flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

It's official: Norman Foster-designed Harmon hotel and casino to be razed due to structural issues

It's official: Norman Foster-designed Harmon hotel and casino to be razed due to structural issues

Construction of the Las Vegas tower was halted in 2008 after experts discovered faulty steel beams in the structure. Now its owner, MGM, has received permission to demolish the building. 


By BD+C Staff | May 9, 2014
Photo: Vrysxy via Wikimedia Common
Photo: Vrysxy via Wikimedia Common

The long and controversial tale of the Harmon hotel and casino is over: MGM Resorts International has received permission to demolish the tower, Dezeen reports.

The court ruling comes in the midst of the debate between owner MGM and developer Tutor Perini, which has been waged over who is at fault for the building's failure.

Construction of the resort was halted after experts discovered faulty steel beams in the structure. They determined that the beams would not stand up to an earthquake.

Elizabeth Gonzalez, a Clark County District judge, has ordered lawyers on either side to collect outstanding evidence, in effect paving the way for demolition. The demolition will involve the complex being taken apart floor by floor, at a cost of $11.5 million.

Foster + Partners designed the Harmon, which broke ground in 2006. The structural issues were discovered two years into construction.

Some history on the project via Wikipedia:

In late 2008, work on the Harmon Hotel/Condo Tower was stopped after inspectors discovered construction defects: county inspectors discovered improper installation by Pacific Coast Steel, of critical steel reinforcements (rebar) after 15 stories of the building had already been erected.

The error caused a major change in the building's design; instead of being 49 stories, it was reduced to 28 stories with the condominium element, The Harmon Residences removed entirely. At the time, 88 of the 207 condominiums were reserved by buyers who had put 20 percent down. Those buyers were offered refunds or the option to buy in other buildings. 

Related Stories

| Jul 29, 2016

Top 35 Airport Terminal Architecture and A/E Firms

Corgan, HOK, and Gensler top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest airport terminal architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.  

Architects | Jul 28, 2016

Connecting the dots: Architecture and design in a changing world

What do Tesla, Airbnb and Amazon have in common? They’re all shifting the paradigm for quality of life and the built environment, as CallisonRTKL senior associate VP Jayson Lee explains.  

| Jul 26, 2016

ENGINEERING GIANTS: Firms continue to push innovation

Trends include 3D printing, modular hospitals, and fluid dampers.

| Jul 26, 2016

Top 80 Architecture/Engineering firms

Stantec, HOK, and Callison RTKL once again top Building Design+Construction's 2016 ranking of the largest architecture/engineering firms in the United States. 

| Jul 25, 2016

Top 35 Engineering/Architecture Firms

AECOM, Jacobs, and Thornton Tomasetti head Building Design+Construction's 2016 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States. 

| Jul 25, 2016

Top 100 Architecture Firms

Gensler surpasses $1.1 billion in revenue, topping Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest architecture firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.

Healthcare Facilities | Jul 25, 2016

AIA selects seven winners of healthcare building design award

The National Healthcare Design Awards recognizes functional hospital projects that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns. Recipients were selected in three categories this year.

Architects | Jul 22, 2016

5 creative approaches to finish standards

With the right mindset, standards can produce great design for healthcare facilities, as VOA's Candace Small explores.

Retail Centers | Jul 21, 2016

MVRDV designs Seoul entertainment district with gold entrance and curtain façade

The 9,800-sm complex will have retail and nightclub space. A plaza separates the two concrete buildings.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021