry about. The South and West have taken the biggest hits. Sales there have fallen 14% in the past year, and prices are lower, too.

In the Northeast, it's a mixed bag. Sales have slowed a little but prices are 4% higher. In Boston and other markets, real estate agents say the market for lower-priced condos (under about $400,000) is still relatively tight and demand is strong. But at the high end, the bidding wars are over and there's more give-and-take between buyers and sellers.

Andrew Terrat found the market cooling when he listed his luxury condo in Boston's South End for sale last October. For several years, Terrat, an interior decorator, had been riding the wave of price appreciation by buying and renovating condos and then trading up. He bought his current apartment in 2004 for more than $900,000 and listed it for $1.4 million in October.

Buyers showed little interest, so Terrat took it off the market and used the time to transform a home office into a guest bedroom. In February, he put it back on the market; instead of reducing the price, he threw in his Bang & Olufsen audio system. By May, he'd found a buyer.

In Miami, the market is less favorable for sellers, but a better deal for buyers. The city had three times as much inventory on the market this spring as last, and there's more in the pipeline. "Most developers thought that speculators weren't going to stop buying," says housing analyst Jack McCabe, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.

At the NAR, senior economist Lawrence Yun expects demand from baby boomers to strengthen as more of them approach retirement age over the next five to 10 years. McCabe counters that one more bad hurricane could change boomers' migratory patterns, causing them to avoid Florida and wing their way to places such as Tennessee, Texas and western North Carolina.

Sellers: Send up a flare
If you're selling a condo, above all, price it right. Real estate agents in condo-crazed cities such as Boston, Miami and Phoenix agree that much of the slowdown is at the high end of the market and that more affordable units are selling well. Whatever the price point, it's not smart to be selling the most expensive apartment on the block, says Boston agent Ken Tutunjian. And with so many opportunities for buyers, you need to make your unit stand out over the competition, says Phoenix agent Brad Brauer. Clean your condo, remove clutter and stage it perfectly.

Be prepared to negotiate. Miami agent Troy Fowler says that a year ago, sellers took a "don't bother me unless you're prepared to pay full price" attitude. Now, many condo ads say sellers are "motivated" and encourage buyers to "make an offer." Incentives can also bring in buyers -- such as a year's worth of condo fees or a flat-screen TV. In Miami, Fowler has seen listings offering a $5,000 or $10,000 bonus to the agent who brings in the buyer.

Finally, get the deal done. "Don't hold out for a slightly better offer," says Ron Witten of Dallas, a housing-market consultant.

Buyers: Take the long view
In most markets, this is as good a time as any to buy. But in the riskiest ones, especially in the Southwest and Florida, it might be wise to wait a year to see how things shake out. Don't worry too much about higher mortgage rates. The risk of falling prices, says Witten, is greater than the risk of higher rates. (Kiplinger's expects rates to be slightly higher by year-end.) And forget about a quick flip. If you buy, plan to own the property for at least three to five years.

Which units will hold their value over the long run? Look for condos with a great view and easy access to parking, public transportation, necessities and amenities. High-priced gas may enhance the appeal of properties located close to downtown or to employment centers. To attract empty nesters, look for spacious, open-floor-plan condos in buildings with an elevator and, in cold climates, garage parking. In some luxury markets, buildings with a doorman or concierge are becoming highly desirable.

Take your time. Visit properties more than once. Drive a hard bargain and protect yourself with appropriate contingencies.

ScottG

08-03-2006, 09:05 PM

UPDATES:

Turnberry (mgm) tower 2 is topped off - exterior looks complete
(last night i saw tower 1 lit up again - looks like they are goin have some lightiing on it at night- the 4 turnbery towers by the hilton should do this too)

Grand chataeu (marriot) tower 2 is under construction, there is steel in the air

that mall for city center goin in between nyny and monte carlo has steel up already to the thrid floor (or roof)

planet hollywood towers (westgate time share) looks like it may be under constructio now. the banners showing the renderings are still off the fencing, but maybe it blew away. there are now a few trucks and bulldozers piling dirt around.

panorama tower 2 is almost topped off, they are working on the crown now.

panorama tower 3 is under construction with a crane on site.

you want pictures? (well, i dont have any)

:)

ScottG

08-04-2006, 04:53 PM

allure has a nice animation on there fornt page : http://allurelasvegas.com/

sky has a nice tv commercial: http://www.skylasvegas.com/

panorama has a lot of cool intros, animations, and movies http://www.panoramatowers.com/

hers something interesting: on the grnad chattaeu website: The resort will be under construction with an estimated completion date of 2016.

since each wing is completely seperatly---this hotel will take longer than city center!

the majestic/conrad site says the sales office and models are opening september 2006! its still alive and kickin

citycenters website added a small snipet: for media inquiries please contact mgm/mirage public relations at 891-7272 (any takers?)

bobmcelligott

08-04-2006, 09:46 PM

The Allure website also has a live webcam

ScottG

08-04-2006, 09:56 PM

Article in the paper about the leaning towers.

