Graduate Project Book

Year 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

JAN 1170.95 1182.31 1165.09 1162.67 1153.56 1190.98 1131.74 1089.83 1132.24 1133.42 1132.07 1140.46 1153.65 1152.87 1162.27 1172.75 1180.14 1178.74 1180.93 1193.01 1186.09 1198.83 1198.99 1203.58 1201.15 1206.83 1209.82 1206.95 1201.59 1210.23 1211.17 1201.40 1191.00 1179.39 1177.25 1183.64 1190.09 1180.37 1193.45 1195.63 1214.40 1212.89 1214.26 1197.27 1177.94 1153.33 1140.39 1137.40 1139.46 1129.55 1116.46 1111.78 1100.02

FEB 1168.56 1182.03 1163.78 1160.75 1156.51 1189.67 1128.40 1090.63 1133.05 1133.31 1132.54 1140.67 1153.32 1150.40 1160.94 1174.73 1178.08 1178.38 1182.90 1191.98 1187.62 1202.61 1204.13 1204.31 1202.39 1210.25 1207.67 1206.68 1202.72 1210.58 1211.70 1202.49 1191.75 1180.06 1179.42 1189.88 1190.97 1182.58 1193.81 1196.51 1214.05 1213.30 1213.79 1196.62 1176.50 1154.42 1140.11 1143.25 1141.20 1129.35 1116.93 1111.43 1103.21

MAR 1163.64 1176.60 1164.26 1156.19 1154.69 1185.07 1123.85 1088.31 1132.24 1131.65 1132.79 1139.34 1151.06 1148.29 1156.12 1178.78 1174.95 1177.13 1181.25 1189.01 1188.44 1201.04 1202.87 1202.15 1201.02 1211.59 1206.05 1206.43 1202.45 1208.57 1210.74 1200.28 1189.56 1179.31 1180.31 1193.46 1188.51 1182.27 1193.81 1199.10 1214.26 1211.75 1211.33 1194.68 1172.06 1153.09 1138.70 1147.66 1139.48 1125.79 1115.65 1107.40 1100.66

APR 1164.61 1172.83 1169.94 1153.56 1165.75 1179.06 1123.41 1094.57 1132.15 1131.72 1134.15 1140.79 1150.80 1148.63 1154.74 1186.14 1171.35 1174.18 1179.68 1183.10 1186.14 1200.01 1201.94 1198.44 1198.30 1211.26 1205.91 1206.16 1204.78 1207.67 1208.36 1197.35 1186.89 1177.80 1179.78 1193.04 1184.94 1179.68 1192.75 1200.01 1212.74 1208.80 1208.78 1190.76 1167.49 1148.27 1134.98 1144.45 1135.94 1120.69 1110.61 1101.26 1098.00

MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV 1185.52 1205.43 1203.39 1198.97 1195.57 1192.45 1189.59 1172.59 1179.84 1179.27 1175.65 1171.13 1169.35 1168.85 1175.09 1183.71 1181.32 1175.25 1170.36 1168.47 1167.46 1154.45 1161.19 1157.62 1154.05 1153.74 1155.15 1155.22 1185.56 1198.17 1203.98 1200.87 1197.64 1196.65 1195.05 1172.43 1167.16 1160.27 1153.88 1149.04 1144.99 1141.50 1119.32 1112.47 1103.84 1098.58 1093.49 1090.12 1089.02 1110.08 1125.69 1124.33 1124.32 1124.79 1125.90 1127.93 1133.07 1132.70 1130.32 1128.21 1127.59 1128.42 1129.72 1131.49 1130.40 1128.81 1128.44 1130.20 1128.67 1127.71 1135.18 1136.23 1136.76 1136.89 1136.44 1137.46 1139.05 1141.26 1141.79 1143.32 1145.31 1146.86 1147.22 1149.71 1150.87 1150.73 1150.53 1151.33 1152.58 1151.77 1151.75 1149.06 1149.85 1151.22 1152.85 1153.61 1154.40 1156.84 1154.35 1154.60 1154.84 1156.28 1158.49 1161.59 1163.82 Luke Ivers 5561182.28 Design Project Manual 1185.93 1186.34Arch 1184.89 1180.26 1179.47 1178.70 1169.68 1169.60 1171.87 1173.30 1173.99 1173.83 1175.67 1173.66 1174.48 1176.97 1178.16 1180.10 1180.41 1179.64 1180.39 1180.47 1179.85 1177.84 1179.40 1182.16 1185.94 1179.83 1176.16 1175.34 1177.27 1180.48 1180.36 1179.29 1184.58 1184.76 1183.31 1183.74 1185.43 1186.69 1188.73 1197.55 1195.50 1194.86 1195.71 1195.30 1195.12 1196.64 1199.93 1202.27 1204.65 1204.58 1204.92 1203.21 1203.68 1196.22 1193.70 1192.88 1192.78 1192.67 1194.11 1195.42 1196.93 1196.42 1196.48 1197.39 1198.96 1201.06 1204.76 1212.33 1220.27 1225.44 1222.17 1218.21 1215.32 1213.38 1209.74 1212.17 1212.92 1211.40 1210.06 1208.63 1208.29 1209.83 1214.25 1213.95 1212.79 1213.14 1211.16 1208.76 1208.16 1210.13 1207.14 1207.52 1208.83 1208.70 1209.77 1205.99 1206.60 1207.80 1209.56 1209.79 1208.69 1210.05 1206.23 1203.18 1201.43 1199.57 1199.16 1199.15 1199.46 1192.59 1190.40 1189.72 1189.40 1190.22 1189.55 1189.02 1183.93 1182.06 1179.49 1178.82 1180.02 1178.90 1178.54 1175.92 1174.67 1173.29 1172.92 1173.01 1171.73 1171.82 1177.31 1175.07 1173.92 1173.59 1174.44 1174.68 1175.45 1190.27 1188.27 1187.20 1188.41 1189.15 1188.05 1188.45 1181.64 1179.42 1178.97 1178.24 1178.40 1177.80 1175.67 1178.33 1179.03 1180.75 1181.70 1184.28 1186.12 1189.65 1191.26 1190.43 1190.26 1190.02 1190.84 1191.56 1192.71 1199.96 1202.32 1203.49 1204.52 1205.81 1209.64 1212.80 1211.59 1211.83 1212.43 1214.30 1214.78 1215.76 1214.79 1207.37 1206.40 1207.28 1208.74 1211.29 1212.11 1212.58 1207.67 1204.09 1199.97 1196.66 1196.72 1196.66 1196.45 1187.32 1183.12 1180.78 1179.97 1177.96 1178.03 1177.22 1162.39 1160.19 1157.57 1156.42 1155.42 1154.89 1153.30 1144.68 1143.19 1141.93 1143.27 1142.12 1141.17 1139.48 1129.70 1126.93 1125.73 1126.67 1125.86 1127.43 1130.13 1141.89 1140.46 1139.01 1139.61 1138.36 1137.01 1135.27 1131.14 1128.26 1126.42 1126.54 1125.36 1126.13 1126.63 1115.89 1113.50 1111.58 1111.84 1111.06 1110.95 1111.22 1107.05 1104.98 1104.42 1105.13 1105.76 1107.94 1107.33 1096.92 1095.26 1094.20 1093.73 1093.68 1093.26 1093.52 1094.30 1089.30 1086.97 1086.91 1083.81 1082.36 1081.94

SUSTAINABLE HEDONISM #whatgrowsinvegasstaysinvegas

DEC 1185.85 1167.28 1165.12 1154.64 1193.12 1136.93 1088.14 1129.74 1132.05 1129.84 1139.65 1152.50 1152.95 1160.13 1168.35 1176.92 1176.80 1179.63 1187.87 1180.82 1193.31 1197.97 1202.88 1198.28 1208.37 1212.33 1207.90 1205.49 1210.39 1211.03 1199.75 1189.80 1177.89 1173.44 1176.86 1188.75 1176.55 1190.92 1194.38 1214.64 1212.53 1213.94 1196.12 1177.37 1152.13 1139.12 1130.01 1137.52 1128.12 1114.81 1110.97 1096.30 1086.30

2

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

CONTENTS Sustainable Hedonism

problem Abstract

1

Modern Concepts

2

Installation Water Problem

4 6

Agriculture

16

Las Vegas

14

Site Analysis

28

Program

50

Client

51

Financial Feasibility

52

Master Plan

58

Public Market

60

Design Process

62

Precedent Studies

68

Conceptual Diagrams

72

Parametric Design

80

Technical Drawings

82

Renderings

96

Physical Model

122

Project Summary

136

Bibliography

138

speculation

resolution

Luke J Ivers

3

#RehydratingVegas

Abstract Over the past six million years, the Colorado River has carved through almost 2 billion years of the earth’s geological history creating the Grand Canyon. However, since the mid 20th century, intensive water consumption has dewatered the lower course of the river so much that it no longer reaches the sea except in years of heavy runoff. The alarming reality is that this vast river that has existed far beyond the existence of humankind may vanish within a century of modern human consumption.

