PROJECT
hvac
Fan-Coil Units Integral In Hotel Renovation Simple installation was a key element in a $415-million renovation that resulted in the new SLS Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
L
ocated in one of the most storied spots on the Las Vegas strip, the SLS Hotel & Casino opened in August 2014 to much anticipation and excitement. The site, formerly the Sahara Hotel and Casino,
was purchased in 2007 by SBE Entertainment Group, Los Angeles, and Stockbridge Real Estate Group, San Francisco, followed by the official closing of the Sahara in May 2011. With plans for a $415-million renovation as part of SBE’s chain of SLS hotels, the new owners officially broke ground on the SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on February 14, 2013. Once a hot spot for “Rat Pack” happenings, the former Sahara was host to the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, and Louis Prima. It had also served as the location for Vegas-themed movies and events such as the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Thus, throughout the renovation, SBE placed significant emphasis on combining modern comfort and convenience with design and style befitting the location’s notable and star-studded history. With guest rooms and restaurants designed by the renowned Philippe Starck, in collaboration with architect-at-large Gensler, Las Vegas, virtually every inch of the new property was planned to convey sophistication, elegance, and excitement. Additionally, SBE emphasized the importance of ensuring the highest level of efficiency across the property’s back-of-house operations. This included evaluating its existing mechanical systems to determine which upgrades and replacements would be necessary during the renovation. “We were dealing with a situation in which equipment was in various lifecycle stages, because the property encompasses buildings constructed from the early 1950s all the way up to the 1980s,” explained Tony Foti, SLS director of engineering and safety. “While some of the older areas had undergone renovations in recent years, others, which were part of expansions in the last couple of decades, were in more urgent need of upgrades.” The HVAC system upgrade solution was particularly varied in the three existing guestroom high-rises on the property—which would be renamed the World, Story, and Lux towers. “In the Story and Lux towers, we took everything down to the foundational concrete and, therefore, a complete replacement of all mechanical systems was necessary,” said Foti. SBE engaged Southland Industries, Las Vegas, to design and oversee the property’s entire mechanical-system project, including upgrades or maintenance to all HVAC, plumbing, and fire-protection systems. “With bold plans for the renovation, SBE still wanted to be smart about using existing elements of the mechanical infrastructure wherever possible,” said Danny Boh, project manager at Southland Industries. “SBE also had an aggressive timeline and strict budget for the project, which meant there was little room for error in making these decisions.”
INSTALLING NEW, RENOVATING OLD
Southland technicians and managers began by conducting a thorough field investigation of the property’s existing systems to determine which parts could be integrated into the new mechanical-system plan. During that evaluation, it was also decided that the existing fan coils in the guestrooms of the World tower would remain. A total of 623 vertical-stack and horizontal (MPY and CPY series) fanOut of a $415-million renovation of the historic Sahara Hotel property in Las Vegas emerged the SLS Hotel & Casino. Part of the renovation was guest-room fan-coil units from IEC.
coil units from IEC International Environmental, Oklahoma City, in a capacity range of 400, 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,200 cfm, were specified for the Story and Lux guest towers, while an additional 1,265 units were evaluated for maintenance and would remain in operation in the World guest tower. General demolition began on the guestroom tower-renovation portion of the project in June 2013.
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COMMERCI A L BUIL DING P RODUC T S
JUL/AUG 2015
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