Architects leaning toward Strip skies the sky in Las Vegas

By Liz Benston <benston@lasvegassun.com>
Las Vegas Sun

July 30, 2006

Towers to serve as CityCenter gateway

In a city of whimsical designs - think pyramid, castle and New York skyline - two leaning, curving high-rise towers seem destined to emerge as an architectural icon in Las Vegas.

All they've got to do now is build them - no slam-dunk because of their unique design .

The towers will house 810 loftlike condominiums, soaring 36 stories above Las Vegas Boulevard and prominently serving as the gateway to MGM Mirage's $7 billion CityCenter.

MGM Mirage revealed the final design of CityCenter a month ago to plenty of murmuring, most of it directed at what some real estate folk were calling "the leaning towers of Las Vegas."

The towers are the creation of German-born architect Helmut Jahn, known for sleek, ultramodern exteriors and unusual shapes. His Murphy/Jahn firm in Chicago built the seven-building Sony Center in Berlin and the United Airlines terminal at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

In order to plan CityCenter, the nation's most expensive private construction project and its largest collaboration of name-brand architects, MGM Mirage split the project into three components, with the final piece - the retail and condominium area - coming together more recently.

About a year ago the company initiated an international design competition and selected Jahn's firm to work alongside Studio Libeskind, the creator of the retail center, and Rockwell Group, which is designing the pedestrian areas.

MGM Mirage bought into the leaning tower design to create the kind of bold look the company wanted as a visual gateway into CityCenter.

"The angling creates a sense of motion" as well as more openness and light, said Tony Dennis, executive vice president of CityCenter's residential division.

They appear to stand in parallel fashion from a north-south perspective, with the lean obvious from an east-west perspective. Most passers-by will view the buildings from the skewed perspective.

MGM Mirage asked for the most creative and challenging designs architects could cook up. The company didn't mention leaning towers.

"It wouldn't make sense for us to shoehorn them into a certain look," Dennis said. "These (designers) are the best in their respective fields. These designs are forward-thinking. We are trying to capture the imagination of the city."

The unusual design is just one of several aspects of the project that run counter to conventional Las Vegas rules. The main casino-hotel, for instance, will sit behind the condo towers without the typical Stripfront location or dramatic landscaping of tropical plants, water fountains or statuary. And the hotel tower will be shaped as an elongated S, not the more-efficient Y shape, for dramatic effect.

Pisa, Italy, is the home to the most famous leaning tower - by way of a geological quirk.

The world's first intentionally leaning towers are in Madrid, where a group of architects created twin office buildings that lean toward each other at 15-degree angles. The towers, known as Puerta de Europa, opened in 1996, triggering controversy for their bizarre, ultramodern shape.

The Murphy/Jahn towers may be one of Jahn's more creative efforts, but he's no newcomer to innovative designs.

His firm received the American Institute of Architects' Architecture Firm Award, one of the highest honors in the field. The firm is known for unusual geometric designs driven by collaborations with engineers and scientists.

One example is the pencil-shaped Messeturm office tower in Frankfurt, Germany - a striking combination of a square, circle and pyramid in contrasting materials. The building, about the same height as the TransAmerica building in San Francisco, was Europe's tallest building until 1997.

Jahn is also no stranger to controversy. The 1985 opening of his glass-enclosed State of Illinois Center in Chicago triggered complaints and lawsuits over sweltering indoor temperatures. Critics blamed the building's design; Jahn blamed the building's ventilation system.

Jahn's Las Vegas project is the latest take on a new design trend.

"In the '80s it was all about how you decorate the top of the building," said Ronnette Riley, a New York architect who heads the American Institute of Architects' design committee. "Now architects are pushing the entire form and creating complicated shapes by twisting and turning."

