Elegantly curved stainless steel metal fabric panels from Cambridge Architectural provide a stylish, flowing façade between the convention center and spa at the new Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
The Aria is the centerpiece of the brand new CityCenter Las Vegas urban resort development – the largest privately funded construction project in the history of the United States. Everything about CityCenter is large and lavish, making it a spectacle of modern, innovative architecture. As a result, every single building element in the complex is highly refined and ambitiously designed – including Cambridge’s architectural mesh façade system along Frank Sinatra Boulevard.
The Cambridge Architectural façade smoothly undulates along the podium structure, dressing exterior walls and screening the pool deck’s exit stairway. The visual result is a dramatically draped mesh exterior that shines brilliantly during the day and produces a rich luster from projected light at night – perfect for luxurious Las Vegas.
“We chose Cambridge’s stainless steel mesh system for the podium façade because of the unique shape it could produce, and because the material’s scrim-like properties created a beautiful and elegant shimmer,” says Peter Follett, Senior Associate with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the architect of the project.
Although the main attraction of Cambridge’s façade is certainly its aesthetic, there were also functional issues that needed to be addressed and operational demands that the Aria Resort & Casino’s exterior needed to meet. For example, when screening the pool deck’s exit stairway, the architects needed a material that was able to veil the area without closing it off. Building codes required that the façade contain a certain percentage of open space. The inherent nature of Cambridge’s architectural mesh is open yet closed, so the material naturally met these requirements. Additionally, Cambridge’s metal fabric façade provides ventilation, fall protection, unmatched durability, is made from recyclable materials and is 100% recyclable. These characteristics are found in all Cambridge façade systems, making them one of the most versatile exterior building elements available.
“It’s quite an honor to contribute our product and our design to CityCenter Las Vegas,” says Heather Collins, Director of Marketing for Cambridge Architectural. “This development brings together the best of the best in architecture, and we’re proud of the fact that our material and our system is part of something so special and so visually astounding.”
Cambridge is committed to assisting the design and construction team from initial concept to final installation on each and every project. For the Aria Resort & Casino, Cambridge specifically engineered a façade system for the building’s exterior to assure a streamlined installation and a look that complemented the architect’s overall design concept. In fact, Cambridge actually worked with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects to create a brand new mesh pattern just for this project. The new pattern, Pellican, was named in honor of the firm.
“It was great working with Cambridge,” says Peter Follett. “They were very willing to help us develop the right mesh pattern and the right density, adjusting their metal fabric system to facilitate the exact design we wanted.”
Cambridge’s Eclipse tension attachment hardware was used to install the Pellican product. Tailored edges are provided for expanses of flexible metal fabric in tension. Elegant, custom cut apertures receive the metal fabric ends in tubing that is integrated into a bracket and structural support design. Tube sizes may vary to emphasize or de-emphasize the attachment. The Eclipse hardware is appropriate for lengths of metal fabric held in tension up to 100 feet.
After extensive research and development, Cambridge’s engineering team was able to modify their Eclipse attachment so that it would curve laterally – a breakthrough in architectural mesh system design. By successfully curving the Eclipse attachment tubes, the team was able to create stunning and dynamic curved metal fabric panels. The result is a first-of-its-kind façade that brings depth to the structure’s exterior and gives the impression of movement.
Construction on the Aria Resort & Casino façade was completed in Fall 2009. The project team consists of architect Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, New Haven, CT and general contractor Perini Building Company, Henderson, NV.