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

| Sep 7, 2022

K-8 school will help students learn by conducting expeditions in their own communities

In August, SHP, an architecture, design, and engineering firm, broke ground on the new Peck Expeditionary Learning School in Greensboro, N.C. Guilford County Schools, one of the country’s 50 largest school districts, tapped SHP based on its track record of educational design.

| Sep 6, 2022

Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. (1939-2022) An incomparable spirit

Dynamic leader and Kohler Co. Executive Chairman Herbert Vollrath Kohler, Jr. passed away on September 3, 2022, in Kohler, Wisconsin.

| Sep 6, 2022

Demand for flexible workspace reaches all-time high

Demand for flexible workspace including coworking options has never been higher, according to a survey from Yardi Kube, a space management software provider that is part of Yardi Systems.

| Sep 2, 2022

Converting office buildings to apartments is cheaper, greener than building new

Converting office buildings to apartments is cheaper and greener than tearing down old office properties and building new residential buildings.

| Sep 2, 2022

New UMass Medical School building enables expanded medical class sizes, research labs

  A new nine-story, 350,000 sf biomedical research and education facility under construction at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, Mass., will accommodate larger class sizes and extensive lab space.

Architects | Sep 1, 2022

BNIM promotes Jeremy Knoll to Director of Sustainability and Regenerative Design

BNIM'S Jeremy Knoll promoted to Director of Sustainability and Regenerative Design.

Giants 400 | Sep 1, 2022

Top 160 K-12 School Architecture + AE Firms for 2022

PBK, DLR Group, Huckabee, and Stantec head the ranking of the nation's largest K-12 school sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.

| Sep 1, 2022

ABC: Nonresidential Construction Spending Increases by a Modest 0.8% in July

National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.8% in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

| Sep 1, 2022

The University of Iowa opens the new Stanley Museum of Art, a public museum for both discovering and teaching art

The University of Iowa recently completed its new Stanley Museum of Art, a public teaching museum designed by BNIM.

| Aug 31, 2022

A mixed-use development in Salt Lake City provides 126 micro units with mountain views

In Salt Lake City, a new 130,000-square-foot development called Mya and The Shop SLC, designed by EskewDumezRipple, combines housing with coworking space, retail, and amenities, as well as a landscaped exterior for both residents and the public. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Urban Planning

The magic of L.A.’s Melrose Mile

Great streets are generally not initially curated or willed into being. Rather, they emerge organically from unintentional synergies of commercial, business, cultural and economic drivers. L.A.’s Melrose Avenue is a prime example. 


Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 

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