Newport Lofts
www.constructionreviews.com
GOLD MEDAL AWARD WINNER
The Building of America
Las Vegas, Nevada
Facts & Figures Owners/Developers: Cherry
Newport Lofts
Development; Seegmiller Partners LLC Type of Project: A new high-rise condominium tower Size: 447,736 square feet Cost: $104 million (total)
Rising 335 feet above the Arts District of Las Vegas, Newport Lofts
Construction Time: June 2005
residential condominiums have a
- October 2007
unique take on living luxuriously.
The Need: High-rise residential condominiums as part of the city’s revitalization
The high rise includes 168 highend urban lofts, complete with
The Challenge: Building on the
concierge service, ground-floor
tight, half-acre site, and staying
retail and a 24-hour doorman. The
on budget despite rising construction costs
penthouse level has a total of 12 two-story penthouse units, emitting a revamped urban feel. The first six floors are reserved for secured parking, with residential units beginning on the eighth floor, 100 feet off the ground, giving light to brilliant views regardless of where you’re living. High above the commotion of the city sits a rooftop amenities deck, offering residents and guests a state-of-the-art fitness center with a running track; a swimming pool and Jacuzzi; spa facilities; a clubhouse with billiards; and a lounge
Gold Medal Award-winning Team Members OTL Consulting Owner’s Representative WPH Architecture Inc. Architect
and movie room. On the rooftop, residents and guests are treated to a stunning view of the mountains and the Las Vegas strip. The site for Newport Lofts was chosen based on the current and
Breslin Builders General Contractor
major renovation that Las Vegas is
Helix Electric Electrical Contractor
the building, and the atmosphere
ers, served as the project man-
extreme coordination from all team
in this specific district is one of
ager for Newport Lofts. “As part
members on board.
vibrancy and livelihood; the perfect
of the downtown redevelopment
Since there were no height
place for a high-density, sophisti-
plan, the usual zoning codes were
limitations, the team built the
cated new residential high rise.
more lenient,” he said, regard-
parking garage above ground
Photo courtesy of Breslin Builders
undergoing. Art galleries surround
ing the chosen location for the
as
Builders, the project’s general con-
Jack Breslin, president of Breslin
project.
overlay
saving money and construction
tractor, said the high rise “is breath-
was through part of downtown,
time as well as a long walk to their
ing new life into an area that had
and
cars for residents.
been declining and deteriorating
where we decided to build. That’s
over the past few decades.” The
where the zone specifies that
task,
building offers locals and visitors a
there
tradesman struggled with space and
paramount living space, whether
back requirements.”
“The
within
are
no
zoning that
zone
height
or
was
set-
opposed
The
to
garage
below
was
however,
no and
grade,
small each
technique. “The parking garage on
they wish to make it a home or just
“It’s really unique in Nevada
the postage stamp parcel was dif-
come to escape for a few nights
to have 23 stories on half an
ficult,” Cherry said. After objective
out of the year.
acre,” said Sam Cherry, CEO of
planning, the architectural team
Rocky Derrick, vice president for
Cherry Development, one of the
was “able to create a spiral garage
Seegmiller Partners LLC, one of
project’s owners/developers. The
and still make things comfortable,”
the
tight
he added.
project’s
owners/develop-
building
space
required
continued on page 6
arizona/nevada edition
gold medal award winner
The Owner’s Perspective with Rocky Derrick, Vice President of Development for Seegmiller Partners LLC and Sam Cherry, CEO, Cherry Development Q: What is the most unique or important feature of the facility (or of the design/construction process)? RD: We have 168 units on less than half an acre (.48 of an acre). For such a small piece of property, it is extremely dense to have 168 units, especially in the West. Most families have houses on half an acre. This is the densest project ever, for the site that it’s built on. Most projects of this scale are on a couple of acres. It took a lot of coordination from the design side to construct this high rise. Q: What is the most innovative aspect of the project (or of the design/construction process, financing, environmental)? What could others learn from? RD: The rooftop amenities deck. Most buildings put it on top of a parking structure, three or four stories off the ground. Since we have limited space, we put it 320 feet in the air, looking out at the Vegas strip. It’s very unique and very dramatic — there’s probably no other structure like it in the country.