Such designs are possible with the help of computer software that wasn't available 10 or 20 years ago, said Riley, who worked for one of the architects who built the leaning towers in Madrid.

"This is so much more sophisticated," she said of the Las Vegas design. "I'd rather a building make a statement than be in the background. The play on geometry is going to be very exciting."

Las Vegas architect Joel Bergman, who helped design the Mirage, Treasure Island and Paris Las Vegas, among other local resorts, said the towers will make other cutting-edge designs "look tame."

In one sense the towers aren't that far removed from the themed casinos that were popular in years past, Bergman said.

"It's entertainment architecture," he said. "Buildings that twist and bend are a new kind of theme. All the architects are running out to do it to impress each other."

Architecture critic Alan Hess says CityCenter and the arrival of well-known architects like Jahn will elevate the status of Las Vegas among the highbrow world of designers but may miss the mark for the average tourist.

"As skyline icons, the two towers will grab attention for a while, but their abstract shapes won't have the lasting power of the Stardust sign, the Luxor pyramid or Excalibur's castle," said Hess, who writes for the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News and is the author of an architectural history of Las Vegas. "They don't have any lasting meaning linked to the general culture."

Out-of-town architects don't necessarily understand the dynamic of Las Vegas, which is all about luring customers with fanciful designs, Hess said.

He approved of MGM Mirage's larger strategy, however. The creation of mini-cities with multiple hotels, condos and other attractions "is the next logical step" in Las Vegas' super-sized development, Hess said.

Jahn said he welcomes the chance to ply his trade in a town that encourages the unexpected.

"I don't think we could have done this in Chicago or New York," where urban, residential construction follows a fairly conservative pattern, he said.

Las Vegas has witnessed its share of tricky designs, including the Luxor pyramid with its cantilevered hotel rooms and inclined elevators, and the Stratosphere, the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.

Now on the drawing board: the Lou Ruvo Alzheimer's Institute, a provocative Frank Gehry design playing off building blocks and a crumpled shell of glass-and-steel latticework.

Jahn's leaning towers appear dangerously askew - accentuated because each one will also twist along its vertical axis like a curving parallelogram - but are structurally in equilibrium, with each building's mass equally distributed on either side of its center plumb line.

The design will challenge engineers but benefit residents because their views will be less obstructed than would be in a conventional high rise, he added.

While appearing to be smooth glass from a distance, the building's skin will feature horizontal metal blades that will shade floor-to-ceiling windows from Las Vegas' notorious heat. The illuminated blades will slowly change colors.

The towers, part of nearly 3,000 residential living quarters at CityCenter, are expected to be complete by 2010.

bobmcelligott

08-04-2006, 10:02 PM

Here's a great high-res panorama of the strip taken from the top of Allure http://www.skylasvegas.com/roofview.html

bobmcelligott

08-05-2006, 05:58 AM

oops.

Vegas Grows Up

08-06-2006, 04:11 AM

In preperation for my new highrise website www.HighRiseHookups.com which will be launched in September I have been taking some new pictures. Please enjoy them below! Also, over the next 3 years I will be making an online photo journal on my other website www.VegasGrowsUp.com of the progress of City Center. This journal has begun and will continue for the next 3 years. It is in my City Center section :)

City Center and Cosmo from Above showing construction

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/2940/citycenterandcosmobh7.jpg

This next picture shows the slurry wall being dug on the West side of the Cosmo site...Very cool!

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/44/cosmogettingdugla2.jpg

Finally, this shot shows the Boardwalk no more

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/615/nomorebordwalkmh5.jpg

Reverie

08-07-2006, 02:29 AM

Good photos, VegasGrowsUp! You have restored my faith in the Cosmopolitan Project. (Not that I actually believed that silly article back then about the project being in danger anyway).

What Is This?

If you look at the nearly completed Bellagio Garage from I-15 the past few days, they are in the process of installing a strange diagonal rod on the side of it. It begins in the lower left corner of the garage and leads up to the top right. What's more there are vertical rods descending from this diagonal one at evenly spaced intervals, like jail bars. What could it be?

Maybe it's some kind of pretty design to spice up an otherwise boring garage. It could even be some kind of lighting display.

Photo 1
http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/3545/394vx2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Photo 2
http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/7595/395xj7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Vegas Grows Up

08-07-2006, 03:03 AM

Glad you liked the photos!

As far as that parking garage goes, I agree lights would spice it up some. The last thing I want people to see as they come in on the 15 is a bunch of boring garages facing the freeway. We need to make the 15 dynamic!