The Colorado River reservoir at Lake Mead is the source of over ninety percent of Las Vegas’ water supply. Las Vegas is a desert city. Without energy and water it would cease to exist.

With the creation of modern technology in the 20th century, it has provided Las Vegas with the resources to proliferate. Today, it exists as an artifical oasis in the desert. However with the decrease of water from Lake Mead, Las vegas lies under threat of a shortage of water and hydroelectric power - which it is dependent upon. It is projected that by 2017 the water in Lake Mead will be too low to produce hydro- electricity. Furthermore it is projected that by 2021 that Lake Mead will be empty thus putting Las Vegas in a state of crises which threatens its very existence.

The intent of this manual is to reveal the problems that currently face Las Vegas today.

The problems that face Las Vegas are extremely complex and will require a more holistic approach which may include an investigation beyond architecture and into the ecological, political, and social realms.

The overall goal of this thesis is to envision Las Vegas a self reliant city and community. Self reliant meaning a self contained eco system which is not reliant on outsourced resources which include food, water, and power. This also includes becoming less reliant on modern technology for its solution i.e. Solar panels, wind turbines, hydro electricity etc. Instead of relying on active systems, the project seeks to find potential opportunities through employing passive design strategies.

2

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

MODERN CONCEPTS Sustainable Hedonism

Modernity To be modern is to be part of a universe in which, as Marx said, “all that is solid melts into the air”. This statement sums up the essential theme in modernity. Previous to modernity was a world (primarily in western civilization) that stood on dogmatic moral values that were believed to be self evident universal truths, somewhat analogous to classical architecture where certain styles and forms where believed to be the “most pure”. Modernism no longer seeks these types “Platonic answers”. What appears to be solid or an absolute truth is an illusion of reality.

Architecture that seeks finalized answers for architectural problems is a naïve process, and will probably lead to unexpected disappointments. The moral imperative for design should be an iterative process that works on multiples solutions and outcomes which is then evaluated. It’s a process of trial and error, and it accepts contradiction and physically manifests the gap that exists between desire and outcome. As a designer, one is not outside the thing they make; one forms a part of it, and with it, he/she changes it.

A modernist’s view of reality is one of flux and fluidity. This is a perspective that see’s no absolute answers. There isn’t an intrinsic good or evil in the world as those expressed in earlier medieval theology, rather meaning is created by an infinite and diverse set of relationships between various entities that make up the world; and these meanings are bound to change over time because the relationships between other entities also evolve. For example, in architecture, a building shouldn’t be critiqued as being “good” or “bad” in-it-self because that would be merely a critique on style which is one’s preconceived opinion of it. However, when it’s placed in a context of a world i.e. A particular city with a certain social structure, economy, natural resources, religious beliefs, values, and all the other things that are embedded into that culture, then a building can be more properly critiqued and evaluated.

In respect to parametric design, they are digital tools used by humans to aid the design process. These tools are largely used in design and construction fields because of its speed and efficiency but they offer a vast field of new possibilities such as complex forms and algorithm generated designs. But as stated above, a thing in-it-self (i.e. Grasshopper) cannot be simply evaluated as “morally right or wrong”. Rather it is the relationship to other entities that are affected by it which involves a myriad of other influences. In short, there is much potential and unexplored territory in these new software programs such as Grasshopper, which can offer positive affects in the world, but they can easily become abused and create negative affects e.g. used for mere efficiency along with lack of design sensibility for its environment.

In design, particularly architecture, the “moral attributes of technique” would likewise follow a similar process.

Understanding the processes in evolution can be informative to the architecture design process, in that it lays the basic parameters for a “better” design. And “better” doesn’t mean to say that the future will necessarily bring a better species (i.e. The human species of the future will be better than humans that lived 10,000 years ago) but a design that is able to adapt to changes in its habitat thus allowing for the survival of that particular species.

How these ideas will manifest itself in my thesis project is still unclear but it’s lending itself towards the concept of dilemmas and contradictions. For example, humans are dependent on nature to provide the materials for their consumption, and they have much concern for the health of the planet, which sets them into an uneasy contradiction and dilemma. I’m interested in researching desert cities such as Dubai and Las Vegas, which is largely dependent on a natural resource that is quickly becoming depleted, will adapt and transform when a resource such as water has run out. How will these affect world economies, capitalism, transportation, food, jobs, human population, and all the things that directly or indirectly affected by water?

Luke J Ivers

3

#RehydratingVegas

Space & Time In modernity there lies an abundance of freedom that wasn’t Luke Ivers permitted by religious dogma a century ago. However, Arch 510 Essay 4there isn’t a universal truth giving with this vast openness, 9.18.12 guidance or direction which at times is a frightening feeling.

What is the right way to live in a universe that, more than likely, doesn’t even Levi’s recognize humanities existence? The Advertisement Director: Michel Gondry “right” way to live loses meaning Total it Duration: 1 min.in33this sec perspective.

0 seconds

10 seconds

Sequence composed of 58 different camera angles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj6G1C6c0uw Western thinking which values rationality (reason) has difficulty in providingThemeaningful answers to this question. advertisement takes place in a small town during the Rationality is in essence binaryThelogic or “syllogisms” inof a great depression. first scene begins with a shot dilapidated shed quickly shifts to the “logic” point of view Aristotelian terms. Syllogisms or which in laymen’s terms is of the person driving the truck. All that is audible is an eerie a tool for rhetoric andsoundtrack. arguments, but certainly the from bestdifferA variety of different shotsisn’t are taken camera angles which help sense of speed, tool for non-formal ent arguments because it create is tooa abstract. chaos, and a lack of control from the viewers perspective.

Fear and sexual appeal (i.e for 4 Within the first television 15 seconds ofcommercials) the ad there are already of a train passing by, butapproach it’s not clear why example is a muchdifferent moreshots natural/instinctive in this motif is relevant to the overall content of the message. providing the illusion of a “meaningful way to live” for the common man.

The camera begins to make more transitions, around every two seconds. The driver pulls into a drugstore and gets out In human’s experience/perception space and time, it of the truck. The cameraof shows an image of what one would presume to be it a young man wearing blue jeans and isn’t steady intervals, rather, expands and contracts He walks up to the store and peaks in through e.g. sleeping, daysuspenders. dreaming, playing video games, the window and see’s a couple women and a store clerk. He drinking, etc. In general, humans are bias and believe proceeds to go inside. He makes eye contact and communicates something to theand store time clerk but inaudible (the adverthat their understanding of space isitsthe “correct” tisement has no sound other than a dark/eerie soundtrack interpretation. Humans look this type of The overlaidshould with some type beyond of techno/electronic music). store clerk goesempathy to get an item of the shelf (presumably what thinking. Rather, it should seek and understanding the young adult asked for) and returns with a packet of of others. If humans canThe look a packet “Western” or into condoms. youngbeyond man slips the of condoms right watch of his jeans. middle age way conserva“Eastern” view of thetheworld andpocket not view it as A“the right tive mother looks at him with judging eyes. Another young to live”, but as difference, then empathy and understanding female gives him a warm smile. He proceeds to leave the can become more highly valued drugstore.

As he in exitshumanity. the building, another camera shot captures a train roaring by the store (one might start to suspect a sense of Freudian phallus here).

20 seconds

30 seconds

Conclusion

acter knocks on the door. Before anyone can answer the

40 seconds

me expands

Meanwhile the camerain captures a variety of of different shots The competition for resources a world seven from the point of view of the driver. The images tend to be billion people is problematic, and in its current state, is isolated and obscure which further amplifies the ambiguity unsustainable. This ofproject intends to examine this paradox the message.

The man behind the wheel drives out into the countrythirst side where suddenly transitions day to of humans unquenchable for itresources, and from at the night. Again, a locomotive comes steaming by which is same time, it’s desire of sustainability.

I’m looking to discover recorded in three different camera angles. The music soundtrack to pick up the beatpeople thus eliciting more a mechanism that can drivebegins change in the way view energy and emotion to the viewer. The camera transitions power, control, ownership, material and monetary wealth, speed up making it difficult for the viewer to understand the as not being the only means of a “successful” Possibly content of the images (the average shot life. transition is less than one second at this point). Also notice how the variety a world or architecture that is understood as “shared” and of shots expands between 70 sec - 80 sec in the diagram on ownership is no longer the premium value; or where the the right. boundaries between public and private are blurred to the point where there isHeno distinction ofatwo. parks his car next to dimly Then, lit house ownership out in the country (giving the impression it’s pretty lateand in thedriving evening). A of resources may no longer be thethat obsession female in a dress walks out onto the second story force of our society.young balcony and smiles at the anonymous male. The male char-

Conceptual Analytic Diagram of a Levi’s Ad

4

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

THESIS INSTALLATION Sustainable Hedonism

DILEMMAS & CONTRADICTIONS

Luke J Ivers

Installation Media: Glass, Plastic, Water, hamster, goldfish, paper, text

Humans are dependent on nature to provide the materials for their consumption, and at the same time, they have a strong concern for the health of the planet. This sets them into an uneasy contradiction and dilemma.

