CCIM Feature

CCIM Connections

LEEDing Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a city of big dreams and even bigger realities. To build CityCenter, one of the world’s largest mixed-use developments, James Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, looked to the past to find his model for tomorrow’s tourist destination.

“I was inspired by the work of [Spanish architect Antoni] Gaudi in helping to transform Barcelona into one of the world’s most sustainable and desirable cities,” Murren says. “Gaudi and his collaborators brought together a highly desirable mix of retail, recreation, and residential. Public art and gardens help to connect people to the place. With humility, we attempted to replicate these values in designing CityCenter.”

With contributions from some of the most renowned living architects, CityCenter incorporates luxury hotels, condominiums, a convention center, a theatre, retail, restaurants, and office space into a walkable, urban experience. In addition, the development was built according to Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design Gold standards.

Achieving LEED certification is fundamentally rooted in MGM’s core values, Murren says. CityCenter’s green elements, including a high-efficiency onsite power plant and water reclamation system, have helped the development become an “icon of environmental responsibility and sustainability,” he says.

Attend CCIM Live! Oct. 15-16 in Las Vegas, where keynote speaker James Murren will share more insights on the CityCenter development.