Las Vegas Springs Preserve Visitor Center has earned national recognition in the 2008 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program, sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction.
The Springs Preserve Visitor Center project was a Merit Winner in the category of Projects $15 million to $75 million, making it one of only three around the country to earn an award in this classification. Each project is judged on its use of structural steel, with an emphasis on creative solutions to project requirements; design innovation; aesthetic and visual impact of the project; innovative use of architecturally exposed structural steel; technical or architectural advances in the use of steel; the use of innovative design and construction methods; and sustainable design.
Project team members include architecture firm Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects, Henderson, NV; owner/developer Las Vegas Valley Water District, Las Vegas, NV; structural engineer, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P., New York, NY; MEP Engineers, JBA Consulting Engineers, Las Vegas, NV; structural steel fabricators SME Steel Contractors Inc., West Jordan, UT, an AISC member, AISC certified fabricator and SME subsidiary; Southwest Steel LLC, Henderson, NV, an AISC member; and general contractor J.A. Tiberti / Whiting Turner (joint venture), Las Vegas, NV.
The Visitor Center at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve is an interactive environment drawing on the history of the site and surrounding Mojave Desert context. The facility utilizes sustainable, regional, durable, and recyclable materials including native stone walls, weathered steel siding and energy efficient glass. As the Visitor Center is composed entirely of exposed steel, concrete and masonry structural systems, the contributions of the structural engineer were vital in achieving the project's sustainability goals and helped the facility achieve LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