Photo courtesy of Seegmiller Partners
Q: In all your experiences as an owner, what were some of the best lessons you have learned? RD: Cost. Hire the best contractor, consultants and architect that you can. That really makes or breaks the project. You may pay more up front, but ultimately you’ll have less problems. The importance of building the right team is essential. Keep in mind that building is always going to take longer and you are going to spend more money than you think. Leave plenty of cushion for cost overruns and delays, and make sure that you have made conservative estimates.
Seegmiller Partners LLC 100 Bayview, Ste. 4200 • Newport Beach, CA 92660 • 949-225-3939 • www.seegmillerpartners.com
Q: What is the most innovative aspect of the project (or of the design/construction process, financing, environmental)? SC: What could others learn from? The daily coordination of the consultants that go on for three years is phenomenal. It’s really important to have a great team assembled. If one person is not up to speed, everybody suffers. We were fortunate to have that. Q: Were there any innovative strategies involving improved quality, cost-effectiveness or cost reductions? SC: Very much so. In a market where construction costs at the time were going up at one percent a month, we were able to pre-purchase steel, contract and finish some work items that helped us stay on budget. Q: If another owner was about to commence work on a similar project, what advice would you Photo courtesy of Cherry Development
offer from your experiences that he/she may not be aware of? SC: Keep a contingency that only you as the owner know about for those unforeseen issues that come up. The banks mandate a contingency, however, everybody tries to go into it skinny and at the end of the project when all the expenses start to glow, it’s nice to have a little cushion.
Cherry Development 714 S. 4th St. • Las Vegas, NV 89101 • 702-309-5985 • www.cherry-development.com
The Architect’s Perspective with Doug Walton, AIA, NCARB, Principal, WPH Architecture Inc. Q: Describe the project in relative detail, incorporating what you think makes the project unique, innovative, important or sets it apart. How does the design complement the overall mission of the facility/owner? DW: The project is a residential high-rise tower with 168 condominium units, 196 parking spaces, rooftop openspace amenities and ground-floor retail on .48 acres in downtown Las Vegas. The challenge was to efficiently address the program requirements within an extremely restricted footprint. Q: What were some of the drivers behind the design? What design materials or concepts were used? DW: The building was conceived with a parking garage on a continuous spiral around a central elevator/stair core to minimize garage height and maximize number of spaces. The units were organized around a loop corridor system to take advantage of exterior views. Unit layouts were repetitious vertically to avoid costly horizontal utility transfers from floor to floor. The top of the building (amenity deck) became common space for all homeowners consisting of a clubhouse, exercise facility, outdoor walking track, outdoor pool and spa. The amenity deck was accentuated by a space frame that became the signature roof element for the architecture of the building. Q: What were the greatest challenges encountered on this project, either from your firm’s point of view or as a project team? DW: Wildly escalating costs in the Las Vegas area were a concern at the onset of the project. From a careful comparison of steel versus concrete versus erection time versus vertical skin costs, it was determined that a steel superstructure was most efficient. The steel package was purchased during the preparation of the documents to offset continuous cost escalations at the time.
Photo courtesy of WPH Architecture Inc.