Over the past 6 million years, the Colorado River has carved through almost 2 billion years of the earth’s geologic history creating the Grand Canyon. However, since the mid-20th century, intensive water consumption has dewatered the lower course of the river so much that it no longer reaches the sea except in years of heavy runoff. The alarming reality is that this vast river that has existed far beyond the existence of humans may vanish within a century of modern human consumption.

The installation questions cities such as Las Vegas, which is largely dependent on outsourced material such as water.

Too often water shortage is perceived as a human problem, and the solution is to find alternative water sources after the current source has been depleted. This way of looking at the problem overlooks all other facets of life that will be affected by water shortage. This isn’t so much a water problem but an endangered species problem. In sustainable urbanism, the city is given priority. However the city’s consumptive footprint can’t be limited to its physical boundary, rather humans must acknowledge its consumptive footprint extends far into the rural. Mohsen Mostafavi, Architecture Professor at Harvard GSD, says that “The city must be aware of the dynamic relationships, both visible and invisible, that exist among the various domains of a larger terrain of urban as well as rural ecologies.”

5

#RehydratingVegas

“The city, for all its importance, can no longer be thought of only as a physical artifact; instead, we must be aware of the dynamic relationships, both visible and invisible, that exist among the various domains of a larger terrain of urban as well as rural ecologies.”

Mohsen Mostafavi

6

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER SHORTAGE Sustainable Hedonism

According to NOAA’s 2012 report, it’s been more than 50 years since a drought this extensive has afflicted the Lower 48 states. Through the end of June, some 56 percent of the continental U.S. was designated in some form of drought, the largest percentage since December, 1956. Indicators suggest that the 2012 drought is similar to the 1950s drought in extent, pattern, and intensity, although not in duration,” the report said.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2012/6

Over a third of the U.S. was very dry (the driest ten percent of the historical record) during June 2012.

By this measure, this month was the third driest June in the 118-year record. On a statewide basis, June 2012 ranked in the top ten driest Junes for eleven states from the West to Ohio Valley. Wyoming had the driest June in the 1895-2012 record, Colorado and Utah ranked second driest, and Indiana third driest.

In historical context, the Weather Channel writes this is the 10th-largest severe drought since 1895, “but the more severe drought categories don’t cover quite as much land now as did the droughts of 1988 and the early 2000s.”

Water shortage also plays a major factor in energy costs. Energy costs has increased in all of the United States major cities. In some case it has increased as much as 233 percent in Atlanta due to its severe water shortage. In short, water shortage increases energy costs.

Luke J Ivers

7

#RehydratingVegas

1984

Colorado River Water Shortage

2010

The Colorado River supplies water for 30 million people. It is one of the most contested, recreatedupon, and carefully controlled rivers on Earth.

Diverted under peaks, utilized by turbines that create hydropower, and stored by enormous reservoirs, the 1,450-mile-long Colorado faces growing challenges associated with increasing population, declining ecosystems, drought, and expected climate change.

Reduction in mountain snowpack and spring runoff is one of the clearest consequences of global warming in the Continental U.S. Shifting seasons and precipitation patterns, along with greater evaporation in high heat, is already leading to reduction in snowmelt. That results in greater wildfire risk and greater competition for scarcer water.

With millions of people relying on the Colorado directly for drinking water or farm irrigation and after 10 years of drought and rampant suburban sprawl, the Colorado’s reservoirs are at less than 60% of capacity.

The new study is actually more optimistic than one released in February 2008, published in the same journal, which predicted a 50% chance that Lake Mead and Lake Powell -- the two biggest reservoirs, which together account for more than 80% of the river’s stored capacity would dry up by 2021.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/colorado-river-47021303

8

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER & PERCEPTION Sustainable Hedonism

Natural Phenomena Vs Standing Reserve

Http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/freshwater-

Over the past 6 million years, the Colorado River has carved through almost 2 billion years of the earth’s geologic history creating the Grand Canyon. However, since the mid-20th century, intensive water consumption has dewatered the lower course of the river so much that it no longer reaches the sea except in years of heavy runoff. The alarming reality is that this vast river that has existed far beyond the existence of humans may vanish within a century of modern human consumption.

The danger of modern technology and industrialization is that it fundamentally changes the way humans perceive the Colorado River. Rather than seeing the Colorado river as a beautiful ecological system that provides life for everything that surrounds it, it is viewed as a resource to be controlled, dammed, and harvested for human consumption.

Http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?proj_Name=Boulder%20

Where does the water go? In the case of the Colorado River, every drop of water is accounted for from the moment the river cascades down the La Poudre Pass in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. A complex set of agreements known collectively as the “Law of the River” controls precisely how much water each of seven states can take from the main stem of the Colorado and from tributaries upstream of Lees Ferry, Arizona. But a loophole in the law allows some states to draw additional, unregulated water from tributaries below Lees Ferry. Arizona, for example, siphons water from the Salt and Gila Rivers, which are below Lees Ferry and therefore not regulated by the Law of the River.

Luke J Ivers

9

WATER DISTRIBUTION #RehydratingVegas

7%

2.7%

r iv e or 26% ad r

11%

Lake Mead

l

or

Las Vegas

co

30%

C

Los Angeles Colorado River Aquaduct

San Diego

All American Canal

do

ra

o ol

ve Ri

18% 6%

Phoenix Central Arizona Project

Tucson

Approximately 78 percent of the surface water withdrawn from the Colorado River Basin is consumed by agriculture and 22 percent is consumed for municipal and industrial uses. The water available to each Colorado River Basin state is governed by the Law of the River, which includes the Upper Colorado Basin Compact of 1948. This compact allocates 50,000 acre-feet per year to a part of northern Arizona, and splits the remainder-approximately 7.5 mafbetween Colorado (51.75%), New Mexico (22.25%), Utah (23%), and Wyoming (14%). In the Lower Basin, water is allocated by federal law between California (4.4 maf), Arizona (2.8 maf), and Nevada (.3 maf). According to the Arizona v. California U.S. Supreme Court Decision of 1964, tributaries of the Lower Basin are exempt from these allocations, allowing Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico to consume additional water from the tributaries within their states.

In short, all seven states are allocated a certain portion of the Colorado River. In the past, the amount allocated to each State provided an abundant supply of water for both agricultural irrigation and municipal use. However, in the decade, the populations of some of these Southwestern cities including Las Vegas and Phoenix have grown exponentially thus creating a higher demand for water.

Today both Nevada and California have maxed out their legal allocation of water. In the future, the demand for water from the Colorado River will only become more in demand thus creating a legal battle for water rights. One farmer stated “there’s a famous cliche out there and that is ‘water flows to where the money is”.

As Mark Twain said: “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.”

10

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER DIVERSION Sustainable Hedonism

precipitation 80%

20% unused land

The Colorado River originates on the west side of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Eighty percent of the precipitation and snow melt off occurs on the western side of the Rocky Mountains. The problem is that the majority of land and population is on the east side of the rocky mountains which is mostly an arid climate. Transmountain Diversion was a solution to transfer water from the west side of the rockies to the east side for farming irrigation and municipal use.

As water is reallocated to the eastern side of the rockies for farm land, towns begin to form around the agricultural lands. Both the towns and farms are artificially created, in the sense that they would not be able to exist without the massive intervention of the Transmountain diversion.

transmontain diversion 80% -25%

20% +25%

“Modern technology has provided cities the possibility to exist anywhere on the earth, and that is precisely the problem�

Reallocating the water allows for irrigation and agriculture to grow in climates that are naturally unsuitable. With the advent of modern technology and machinery, large scale water diversion projects such as the Transmountain diversion are made possible.

The Transmountain diversion was originally done to help mitigate the droughts that occurred during the dust bowls in the 1930’s, but now more water is being used for both agriculture and municipal uses.

With the growing population on the eastern side of the state and higher demand for agriculture, more and more water is being demanded to be reallocated to the east side of the state.

Luke J Ivers

11

ARTIFICIAL CITIES #RehydratingVegas

With the abundance of reallocated water, agriculture and cities temporarily flourish. The most vital resource for human survival is water and without it neither cities or farms could exist. Many cities in the Southwestern United States exist in this current state.

Cities including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, and Los Angeles exist in a similar scenario where water is artificially diverted and reallocated for a use other than its natural purpose.

