April 22, 2008

Palazzo resort in Las Vegas claims title of world’s largest LEED building

LAS VEGAS

With its recent certification by the US Green Building Council, the Palazzo resort in Las Vegas is the largest “green” building in the world — by a long shot, according to a recent report in online real estate site GlobeSt.com.

The US$1.9-billion, 3,000-room resort is more than four times bigger than any other LEED-certified building, according to USGBC, which presented developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. with a Silver LEED Certificate at an award ceremony this week.

Key features that led to the Palazzo’s certification include:

• Artificial turf, drip irrigation and moisture sensors in planted areas, resulting in a 75 per cent reduction in irrigation needs.

• Swimming pools heated with an expansive solar pool heating system. In the summer, the excess solar energy not needed for the pools is directed to the hotel’s hot water system.

• Air conditioning controls in guest suites that automat ically setback when guests are gone and reset to the desired temperature upon return.

• Interior plumbing fixtures that use 37 per cent less water than conventional buildings, including water-efficient showerheads, high efficiency toilets and low-flow lavatory faucet aerators.

• Occupancy sensors in employee areas that shut off lights when no one is in the area.

• A waste-recycling program that from demolition through completion diverted over 70 per cent of waste from landfills. The building’s structural steel averaged 95 per cent recycled content, while the concrete averaged a 26 per cent recycled content rate. The technologies conserve enough water to provide each citizen in Nevada with two gallons of water per year, according to Las Vegas Sands.

The technologies also save enough electricity to light a 100-watt light bulb for 12,100 years, according to the company.

In addition to its Silver LEED certificate, the U.S. Department of Energy presented Las Vegas Sands Corp. with “The Energy Innovator’s Award,” which recognizes deployment of energy-efficient and/or renewable energy technologies and services.

DCN News Services

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