WPH Architecture Inc. 6625 S. Valley View Blvd. 300 • Las Vegas, NV 89118 • 702-891-5201 • www.wphinc.com
The General Contractor’s Perspective with Jack Breslin, President, Breslin Builders Q: What is the most innovative aspect of the project (or of the design/construction process)? What could other owners learn from for their future projects? JB: Upon request to the City of Las Vegas Public Works Department, and with their approval, we were able to close Hoover Avenue between Casino Center Boulevard and Third Street, as well as one lane on Casino Center, to facilitate construction. Staging was completed at various parcels in the area, which required accurate coordination between Breslin Builders and subcontractors to ensure all parties would have the space needed during their construction efforts. Due to the “zero lot line” requirements, the tower crane was placed in the right-of-way of Hoover during construction, and a concrete base was poured above the street surface allowing for complete removal of the crane foundation prior to the street reopening for traffic. Q: How did you work with the architect and owner to save time and/or money on the project? How was value engineering applied to your responsibility? JB: Breslin Builders met on a weekly basis with the owner, the architect (WPH Architecture Inc.) and their consultants Photo courtesy of Breslin Builders
to review the project as a whole and the systems being implemented into it. Breslin Builders provided input on cost impacts, constructability, sequencing, value engineering, etc. throughout the design processes to help eliminate some of the typical issues during the construction phase. Additionally, periodic project pricing was completed to allow the project ownership [to] know the anticipated construction costs for their use in the marketing and unit sales pricing. This ensured sales pricing was in line with the owner’s performance requirements for the overall project.
Breslin Builders 5525 Polaris Ave., Ste. B • Las Vegas, NV 89118 • 702-798-3977 • www.breslinbuilders.com
continued from page 2
According to Doug Walton,
exterior views, he said. “Unit lay-
frame that provides a clear, 360-
According to Derrick, an exterior
AIA, NCARB, principal for WPH
outs were repetitious vertically to
degree view of the Las Vegas sky-
insulation finish system (EIFS) was
Architecture
proj-
avoid costly horizontal utility trans-
line,” he said.
used for the exterior skin on the
ect’s architect, the building was
fers from floor to floor. The amenity
Inside the building, exposed con-
outside of the building, versus all
conceived with the parking garage
deck was accentuated by a space
crete floors give the spaces a “loft
glass. “It was cost-effective, but we
on a continuous spiral around a
frame that became the signature
feel,” while interior unit doors and
still provided enough windows and
central elevator/stair core to both
roof element for the architecture of
cabinetry are European designed
sliding glass doors and had a lot of
minimize the garage’s height and
the building.”
and enhance the “uniqueness of
natural light,” he said.
Inc.,
the
maximize the number of spaces
Breslin agreed that this was the
this high-rise project,” said Breslin.
achieved. The residential units were
jewel that topped Newport Lofts.
To save time on construction,
costs at the time were going up at
“In a market where construction
then organized around a loop cor-
“The crown of the building is an
the team decided to use a steel
one percent a month,” said Cherry,
ridor system to take advantage of
open-web tubular section space-
superstructure instead of concrete.
“we were able to pre-purchase
Photos courtesy of Breslin Builders
arizona/nevada edition
gold medal award winner
steel,” and that helped the project
things: managed to expedite con-
stay on budget.
struction time, as well as cut costs,”
Indeed, wildly escalating costs in
he said.
the Las Vegas area were of concern
Challenges can be expected for
from the beginning, said Walton.
any project of this magnitude, but
However, the rising costs were
that didn’t stop Newport Lofts from
offset by meticulous planning and
becoming a structurally defying res-
preparation and careful comparison
idential high rise.
of materials.
“It was the project team that
Helix Electric was involved in
made the project what it was,”
this project from conceptual design,
said Derrick. “The architects were
working with the general contrac-
amiable and really creative, think-
tor, architect and owner from the
ing outside the box; they were able
start. Helix did all the electrical and
to fit all the parking spaces in six
low-voltage work for this project,
stories of the building. [They were]
including data, communications
very imaginative with design issues.
and security. Victor Fuchs, president
The consultants, architect and con-
of Helix Electric, said his company
tractor made the project what it is
was well-suited for this project and
and what it turned out to be. It was
was a major player throughout the
really a team effort.”
building process. “Because of our
Now, Newport Lofts has become
experience in high-rise residential
a grand addition to the Las
construction, we were able to bring
Vegas strip. n
a lot of ideas that have done two
―— Megan Merritt
Photos courtesy of Breslin Builders
gold medal award winner
arizona/nevada edition
24445 Northwestern Hwy. Ste. 218 • Southfield, MI 48075 • 248-945-4700 • fax: 248-945-4701 • www.constructionreviews.com