Dependence on imported water sources enabled cities such as Los Angeles to grow into the metropolis it is today. About half of Southern California’s supply is still brought in from the delta and the Colorado River. The region spent the past decade dealing with a decrease in its share of Colorado River water. Now authorities say the smelt protection measures are costing the region about one-quarter of the water it imports from the delta, driving up rates for an ever growing population.

Today, literally every drop of the Colorado River is reallocated. The river use to return to the sea but today it runs dry before it can make it to the California Delta. With so many cities being dependent on water from the Colorado river, it sets them up for a possible drought that can be potentially detrimental. UC San Diego Marine Physicist, Tim Barnett says “Today, we are at or beyond the sustainable limit of the Colorado system. The alternative to reasoned solutions to this coming water crisis is a major societal and economic disruption in the desert southwest; something that will affect each of us living in the region”

population growth

drought

“Today, we are at or beyond the sustainable limit of the Colorado system. The alternative to reasoned solutions to this coming water crisis is a major societal and economic disruption in the desert southwest; something that will affect each of us living in the region” Tim Barnett, Marine Physicist UC San Diego

12

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER & ENERGY Sustainable Hedonism

More urban centers mean more of a demand for electricity. For the Upper Basin, that means more water used in extracting oil from the ground to be used for gas for cars or burned in plants for electricity. Most power plants use water as a coolant. The steam from the water is then pressurized and pushed through a turbine, which creates electricity.

In the 2000’s there were over 3800 MW of electricity production from burning coal that were planned as part of several different coal plants in Nevada, which already gets 50% of its power from in state coal plants.

For every foot of elevation lost in Lake Mead (about 100,000 acre feet of water, or enough for 200,000 households)the dam produces 5.7 megawatts less power.

That’s because at lower water pressure, air bubbles flow through with the water, causing the turbines to lose efficiency.

“It was designed as a high-elevation dam,” DiDonato said.

1211 ft - 1086 ft 125 ft = 712 MW

1 MW = 1000 homes x 712= 712,000 homes

New Mexico gets 90% of its power from coal and has plans for 1800 MW more. Utah gets 95% of its energy from coal-fired plants with plans for 750 MW more and Wyoming gets 96% of its power from coal with plans for 1400 MW more. Whether it is a nuclear power, coal, oil, natural gas, or even thermal solar power plant, they all need water as part of the energy production process.

If it’s predicted that by 2017 there will be a 50 percent chance that the reservoir levels will drop too low to allow for hydroelectric power generation, then where will the electricity come from to supply Las Vegas and other cities in the South Western United States?

Luke J Ivers

13

ENERGY & REDUNDANCY #RehydratingVegas

Millions of people in Japan are continuing to adapt to a new reality in which, suddenly, electricity is no longer in ample supply. Before March 2011, electricity had been readily available consistently and continuously, invisibly powering high speed trains, keeping modern conveniences running and urban lights blazing 24 hours a day. Eight months ago, it wasn’t yet common global or even national knowledge that Japan produced 30% of its electricity through nuclear power.

Last summer, the majority of Japan’s nuclear power plants went offline. All Tokyo residents were required to reduce their energy consumption virtually overnight. Such a large and abrupt reduction doesn’t come easily. Everyday activities that presume consistent and abundant supplies of electricity are no longer possible.

The recent news that 80% of Japan’s nuclear reactors are now offline, and the increasing probability that by early 2012, 100% of its reactors will be offline for maintenance, has lead Japanese people to search for fundamentally new and different relationships to their nation’s energy generation and consumption

Power Outage from due to Nuclear Power Plant failure. Tokyo, Japan 2011

Satellite photo of Las Vegas at night http://fopnews.wordpress.com/2011

Reallocating Water = Population Growth = Water Shortage = Power shortage = Economic Failure

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER & AGRICULTURE Sustainable Hedonism

Reallocating the water for agricultural production in desert climates is a major factor in water depletion of the Colorado River. In general, about three quarters of the Colorado River is used for agricultural irrigation. Additionally, farming in a hot and arid climate only exacerbates the problem. More than ninety five percent of the water used for agricultural irrigation is lost through evaporation.

Another problem lies in the business of agriculture.

A major crop production in Nevada and Southern California is alfalfa. The problem with the production of alfalfa is that it demands a large quantity of water for production relative to other crops. Secondly, over seventy percent of the alfalfa grown is used to feed livestock.

Other Factors include: Climate: solar radiation, temperature, humidity, wind Plant: crop type, stage of growth, health Soil moisture content

Luke J Ivers

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#RehydratingVegas

In short, a considerable amount of water from the Colorado River is beings used for agriculture which is producing low cash value crops to feed livestock which then goes to feed humans. Such products include: Dairy products; ice cream, cheese, milk, yogurt, and butter. Dairy cows produce the milk used to make these products. Dairy cows eat about 70% of the alfalfa produced in California.

Grain on the other hand can be used for both human and livestock consumption. These products include: bread, rice, cereal, chicken, and eggs. The benefits of grain is that it’s much less water demanding than crops such as alfalfa.

Calculations for crop water use Seasonal ET of alfalfa = 55 inches of water = 55 acre-inches per acre = 1,500,000 gallons per acre.

Seasonal ET of wheat = 16 inches of water = 16 acre-inches per acre = 435,000 gallons per acre

1,500,000 gallons per acre

water or alfalfa?

1 lb of beef = 534 gallons of water

Are we wasting water growing alfalfa?

16

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER & AGRICULTURE Sustainable Hedonism

COMPARISON OF RURAL AGRICULTURE FOOTPRINT TO LAS VEGAS IN A DESERT CLIMATE SATELLITE IMAGERY FROM GOOGLE EARTH

Eye level 100 miles

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#RehydratingVegas

Around seventy five percent of the water used from the Colorado River is used for farming and irrigation while only fifteen percent is used for municipal use. To further exacerbate the problem, irrigating in the desert results in an average of ninety five percent loss of water due to evaporation due to solar radiation, wind, humidity, and plant transpiration.

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

URBAN AGRICULTURE Sustainable Hedonism

Advantages of Vertical Farming VF dramatically reduces water loss (75%) that typically occurs outside through evaporation and transpiration.

Other advantages include: Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres) No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of evapotranspiration VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)

VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers VF creates new employment opportunities VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical

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#RehydratingVegas

The Problem: Startup Costs and Energy consumption The main reason for why vertical farming has not become a common practice in cities is due to the high startup costs which lie largely in construction of a highrise building.

During the growing season, the sun shines on a vertical surface at an extreme angle such that much less light is available to crops than when they are planted on flat land. Therefore, supplemental light, would be required in order to obtain economically viable yields. Bruce Bugbee, a crop physiologist at Utah State University, believes that the power demands of vertical farming will be too expensive and uncompetitive with traditional farms using only free natural light. The scientist and climate change activist George Monbiot calculated that the cost of providing enough supplementary light to grow the grain for a single loaf would be almost $10.

Roach, J. (June 30, 2009). High-Rise Farms: The Future of Food?. National Geographic News.

As ‘The Vertical Farm’ proposes a controlled environment, heating and cooling costs will be at least as costly as any other tower. But there also remains the issue of complicated, if not more expensive, plumbing and elevator systems to distribute food and water throughout. Even throughout the northern continental United States, while heating with relatively cheap fossil fuels, the heating cost can be over $200,000/hectare.

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

Sustainable Hedonism

Luke J Ivers

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#RehydratingVegas

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

LAS VEGAS ARTIFICIAL OASIS Sustainable Hedonism

The construction of the Hoover dam allowed Las Vegas to flourish due to its abundance of water and energy. Modern technology (i.e.

Hydroelectric power) has provided Las Vegas with the possibility to exist even in a naturally prohibiting environment. The hoover dam has allowed Las Vegas to become an artificial oasis in the desert. The Hoover Dam is essential to the existence of Las Vegas.

The Amenities that attract tourists are often energy demanding and wasteful of natural resources.

+

=

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TOURISM DEPENDENCY #RehydratingVegas

Southern Nevada is dependent on tourism, but a new report suggests that it’s the most tourismdependent economy in the United States.� - Las Vegas Sun. 40 Million tourists visit Las Vegas annually - which makes it ranked first in the United States Las Vegas also is first in leisure and hospitality employee compensation as a percentage of total compensation at 22.2 percent. Las Vegas leisure and hospitality compensation was estimated at $11.3 billion in 2007, while total compensation was estimated at $50.7 billion

40,000,000 Annu-

Finally, Las Vegas ranked third in the category of visitor spending as a percentage of gross domestic product at 28.9 percent ($28 billion in spending compared with gross domestic product of $97.1 billion).

Las Vegas’s economy is extremely reliant on the tourism and gaming industry. With a major loss in tourism, the city would suffer drastic economical effects

= http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jan/22/las-vegas-may-be-most-tourism-dependent-city-us/

24

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

POPULATION GROWTH Sustainable Hedonism

Las Vegas was established in 1911 as a small railroad town but after the creation of the Hoover dam, the population grew exponentially. With Lake Mead providing an abundance of water and electricity, Las Vegas prospered. Today Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada and the 31st largest in the United States.