Enjoy this new pano I took from high above in Summerlin
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9717/stripac8.jpg

I hadnt seen this new rendering of the Cosmo Beach Club so I thought I would share. Notice the infinity edge pool falling right over to the strip!
http://img324.imageshack.us/img324/7385/cosmobeachvgufi5.jpg

jamesinclair

08-08-2006, 01:04 AM

Downtown Joe

08-08-2006, 01:10 AM

I really like projects such as this because of the location

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/1395/lasvegas4thimage1large1fw.jpg

I wish more cities had the balls to approve a highrise among flat buildings

That project is pure fiction. The lot is for sale. It's apparent that the "developer" bought the land, paid for some pretty architect drawings and a persuasive mouthpiece, got the entitlement and intends to flip it for a hefty profit. Which is an absolute shame because it drives up the price of the land so much that no real developer has a chance to come in and do an actual, real project.

cosmo2k8

08-08-2006, 01:33 AM

Hi everyone! Great thread you have going here. This is my first post so here we go!

I'm a Cosmopolitan condo owner and big fan and would like to share some tidbits I received in an e-mail:

the 'mixer': The Latest News & Updates on The Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino

Definition of Cosmopolitan
"So sophisticated as to be at home in all parts of the world or conversant with many spheres of interest."
"In every sense, the Cosmopolitan is happening!"

Construction Update (July 26, 2006):

1. Perini has installed the slurry wall and is installing ground improvement bars (micro piles). The slurry wall will support adjacent roads and structures surrounding the excavation. The wall system had to be completed prior to the start of the excavation.

2. The mass excavation has begun with 60 trucks a day removing 800,000 cubic yards of dirt! The average truck will haul 11 to 12 cubic yards - that is approximately 70,000 truckloads in total to reach the bottom of the parking garage.

3. At the peak of this construction, we are proud to create jobs for more than 3,000 craftsmen on site and potentially 1,500 off site.

4. This awesome project will include approximately 40,000 tons of structural steel.

5. It will take over 1 million square feet of glass to provide those breath taking views!!!

6. There will be enough concrete used in this job to pour a sidewalk 4 feet wide and approximately 3.5 million feet long.

A big 'Thank You' from the Cosmopolitan!

To date The Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino has paid our much appreciated Real Estate agents over $17 million in commissions! Congratulations to our top-sellng agents and thank you for your strong support!

1st - June Stark, Ezra International
2nd - Diann Tonnesen, Prudential Americana
3rd - Leonard Martin, Liberty Realty

Coming soon... luxurious new models to tour, including the Park 1 bdrm!

The Cosmopolitan hits the road!

Watch for us in these cities:

1. San Francisco ~ August 26th-27th
2. Chicago ~ October 21st-22nd
3. Anaheim ~ November 4th-5th
4. New York ~ November 18th-19th
5. Boston ~ December 2nd-3rd

Visit our New Sales Center at 3485 West Harmon Avenue Suite 125 Las Vegas, NV 89109
To set up an appointment (702) 215-5500
www.cosmolv.com

Original e-mail came in as an image but I don't have permission to upload so I just typed out the newsworthy info. :tup:

Cheers,
Kevin L.

Vegas Grows Up

08-08-2006, 01:52 AM

Thanks Kevin and welcome to the forum!

cosmo2k8

08-08-2006, 01:54 AM

Thanks Aaron!

Glad I found this forum!

Reverie

08-08-2006, 02:01 AM

Welcome Cosmo2k8.

The Pinnacle: Steel City to Sin City

Pinnacle Las Vegas

From the Steel City to Sin City, land baron and businessman Angelo Falconi will make a mark on Las Vegas at age 82. Plans recently moved forward to begin selling luxury condominium units at his $850 million Pinnacle Condominium Resort in Las Vegas.

Mr. Falconi business ventures, controlled mostly by his primary company, The Falcon Group described The Pinnacle as "the single biggest project we have ever been involved in," Mr. Falconi's business associate and in-house accountant, Anthony Marinelli.

On 12 acres of Las Vegas' West Strip, the Pinnacle will feature twin towers at 36 stories adjoined by “sky bridges,” rich with amenities and a panoramic view of the Strip and Red Rock Mountains.

