Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas | KPF - Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The 1,082,760 gross square foot Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Condominium is prominently sited within the CityCenter development, directly fronting Las Vegas Boulevard and the Avenue. This unique context affords the project two distinct responsibilities. On a macro level it must act as a gateway, announcing entry into the City and defining the development within the greater context of Las Vegas. Internally, the building must convey a sense of intimacy and seclusion for hotel guests, creating an experiential city within a city. The facade of the building further expresses a layered interlocking motif of vertical aluminum panels and glass with horizontal frit while meeting the energy performance criteria of the exterior wall. Internally, the frit provides various levels of transparency, allowing for open, daylit spaces in public areas, and shaded, screened areas where more privacy is desired. The podium houses retail space at street level with a dramatic, jewel-like ballroom and wedding chapel. The folding chapel form is clad in crystal finished titanium while the ballroom form is clad in pre-weathered grey zinc and jet mist granite. Closely spaced vertical glass fins project from the ballroom’s clear glass wall, providing views to Las Vegas Boulevard from the interior and creating a visual prismatic effect on the exterior. The podium encloses a central private courtyard and oriental garden for hotel guests, residents, and ballroom users. Express shuttle elevators deliver guests to the 22nd floor sky lobby, and where one experiences dramatic views of City Center and the Strip upon check-in and from restaurants, the Mandarin Bar and Lounge. Pool and extensive spa services are located at the 6th and 7th floor levels. The strength and interplay of the design language at multiple scales generate the form and character of the CityCenter Mandarin Oriental in the context of both the CityCenter development and Las Vegas Boulevard. About CityCenter CityCenter is an unprecedented urban metropolis that will open in late 2009 on 76 acres between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. A joint venture between MGM MIRAGE (NYSE:MGM) and Dubai World, the more than $8 billion development will feature a soaring 61-story, 4,000-room hotel/casino; two 400-room, non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental; approximately 2,650 luxury residences; and The Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. CityCenter is a design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and eight internationally acclaimed architectural firms including Pelli Clarke Pelli, Kohn Pederson Fox, Helmut Jahn, RV Architecture LLC led by Rafael Viñoly, Foster + Partners, Studio Daniel Libeskind2, Rockwell Group and Gensler. Charting a new course for responsible growth in Las Vegas, MGM MIRAGE is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at CityCenter. As planned, the 18-million-square foot, multi-use project will become one of the world’s largest environmentally sustainable urban communities.