Up until recently Las Vegas was the fastest growing city in the United States. With the recent recession, Las Vegas population has actually dropped.

Las Vegas’s economy relies heavily on the tourism and gaming industries. With such a large population and small economic diversity, Las Vegas is highly susceptible to economic problems. Las Vegas is built around the growth model, with economic decisions based on the idea that another 100,000 people are on their way.

With the current recession, Las Vegas population for the first time in its history has stopped growing.

Population growth and economic growth are inherently related. Town such as Pittsburgh and Detroit have faced similar situations in terms of population drop during an economic downturn when a city lacks economic diversity.

Luke J Ivers

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WATER SHORTAGE #RehydratingVegas

Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego, There is a 50 percent chance Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the southwestern United States, will be dry by 2021 if climate changes as expected and future water usage is not curtailed, according to a pair of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.

Without Lake Mead and neighboring Lake Powell, the Colorado River system has no buffer to sustain the population of the Southwest through an unusually dry year, or worse, a sustained drought. In such an event, water deliveries would become highly unstable and variable, said research marine physicist Tim Barnett and climate scientist David Pierce.

“We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us,” said Barnett. “Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest.”

The researchers estimated that there is a 10 percent chance that Lake Mead could be dry by 2014. They further predict that there is a 50 percent chance that reservoir levels will drop too low to allow hydroelectric power generation by 2017.

Research marine physicist Tim Barnett (right) and programmer/analyst David Pierce of the Climate, Atmospheric Science and Physical Oceanography (CASPO) division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

26

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

WATER SHORTAGE Sustainable Hedonism

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2012/6

1984

2011

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#RehydratingVegas

The water level continues to drop at Lake Mead due to the increase of human consumption

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

SITE ANALYSIS Sustainable Hedonism

suburbs downtown strip

hoover dam

The main components that make up Las Vegas are: the strip - which is the main tourist attraction and the identity of Las Vegas, the downtown which is three miles north of the strip, the suburbs that exist all around the downtown and the strip, and the Hoover dam which is roughly thirty miles from downtown Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, in general, is a low density city that suffers from massive sprawl. The city originated from the downtown and the strip and expanded outwards. Today suburbs extend over ten miles in length consisting of primarily suburban housing developments.

This separation forces residents to rely heavily on automobiles for transportation thus increasing pollution, energy consumption, and more roads. Currently, the only public transportation is the city bus system which only reaches half of the suburbs.

Lake Mead is a vital component of Las Vegas, with it, Las Vegas wouldn’t exist in its current state. Lake Mead provides the majority of the cities water and subsidizes much of their electricity through the production of hydroelectric power from the Hoover Dam. Las Vegas has become accustomed to living with an abundance of water to the point that it has taken it for granted. In a sense city portrays itself as a lush oasis rather than a desert city. The Google earth image shows Las Vegas as green landscape but one easily notices that the surrounding natural landscape is a dry desert.

This inappropriate use of water has its repercussions as the water in Lake Mead drop so does the electric power generated from the Hoover Dam. Water and energy costs continue to rise in relation to the water levels in Lake Mead.

Luke J Ivers

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CITY CONTEXT #RehydratingVegas

Residential - Higher Income

Residential - Lower Income

Industrial Sprawl

Las Vegas Strip - MGM CityCenter

Las Vegas economic class separation also manifests itself in the zoning and housing developments. Suburban communities are divided and separated based on economic income. There is also a relationship between the amount of water used based on economic class. For example, the higher end communities have lusher and greener landscaping with large artificial water features, personal pools, and community ponds while the lower income communities have very little green landscaping and no water features or ponds.

The other areas that make up the suburbs include industrial zones which a low density areas that are void of any kind of pedestrian activity. These function primarily for production and business. The landscaping in these areas are much different than in the residential neighborhoods in the sense that they are not lush green landscapes but consist of primarily of parking lots, asphalt, and other kinds of impervious surfaces for automobiles. miles km

1

1

CITY ZONING

.

W Y.

N O R

AL O

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FF BU

N A R U

IM A C

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R D

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G

IT A

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Sustainable Hedonism

.9

ZONING

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U - Undeveloped (GPA Designation) .

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.

LV R AT U

R-D - Single-Family Residential Restricted

EC D

AD BR

R-E - Residence Estates

B

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.

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AY A

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MOCCASIN RD.

R-PD - Residential Planned Development LOG CABIN WY.

R-1 - Single Family Residential

KYLE CANYON RD.

R-MH - Mobile/Manufactured Home Residence

IRON MOUNTAIN RD.

R-CL - Single-Family Compact Lot

HORSE DR.

R-2 - Medium-Low Density Residential R-3 - Medium Density Residential

GRAND TETON DR.

R-4 - High Density Residential

FARM RD.

R-5 - Apartment ELKHORN RD.

R-MHP - Residential Mobile/Manufacture Home Park P-R - Professional Offices And Parking

DEER SPRINGS WY.

P-O - Professional Office

I - 215

N-S - Neighborhood Services O - Office

TROPICAL PKWY.

C-D - Designed Commercial

ANN RD.

U.S

C-1 - Limited Commercial

.9 5

C-2 - General Commercial

WASHBURN RD.

C-M - Commercial Industrial

LONE MOUNTAIN RD.

M - Industrial CRAIG RD.

C-V - Civic C-PB - Planned Business Park

ALEXANDER RD.

P-C - Planned Community

GOWAN RD.

CHEYENNE AVE.

NC HO DR

T-D - Traditional Development TC - Town Center ROI Zoning

3

LAKE MEAD BLVD.

U.S

.9

SUMMERLIN PRKWY

SANDHILL RD.

.

CAREY AVE.

MOJAVE RD.

LAKE MEAD BLVD.

PD - Planned Development

MARTIN L.KING BLVD.

CHEYENNE AVE.

RA

OWENS AVE.

WASHINGTON AVE.

BONANZA RD.

SOURCE: City of Las Vegas , Planning and Development Department

Revised: September 19, 2012 ZON-45966

City of Las Vegas , Planning and Development Department

EASTERN AVE.

MARYLAND PKWY.

.

LV D SB EG A LA SV

VALLEY VIEW BLVD.

LINDELL RD.

JONES BLVD.

TORREY PINES DR.

RAINBOW BLVD.

TENAYA WY.

DECATUR BLVD.

DURANGO DR.

DESERT INN RD.

FORT APACHE RD.

I - 215

CIMARRON RD.

SAHARA AVE.

BUFFALO DR.

BOSAHARA AVE. U LD ER H W Y.

NELLIS BLVD.

MARION DR.

LAMB BLVD.

US 95

TOWN CENTER DR.

CHARLESTON BLVD.

PECOS RD.

STEWART AVE.

HUALAPAI WY.

ng\clv-zoning.mxd

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

U.S

路

30

CHARLESTON BLVD.

GIS maps are normally produced only to meet the needs of the City.

Due to continuous development activity this map is for reference only.

Geographic Information System Planning & Development Dept.

702-229-6301

Printed: October 04, 2012

Luke J Ivers

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CITY DEVOLOPMENT #RehydratingVegas

Map 4

City Land Development Patterns Decatur Blvd.

Hualapai Way

Moccasin Rd.

Ann Rd. Lone Mtn. Rd.

Cheyenne Ave.

dB

l vd.

Owens Ave.

Pecos Rd.

Vegas Dr. U.S. Hwy 95

Nellis Blvd.

ea

Lamb Blvd.

Lake M

Sahara Ave.

Background to Plan Process

Decatur Blvd.

Jones Blvd.

Warm Springs Rd.

I-15

Rainbow Blvd.

Buffalo Dr.

Durango Dr.

Ft. Apache Rd.

Tropicana Ave.

I-515

LasVegas Blvd.

Flamingo Rd.

Eastern Ave.

Maryland Pkwy.

Beltway

Charleston Blvd.

City of Las Vegas Commercial Areas

Redevelopment Plan Area

Downtown

The “Strip”

Floyd Lamb State Park

Summerlin North & West Planned Communities

Kyle Canyon

Town Center

McCarran International Airport

University of Nevada Las Vegas

Nellis Air Force Base

Current City of Las Vegas Boundary

North Las Vegas Air Terminal

Employment Nodes

City of Las Vegas , Planning and Development Department

April 1, 2000

0

1

2

3

4

5 MILES

Source: City of Las Vegas Planning and Development Dept.

32

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

CITY BOUNDARIES Sustainable Hedonism

Map1

Map 9

Special Area Plans

Grand Teton Dr. Elkhorn Rd.

Grand Teton Dr.

Decatur Blvd.

Lone Mtn. Rd.

Decatur Blvd.