The Pinnacle will have nine individual floor plans, the studio, one-, two- or three-bedroom residences and will range from 588 square feet to 1,884 square feet pricing starts at $350,000 to $1.3 million for the towers. Surrounding the rooftop gardens and recreation deck will be a limited number of loft-like town-homes and will range from 889 square feet to more than 2,238 square feet. On the upper levels of the two towers will be penthouse suites that range from 3,000 square feet to more than 5,700 square feet. Spanning the towers will be Pinnacle's sky bridge suites, ultra-luxurious, two-story, glass-clad residences each with its own rooftop garden and panoramic view. At more than 3,400 square feet, the sky bridge suites start at more than $5 million.

"It sounds incredible," said Michael A. Towers, project director of The Falcon Group. "It takes your breath away."

Mr. Falconi bought the property more than 20 years ago for Falconi's Tropicana Honda, an automobile franchise which he sold in 1999. He retained much of the property, along with other undeveloped acreage in the area, and the city is now the fastest-growing real estate market in the country.

Because Mr. Falconi owns the Pinnacle land in Las Vegas, financing for the project is expected to go smoothly, and an initial $40 million loan was approved several weeks ago, Mr. Marinelli said.

The Pinnacle groundbreaking is expected around November, and construction is expected to take about two years, Mr. Marinelli said.

"He wants to see this thing built," Mr. Marinelli said of Mr. Falconi. "He wants to walk through the lobby at the ribbon cutting."

Allure officials confident; contracts go 'hard'

Some 90 percent of first tower units sold

By HUBBLE SMITH
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Construction on the Allure, seen Wednesday, is extending to the 30th floor. The project is on Sahara Avenue west of the Strip.

Chicago-based Fifield Cos. doesn't have to worry about investors pulling out of the Las Vegas high-rise condo market because they're getting cold feet.

Fifield never sold more than a couple of units to the same buyer at Allure, two 40-story towers being developed on Sahara Avenue, just west of the Strip, said Alan Schachtman, senior vice president for the company.
Advertisement

The luxury condo market has lost steam in Las Vegas and elsewhere around the nation as several developers have been forced to cancel projects that were once seen as lucrative investments.

Allure is in good shape, Schachtman said. The 400-unit first tower is 90 percent sold and contracts have gone "hard," which means escrow deposits are nonrefundable.

The concrete deck has been poured for the 29th floor and general contractor Bovis Lend Lease was scheduled to start on the 30th floor late last week.

Interior framing is finished on levels two through 17 and windows were being installed on the sixth floor last week. Exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) panel installation is completed on levels five through 19.

Substantial progress has also been made on mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, including electrical "rough-in" on the second through 11th levels and plumbing drain, waste and vents through the 19th level.

"We've got a lot of interest in upper-level units," Schachtman said.

"Most of what we have left is upper units. We've always said most of those units will have to be shown, get people up there and show them the views. It's hard for people to plunk down $1 million or $2 million on something you can't see or feel."

Allure's units, originally priced from the $300,000s, feature high ceilings, granite counters, Italian cabinets, marble flooring and stainless steel appliances.

cosmo2k8

08-08-2006, 02:15 AM

Pinnacle and Allure... ah the twin beauties of Las Vegas.

Can't wait to see them in person!

Thanks Reverie!

illmatic774

08-08-2006, 04:45 AM

after that beach rendering, Cosmo has probably become my most anticipated project. At least until PCC gets a little farther along.

Patrick

08-08-2006, 05:08 AM

Welcome to the fourm Cosmo2k8! :)

Steelnglass

08-08-2006, 01:58 PM

Hi All, New here and glad to have found this place. I am looking for any information on the Domus Las Vegas project. Is it going to happen? Any info about this would be helpful. Thanks!

Patrick

08-08-2006, 06:59 PM

Welcome! Domus Las Vegas is just a vision, so far there are no plans do build it yet.

Steelnglass

08-08-2006, 07:11 PM

Thanks Patrick. Any truth that the Venezuelan government is part of the backing on this project?

Downtown Joe

08-08-2006, 09:33 PM

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Aug-08-Tue-2006/news/8925080.html:

Aug. 08, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mayor gets tough on flipping

New rule cuts approval time for downtown projects

By DAVID McGRATH SCHWARTZ
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Mayor Oscar Goodman is figuratively flipping off those who want to flip land after they get downtown condominium projects approved.

The Las Vegas City Council last week unanimously cut in half the time that entitlements are valid for a 22-story condominium project, with the mayor saying he wants the new restrictive timeline a condition on all downtown projects from now on.

Approvals for high-rise condos would be good for only one year, instead of the two years called for under Las Vegas code.

Goodman has repeatedly expressed frustration at those who buy land, get projects approved for it and then turn around and try to resell the land at a profit, a process known as flipping.

"I don't like the fact that they're taking advantage of us," the Las Vegas mayor said. "They're making representations to us that they're going to build a certain product, and they have no intention to do so."

Some in the development community questioned whether the new policy would turn paper plans into brick and mortar any quicker.

"Towers are tough to build right now with labor and construction costs, and I don't think the market can absorb all those units right now," said Paul Freed, a co-owner of the 702 Group, which has been granted entitlements for two downtown projects.

Freed said his company fully intended to build the two projects when it received approval late in 2005 and early this year. But rising costs scuttled those plans, and now the projects are on the market for sale or a joint venture.

Getting entitlements for a project -- which requires going through the staff level, planning commission and city council -- is no easy process. And some developers will buy only entitled land.

"Everybody plays a role, and land developers can play the middleman role," Freed said. "It's a buyer's market, and if a builder wants to move forward right now, he can find a site."

Goodman said at Wednesday's council meeting that those reselling land after getting projects approved are slowing the progress of high-rise construction downtown.

Just one downtown high-rise condo project has been completed so far, and construction has begun on only a handful of others.

Bea Goodwin, president of the Las Vegas Highrise and Condominium Association, said that while the pace of making downtown more vertical can seem frustratingly slow, these multimillion-dollar projects take time.

"You don't just flip a switch," she said. "We're changing the skyline in a hurry. But this is Vegas, where we want it bigger and faster than anybody else. ... Nobody expects every project announced to get built."

She said she understands Goodman's desire to limit the number of those flipping projects. But she said there needs to be a safety valve for serious builders to get extra time for their plans if they need it.

"A developer can be doing everything right and still run into challenges," she said. "Getting a contractor, labor. No matter what the city mandates, there's a process to go through."

The mayor said the council can grant extensions if developers can prove they're moving forward.

"I know some folks say you can't get it done within a year. Maybe. But you come back in a year, tell us what you've done. If we see you're acting in good faith, we'll give you another year," Goodman said at Wednesday's meeting. "If we find you're playing with us, we'll cut you dead."

The one-year deadline, he said, "gives them plenty of time to see the planning department, they have plenty of time to go to the building department, but maybe not enough time to flip it."

Paul Murad, author of "Manhattanizing Las Vegas," said flipping increases the price of land, and thereby increases the cost for people who buy the condo units.

"It ends up not just affecting developers, but consumers as well," he said.

At Murad's last count there were 55 approved projects downtown. He estimated that at least a third of the owners went through the process just to flip the land.

Planning and Development Director Margo Wheeler said the mayor has not indicated a desire to change the city's code, so the projects would face the one-year timeline on a case-by-case basis. Goodman was the only council member to speak about the new restriction.

Wheeler said Goodman has made it a point to ask downtown developers about financing and timelines during open City Council meetings.

"He has now found a mechanism by which he may effectuate his goal of having projects built, instead of languishing or sold for a profit without the intention of moving forward," she said.

The project last Wednesday that is the first to be subjected to the tighter timeline is in the downtown Arts District.

The unnamed project at 1300 Casino Center would be 22 stories, with 172 units, said architect Sheldon Colen.

He told Goodman and the council that the owner was "ready to start right away" and did not need to sell a certain number of units before construction started.

The project stirred up some controversy initially, as nearby residents worried that the artistic, grass-roots feel of the neighborhood could be lost. But Richard Geyer, president of the Las Vegas Arts District Neighborhood Association, spoke in favor of the project after working with the developer and Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, who used to represent the area.

sky-of-webs

08-09-2006, 01:14 AM

^^^^^^^

"artistic, grass-roots feel of the neighboorhood could be lost."

Come on!!!!!! Who are they trying to fool? I've driven around down there for years and never seen anything artistic or grass-roots. And it sure looks great from above, HUH.

http://http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/5917/1300casinocenteryz1.png (http://imageshack.us)

I'm glad to see a new proposal for the south of charleston area.
Maybe this one will go up.

Reverie

08-09-2006, 02:04 AM

I agree. The sooner these people would wake up and join the party, the sooner downtown and start looking like a real downtown.