Hualapai Way

Moccasin Rd.

Ann Rd.

Moccasin Rd.

Hualapai Way

Jurisdictional Boundaries within the Las Vegas Valley

Elkhorn Rd.

Cheyenne Ave.

Ann Rd.

Lake Mead Blvd.

I-515

Nellis Blvd.

Eastern Ave.

Tropicana Ave.

Maryland Pkwy.

Flamingo Rd.

LasVeg as Blv d.

Jones Blvd.

Sahara Ave.

Lone Mtn. Rd.

Cheyenne Ave.

I-15

Charleston Blvd.

U.S. Hwy 95

Rainbow Blvd.

Beltway

Washington Ave.

U.S. Hwy 95 Beltway

North Las Vegas Unincorporated Clark County Henderson Boulder City

April 1, 2000

0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES Source: City of Las Vegas Planning and Development Dept.

MP2020;GPlan-MPlan;pgmkr;kb/9-22-00

LAS VEGAS

MASTER PLAN

2020

I-515

5

Town Center Plan

Kyle Canyon (Potential Special Area Plan)

West Las Vegas Plan

Eastern Ave.

Las Vegas Blvd.

Downtown Centennial Plan

Maryland Pkwy.

I-1 Decatur Blvd.

Jones Blvd.

Buffalo Dr.

Rainbow Blvd.

Durango Dr.

Sahara Ave.

LV Medical District Plan

Rancho Corridor (Potential Special Area Plan)

LV Technology Park

Current City of Las Vegas Boundary

Spectrum Business Park 0

1

2

3

4

5 MILES

April 1, 2000

Source: City of Las Vegas Planning and Development Dept.

9

44

City of Las Vegas , Planning and Development Department

Ft.Apache Rd.

Charleston Blvd.

Hualapai Way

Neighborhood BackgroundRevitalization to Plan Process

City of Las Vegas

Nellis Blvd.

Owens Ave. Lamb Blvd.

Vegas Dr.

Pecos Rd.

Buffalo Dr.

Ft. Apache Rd.

Mead Blvd.

.

Durango Dr.

Rd

ke

ho

La

Warm Springs Rd.

nc

Ra

I-215

LAS VEGAS

MASTER PLAN

2020

MP2020;GPlan-MPlan;pgmkr;kb/9-22-00

men Luke J Ivers

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CITY GROWTH

Change in Population -200 - 0 1 - 499

#RehydratingVegas

500 - 1199 1200 + Current City of Las Vegas Boundary

0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES

by tra tial in of th 14 ill from in th total tion a imple tive v popu some

Source: City of Las Vegas Planning and Development Dept.

Map 13

Baseline Valley Population Growth 2000 to 2020

Change in Population -200 - 0 1 - 499 500 - 1199 1200 + Current City of Las Vegas Boundary

0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES

Source: City of Las Vegas Planning and Development Dept.

Map 14

Comparison of Baseline 2020 and Master Plan 2020 Population Projections City of Las Vegas , Planning and Development Department

such This potential improvement can be attributed to thebe u Map 14 policy support for development of both housing and jobsDow Comparison of Baseline 2020 and within the Downtown core, and for the development of hous Master Plan 2020 employment nodes along thePopulation Beltway and in the North- hom Projections west Sector.

The implementation of these measures would resid have a significant impact on lengthy home-to-work trips that are generated by a suburban housing component traveling primarily to central Valley locations for employ- withi south ment. stren Map 13 shows population growth across the Valleystruc than by traffic analysis zone, and shows how, by 2020, substantial increases in growth are anticipated in peripheral areasexten tax re of the Valley, with central city declines for Las Vegas. Map 14 illustrates the shift in future land use that could result from the successful implementation of composite strategies men in the Master Plan. Map 14 shows the difference between areas total population projected in 2020 without policy intervention and total population in 2020 with successful policy men Population Difference implementation.

For example, the areas that show nega-cially from Baseline -1000 -500 mod tive values represent a decrease in the total share of -499 - -25 population-24growth; they will continue to grow, only at a quali - +24 25 499 proje somewhat slower rate as a result of new planning policies.

500 + Mast 0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES Current City of Las Vegas Boundary The economic, and environmental benefits ofbette Source: City of Las Vegassocial Planning and Development Dept. such a paradigm shift in local development trends cannot be understated. The shift from a declining, underutilized Downtown, to a Downtown which could support more housingMP2020;GPlan-MPlan;pgmkr;kb/9-22-00 and more employment, would lead to shorter home-to-work trips and major health benefits for local residents.

The city’s tax base would improve from retaining jobs within the city, instead of allowing those jobs to migrate southward into the county. The redevelopment and strengthening of areas which already have existing infra-

34

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

SPECULATING THE STRIP Sustainable Hedonism

ECONOMIC RECESSION ON THE STRIP

www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/08/pricey-land-buy-bit-surprise

Luke J Ivers

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ECONOMIC RECESSION

?

OVERBUILDING OF HOTELS

#RehydratingVegas

36

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

SPECULATING LAS VEGAS Sustainable Hedonism

Suburbs

foreclosed

for sale

foreclosed

NO VACANCY DEALS!!! $39

HOTEL

CASINO

APARTMENTS

CASINO

for sale

Water shortages due to the depletion of water in the Colorado River and Lake Mead increase water and energy costs. Suburban living becomes too expensive for the middle class residents. People choose to move elsewhere where it’s more affordable.

Many of the homes are foreclosed and abandoned.

Downtown ammenities provide a more affordable living then in the suburbs i.e.

Public transportation, services, and shared resources. Many residents decide to move closer to the downtown where they work to save on transportation costs. In addition, because of the increased densification, the living quarters are smaller and thus lower energy costs for cooling and lighting.

With the loss of population from residents moving out of Las Vegas, business struggle to survive.

Luke J Ivers

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SPECULATING THE STRIP #RehydratingVegas

Downtown Business i.e. Casino’s and Hotels are forced to reduce water usage and artificial lighting because of the extreme costs or the city enforces it upon business’s (already in effect). The image of the strip and the extravagant lighting is greatly diminished. Tourism slows down. Hotels and Casino’s struggle to make a profit. Casino’s become desperate to stay in business. Some of the vacant hotels are rented out to those moving to the downtown. Casino’s consider renovating sections of the hotels for other programmatic uses i.e. Apartments, urban agriculture, and aneorobic digesters.

“One condo owner is the loneliest number, especially when you’re the last remaining resident in a 32-story tower. Victor Vangelakos paid $430,000 for his downtown Fort Myers condo in 2008, but when the building couldn’t sell the rest of the units, they hashed out deals with the buyers, except for Vangelakos, who says his lenders wouldn’t agree to a swap. He now uses the apartment as a vacation home, but he says it’s eerie at night and birds have built nests in nearby apartments. The lone light in the building pictured here belongs to Vangelakos.”

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Media/Slideshow/ 2011/08/03/9-Worst-Recession-Ghost-Towns-in-America.aspx?index=8

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

SPECULATING THE STRIP Sustainable Hedonism

AUGMENTED REALITY#APOSTAPOCALYTICLASVEGAS

Mission: Fin Status: 99 date day: unkown month: unkown year: 2183 a.d.

nd Water 9% Improbable

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#RehydratingVegas

40

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

Sustainable Hedonism

SOLUTION#URBANAGRICULTURE

Luke J Ivers

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#RehydratingVegas

42

M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

LAS VEGAS STRIP Sustainable Hedonism

Luke J Ivers

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LAS VEGAS CITY CENTER #RehydratingVegas

Interstate 15

The 67-acre CityCenter is located on Las Vegas Blvd and Harmon Avenue just off of Interstate 15. It is bordered by two other MGM properties: Bellagio to the north and Monte Carlo to the south. The new resorts developer and owner is MGM MIRAGE.

City Center 67 Acres 520 m

The Master plan was designed by Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects. The master plan thought to forgo the typical theme-based resort, and instead chose a more contemporary architecture and high density urbanism.

The City Center consists of six buildings on the site: The Vdara Hotel, Aria Hotel and Casino, Crystals, Veer towers Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and the Harmon Hotel. The majority of the building programs on the site consist of hotels.

Las Vegas Blvd

The project site is located along the Las Vegas Strip in the newly created City Center resort. The City Center resort lies in the heart of the Strip and contains the highest density. Public transportation including bus and monorail are readily available in the City Center but the monorail only covers the Strip.

E Harmon Ave

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M.Arch Thesis | Design Project Manual

SITE CONTEXT Sustainable Hedonism Two Story Penthouses

Penthouses

Typical Units

ARIA RESORT & CASINO VDARA CONDO HOTEL CRYSTALS VEER TOWERS

Spa Fitness Center

Conference Center

Salon Bellagio Connector

Lobby

MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Restaurant Pedestrian Walkway To CityCenter Resort Casino

With over 16,797,000 square feet (1,560,500 m2), the recently opened City Center Las Vegas has become one of the largest LEED certified projects in the world.