I applaud the mayor for finally taking a tougher stance on the flippers. I know that yes it's their land and they can sell it if they want. BUT.. It doesn't seem right for those same people to appear before the council months before and flat out LIE to the mayor, the council, and the citizens it represents that they will build a building.

I've watched some of the meetings before, and the things some developers said such as:

"We care about downtown and share the mayor's vision of redevelopment." Then they are never heard from again.

"I know some folks say you can't get it done within a year. Maybe. But you come back in a year, tell us what you've done. If we see you're acting in good faith, we'll give you another year," Goodman said at Wednesday's meeting. "If we find you're playing with us, we'll cut you dead."

well put! (well, except for the cut you dead part, but we know it's Oscar's typical tough talk)

Semi related, has anyone seen the Club Renaissance plot lately? It's still dirt right? It that one single remaining house is still on it?

cosmo2k8

08-09-2006, 03:18 AM

Thanks Patrick!

Hi all,

About a month ago I received in the mail a Cosmopolitan brochure entitled 'Premier Issue' basically talking about the financing and all the teams involved in this project:

Breaks Ground & Secures Financing

"Obtaining financing during these competitive times is a testament to the quality and viability of the project we are developing."
- Ian Bruce Eichner CEO

Everything about this project is groundbreaking, from its urban vision to the Global Hyatt Corporation's hospitality concept to the designers involved...

Urban Vision

"Deutsche Bank understands our vision to build the foremost mixed-use development on the Las Vegas Strip. We're building something the likes of which Las Vegas has never seen before: two soaring 600 ft. tall glass hotel and condo-hotel towers that are more akin to the sophisticated architecture of Manhattan than the themed developments on The Strip. Included will be: 1,000 hotel rooms and suites and 2,000 condo-hotel residences, convention and conference space, a 75,000 sq. ft. casino, a theatre and cabaret, nightclubs, distinctive boutiques, sumptuous dining choices, an exclusive spa, salon and fitness center, underground parking, and the Cosmo Beach Club overlooking The Strip."
- Ian Bruce Eichner
CEO of 3700 Associates LLC

Iconic Architecture

"This is a building that speaks about a new modernity of Las Vegas, a new sort cosmopolitan approach to the city, more urban, right up against the street instead of set back, and more modern and contemporary in every aspect of the expression. We have amazing views because we positioned the building in a way that all the units have a view up and down The Strip."
- Bernardo Fort-Brescia
Founding Principal of Arquitectonica

The Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino's major players:

1. 3700 Associates LLC ~ The Visionaries
2. Perini Building Company ~ General Contractor
3. Deutsche Bank ~ Commercial Banker
4. Global Hyatt Corporation ~ Hotel Operator
5. Arquitectonica ~ Design Architect
6. Paul Duesing Partners ~ Interior Design
7. The Friedmutter Group ~ Executive Architect
8. Dougall Design ~ Casino & Retail Design
9. Martha Schwartz Partners ~ Landscape Design

Global Hyatt Corporation

"It's an exciting day for Hyatt Hotels. We're thrilled to be part of this whole Cosmopolitan project. It's an unparalleled new entertainment Mecca; it's really going to change The Strip as far as we can see and we look forward to operating the 3,000 hotel rooms and condo-hotel residences that are going to be a part of this project. The Grand Hyatt Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan will join a prestigious list of five-star Grand Hyatts in a number of cities around the world - Shanghai, Hong Kong, and now Las Vegas."
- Thomas Pritzker
Chairman & CEO of Global Hyatt Corporation

By the way I did a search on Hyatt's website and they already have a site for the Cosmopolitan:

Opening Fall 2008

At the center of the famous Las Vegas Strip rises the Grand Hyatt Las Vegas Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino, a stunning architectural statement with panoramic views of the Bellagio Fountains, Paris Hotel's Eiffel Tower, Mandalay Bay, and the majestic Red Rock Canyon. Here your group will enjoy state-of-the-art meeting facilities and plush accommodations in the heart of the city's famed excitement.

http://grandlasvegas.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Located several PDF's designed by the executive architects Friedmutter Group
http://grandlasvegas.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/lasgh/factsheet.pdf

Holding capacity & dimensions for each room in the 3rd and 4th floors:
http://grandlasvegas.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/lasgh/capacity.pdf

Detailed 3rd and 4th floor layouts:
http://grandlasvegas.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/lasgh/floorplan.pdf

That's all for now! :cheers:

Cheers,
Kevin L.