The project included some of the world’s largest firms: Pelli Clarke Pelli, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Helmut Jahn, RV Architecture LLC led by Rafael Viñoly, Foster + Partners, Studio Daniel Libeskind, David Rockwell and Rockwell Group, and Gensler.

The executives of MGM traveled around the world selecting some of the worlds foremost architects and builders creating essentially a dream team. The reason is pretty clear and that is to create the most iconic buildings and resort possible. Each building stands on its own; with its own architect, architectural style. The sole purpose is to attract more tourism to the area, which has yet to succeed.

The first building to be completed was the Vdara hotel designed by Rafael Vinoly. RV Architecture used a disciplined design approach to remarkable effect. Vdara’s distinctive crescent shape and unique skin of patterned glass “will create one of the most provocative design statements in Las Vegas.”

In addition to Vdara, the final scheme includes ARIA, the resort & casino by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Crystals, a retail, dining and entertainment district

by Studio Daniel Libeskind; Veer Towers twinned residential towers, by Helmut Jahn; Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, a hotel and residences by Kohn Pedersen Fox; and The Harmon Hotel, designed by Foster + Partners. CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE

http://www.archdaily.com/50724/city-center-las-vegas-6-leed-gold-certifications/

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BUILDING CONTEXT #RehydratingVegas

Site Context

The 1.6 million-square-foot, 57-story Vdara is distinguished by its slender profile and curvature, which respond to Harmon Circle and the interlocking arcs of ARIA Resort & Casino located across the shared circular drive.

Three parallel, offset arcs rising to varying heights comprise the crescent-shaped skyscraper. The volumes are distinguished by the colors of their striped surfaces, and are further articulated by deep recesses between them. The horizontally-striped curtain wall frames the vistas of Las Vegas and the expansive desert landscape beyond. Alternating bands of reflective vision glass and light-diffusing, acid-etched spandrel glass in black and white are set off on different planes to achieve a unique shimmering texture on the façade. Modern, light, and devoid of

graphics or ornaments, Vdara presents a distinctive contrast to the themed buildings of the Las Vegas Strip.

Vdara contains 1,495 suites which include studios, deluxe studios, one- and two-bedroom suites and one- and two-bedroom penthouses. The units range from 526 to 1,750 sq ft (48.9 to 163 m2) in size. Vdara’s suites are more like loft apartments than hotel rooms.

Each suite features a full-service kitchen, washing machine, dining area, living room and bedroom.

Panoramic views of the Strip are seen from the hotel’s 250 corner suites.

Other amenities at Vdara include an 18,000-squarefoot spa and salon, and 110,000-square feet of meeting space. Although the property is a nongaming hotel, a 100-foot walkway connects Vdara to the Bellagio.

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ADAPTIVE RE-USE Sustainable Hedonism

p

r

w

l

ARIA RESORT & CASINO VDARA CONDO HOTEL CRYSTALS VEER TOWERS MANDARIN ORIENTAL

The purpose of adapting the buildings is to create a more diversified economy in Las Vegas.

Currently the City Center exists as a resort for tourists. The new proposal will congest a diverse range of program typologies into the existing buildings that it will provide a much more rich and diverse economy thus providing more resiliency and stability to the system.

anaerobic digester

s

a

The proposal for the City Center is an adaptive reuse project where the existing building will remain although some of the programs will change and certain buildings may go under some renovations and additional designs will be built onto or into the existing buildings.

hotel

neverland

farming

high rise

The new City Center has become one of the largest LEED certified projects in the world, but the project like much of Las Vegas, is only an illusion. The fundamental problem with these building is the buildings program. The majority of the programs along the four mile strip consist of casinos and hotels. Although profitable when the economy and tourism are strong, it lies extremely vulnerable to failure due to its lack of economic diversity. The new resort relies solely on tourism, and if tourism continues to drop during the recession, the buildings may have to be readapted if they want to stay in business and escape foreclosure or in an extreme case abandonment.

gym golf

strip club pool restaurant entertainment

retail

casino

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BUILDING PROGRAM #RehydratingVegas

The main reason for why vertical farming has not become a common practice in cities is due to the high startup costs which lie primarily in construction of a high rise building. With the already existing building, the start up costs for vertical farming will be drastically cut down.

Furthermore, because of the climate and the broad south facing facade, this vertical farm will use passive solar (free energy) to grow crops rather than completely depending on artificial lighting that other vertical farms propose. This will drastically cut down energy cost caused by artificial lighting. This will be vital in the case of an energy crisis due to the lack of hydro-electric power produced by the Hoover Dam. Vertical Farming will also add more jobs to the current site which will provide a stronger and more diversified economy that is less dependent on tourism. It will also provide local food for the city and therefore reduce its dependency on outsourced food.

cooling tower

The main new program that will be implemented into the existing buildings (which currently exist as a hotels) will be vertical farms on the south side of the building. According to Columbia Professor Dr. Despommier, vertical farming is very appropriate for Las Vegas because it is a desert city that outsources all of its food and the tall and broad south facing facades provide excellent designs for passive solar gain for vertical farming.

pen thouse

retail

vertical circulation

Hotel gym

apt golf

casino

anaerobic digester

adult entertainment

restaurant

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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BUILDING SITE/FLOORPLAN Sustainable Hedonism

The Vdara hotels 1,495 suites are wide and shallow when compared to most hotel rooms and residential apartments, which allow for maximized views and daylight penetration. An additional benefit of the staggered three-arc floor plan is the creation of six corner rooms compared to four in a more conventional building.

In keeping with the sustainable focus of the overall CityCenter development, Vdara Hotel & Spa was designed to meet and has achieved LEED Gold certification. Although rated by LEED as a sustainable building, LEED didn’t consider whether the buildings program was even economically sustainable given the current context.

Speculating a crisis scenario previously presented, Vdara will have to under go a programmatic transformation in order to adapt to the crises.

The current design of the Vdara hotel provides an opportunity for vertical farming. The floor to ceiling windows and wide and shallow floor plan layout provide maximum daylight penetration for agricultural production. The south facing side allow maximum solar exposure. By placing the vertical farming on the south side of the building and leaving the existing hotels rooms on the north side will maximize energy efficiency by reducing the cooling needed on the south facing side due to solar gain while keeping the views for the hotels on the northside.

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL FLOOR PLAN

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BUILDING PLAN #RehydratingVegas

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL FLOOR PLAN

hotel rooms

hotel rooms

vertical farming aneorobic digester

Views Northern soft light

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PROGRAM BREAKDOWN Sustainable Hedonism

Existing Program Vdara Hotel Casino: 50,000 sq. ft

Entry Lobby 4,000 sq. ft

Information Booth 1,000 sq. ft

Coat Room 2,000 sq. ft

Changing Exhibits 4,000 sq. ft

Auditorium Theater for 300 5,000 sq. ft

Ballroom 8,000 sq. ft Retail:

1.6 MILLION SQ FT TOTAL

20,000 sq. ft

Restaurant: 15,000 sq. ft

Restaurant (400 seated) 8,000 sq. ft Kitchen 3,000

Restroom 1,500 sq. ft

Gift Shop 2,500 sq. ft Strip Club:

Bar

Restrooms

Changing Room

Champagne Room

Hotel and Apartments

10,000 sq. ft 1,000 sq. ft 500 sq. ft 2,000 sq. ft 2,000 sq. ft

Urban Agriculture:

500,000 sq. ft

Market

400,000 sq. ft

Administration

Directors Office

4 Assistant Directors Office

Administrative Assistants

Conference Room

Board Room

Publicity

200 sq. ft 150 sq. ft 600 sq. ft 200 sq. ft 300 sq. ft 400 sq. ft

Service:

500 sq. ft.

500 sq. ft 500 sq. ft 800 sq. ft 600 sq. ft 400 sq. ft 200 sq. ft.

500 sq. ft 300 sq. ft

Loading Area Superintendent Office Security Office Breakroom/Locker Area Staff Restrooms Workshop Electrical Room Mechanical Room Communications Room

SALON SPA FITNESS CENTER

500,000 sq. ft

Entertainment:

Golf 10,000 sq. ft

Pool 20,000 sq. ft

Gym 10,000 sq. ft

:

HOTEL SUITS

Non-Surface Parking 400 automobiles

RESTAURANT BALLROOM MEETING ROOMS

Renovated Program

AGRICULTURE MARKET RETAIL

RESTAURANT HOTEL/APARTMENTS AMPITHEATER

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PROJECT CLIENT #RehydratingVegas

The current owner of the City Center is MGM Mirage. Under the given scenario in which the City Center faces economic failure due to the lack of tourism, then the City of Las Vegas will propose an adaptive re-use project as presented above, in which a section of the hotel is renovated for vertical farming. The city of Las Vegas will pay the owner (MGM) for the newly appropriated space.

existing energy

City of Las Vegas

The University of Las Vegas will work with the city in developing and researching the latest vertical farming techniques which will reduce waste water to an absolute minimum.

Once the vertical farms have been built, the city will sell the food locally in the City Center, and in the future, distribute it to local grocery stores in Las Vegas. This will provide the city with both locally grown food, local jobs, a more resilient economy, and water conservation for the State of Nevada.

city

University of Las Vegas

new energy source

Developer

Developer

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COST ANALYSIS Sustainable Hedonism

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COST ANALYSIS Sustainable Hedonism

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FOOD WASTE Sustainable Hedonism

Powering the vertical farm with food waste Las Vegas creates an astonishing amount of food waste. 7,600 tons of excess food is sent every year from MGM Resorts restaurants buffets alone. 13.6 tons of waste is generated daily at New York-New York alone. Capilizing on food waste to create energy through anaerobic digestion can offset the high energy demands required by vertical farms to operate.

Vertical Farming P

7,600 tons of excess food sent eve year from MGM Resorts restaurant

13.6 tons of waste is generated da at New York-New York alone

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#RehydratingVegas

Diagram of a ompletely self sustaining (closed loop) vertical farm through the collection and anaerobic digestion of food waste in the strip.

Inputs

Outputs

Processes FR LET

500 tons of food waste

345,600 lettuce plants DIGESTERS{Ag Farm w/ Pods} 2017 ANAEROBIC

aily

78,760 lb

s water v

27,000 Gallons

117,639,500 kWh

ery ts }

11,000 ther ms of methan e

apour

2022 {Market Plaza}

DEHUMIDIFIERS

146,000

lbs deple

ted wate

r

ELECTRIC GENERATORS

90 kg of nutrients

BIOLOGICAL WATER FILTRATION

500 tons of digestate Vertical farm system diagram

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MASTER PLAN Sustainable Hedonism

Converting Vacant Hotels into Vertical Farms Organization Development Network

YR_2015 0 mi ODN

YR_2020 .5 mi ODN

YR_2025 1.5 mi ODN

YR_2030 3 mi ODN

YR_2035 3.5 mi ODN

YR_2040 4 mi ODN

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#RehydratingVegas

Newly Renovated Vertical Farms Connect the Strip to the Downtown

Connecting the Strip and Downtown

2013

2020

2025

2030

2035

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MARKET DESIGN Sustainable Hedonism

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#RehydratingVegas

Market Program Breakdown 300,000 sq. ft

ART GALLARY AMPITHEATER RETAIL

RESTAURANT FARMERS MARKET ANAEROBIC DIGESTER

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Sustainable Hedonism

Design Process

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CONCEPTUAL COLLAGE Sustainable Hedonism

STRIPPING APART THE STRIP

ITERATION 1

ITERATION 2

ITERATION 3

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PHYSICAL STUDY MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Materials: Styrofoam, metal mesh, and plexi glass

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DIGITAL FORM STUDIES #RehydratingVegas

Parametric Design: Rhinoceros and Grasshopper

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BUILDING PRECEDENT Sustainable Hedonism

Metropol Parasol: J. Mayer H. Architects

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STRUCTURAL PRECEDENT Sustainable Hedonism

King’s Cross Station: John McAslan + Partners

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Parametric Design: Rhinoceros and Grasshopper

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MARKET DESIGN Sustainable Hedonism

Conceptual Parti Evolution Creating movement, interaction, and diversity Pedestrian Bike Automobile Tourist Public Workplace Living Entertainment

Segragation

Intentional Obstruction

ution Work Play

Shop

Intentional Obstruction

Forced Interaction

Live

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Community Connection #RehydratingVegas

ampitheater M

ar ke t

Integration

Mixed Program

d ixe

M

g

vin

Li

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BUILDING EVOLUTION Sustainable Hedonism

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MARKET DESIGN Sustainable Hedonism

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BUILDING PROGRAM #RehydratingVegas

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BUILDING CHRONOLOGY Sustainable Hedonism

2013 {Existing Hotel}

2017 {Ag Farm w/ Pods}

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2022 {Market Plaza}

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PARAMETRIC DESIGN Sustainable Hedonism

Grasshopper Definition for a Diagrid Structure GrassHopper Defintion for Diagrid Structre

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MARKET CANOPY DESIGN #RehydratingVegas

Form Evolution

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AG PODS

detail

Sustainable Hedonism

pod detail pod open

n

Direct Sunlight Solar Analysis [Ag Pod Bays]

pod closed

Artificial light at night

Direct Sunlight Solar Analysis [Ag Pod Bays]

d June 21 @ 12:00

Ag Farm w/ Pods

l light at night

June 21 @ 12:00

December 21 @ 12:00

December 21 @ 12:00

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EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC #RehydratingVegas

57 Floor Plates Ag Pods 800 Total

Apartment Expansion

Vertical Circulation Systems

Urban Park

Reinforced Concrete Structural Columns Diagrid Super Structure w/ tubular steel members

PTFE Panels

Sub Structure steel space truss

Vdara Hotel Exterior

Art Gallary Vdara Pool Deck

Public Market Ampitheater Anaerobic Digester Vertical Farm Systems

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VICINITY MAP Sustainable Hedonism

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SITE PLAN #RehydratingVegas

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FLOOR PLANS Sustainable Hedonism

Market Floor Plan

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2nd Floor Plan

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FLOOR PLANS Sustainable Hedonism

Gallery Floor Plan

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Urban Park Plan

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Sustainable Hedonism

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BUILDING SECTION Sustainable Hedonism

BUILDING SECTION

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STRUCTURAL DETAIL Sustainable Hedonism

Gallery Sectional Bay Detail

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Connection to Sub Structure

Primary Hollow-Steel Section

Secondary HSS

Welded Steel Flange

Fire Proofing Finished Composite Encasement

Hallow Structural Section Transition

Connection Plates

Diagrid Structure Detail

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Sustainable Hedonism

Final Renderings

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EAST ENTRANCE Sustainable Hedonism

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FARMERS MARKET Sustainable Hedonism

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MARKET RETAIL Sustainable Hedonism

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PUBLIC GARDEN Sustainable Hedonism

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ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS Sustainable Hedonism

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WEST ENTRANCE Sustainable Hedonism

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MIXED LIVING Sustainable Hedonism

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ART GALLARY Sustainable Hedonism

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PUBLIC GARDEN Sustainable Hedonism

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URBAN PARK RAMP Sustainable Hedonism

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URBAN PARK AMPITHEATER Sustainable Hedonism

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AERIAL VIEW Sustainable Hedonism

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Sustainable Hedonism

Physical Model

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PHYSICAL MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Model Building Process

Lasercut 1/16� Chipboard

Used 3D Printer for the Market Design

Stacked Floor Plates for easy assembly

Split into four sections due to limited powder bed size

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Inserted 800 pieces of 3/16” Plexi glass

Cleaning off the excess powder

Chip Board Site Model 1/40”

Ready for the final coat of glue

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PHYSICAL MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Final Model Daylight

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PHYSICAL MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Final Model Daylight

Ag Pods {physical model}

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PHYSICAL MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Final Model Daylight Interior

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PHYSICAL MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Final Model Night w/ artificial lighting

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PHYSICAL MODEL Sustainable Hedonism

Vdara Night

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PROJECT SUMMARY Sustainable Hedonism

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problem

The original argument of this thesis began with the concept of “Dilemmas and Contradictions”. This concept derived from my installation piece I explored last semester which intended to expose the paradox of how human beings have a strong concern for the health of the planet, yet at the same time, they are dependent on nature to provide the materials for their consumption.

speculation

This thesis speculates the possibility of Las Vegas being a sustainable city. How can the city, with all its mechanisms of consumption-unquenchable thirst for water, its voracity for energy, its greedy and glutinous demand for food-ever be sustainable? MGM Resorts recently built City Center received LEED Platinum but what’s not being considered is the fact that MGM produces 7,600 tons of food waste annually (which is equivalent to over 15 trillion gallons of water). This isn’t only problematic but a contradiction in relation to sustainability.

resolution

Las Vegas will have to undergo a transformation in order to survive. For example, if water becomes scarce, people will discover new ways coop with it by transforming their lives and environment.

This transformation would be aided by the potential for cooperative efforts within the community.

Specifically, by readapting and reusing the existing infrastructures and buildings on the strip converting vacant hotels and casinos into multi-family housing, local businesses, industry, and agriculture, people might be able to provide resources to satisfy personal needs while supplementing income, cultivating a prosperous community, and transitioning into a sustainable lifestyle. Here, a focus on local production and trade limits the dependence on imported currencies and supplies, and eases the loss of tourism as the primary economic engine of the city. The “community” of the Las Vegas learns to solve problems of the city. In this way a new city emerges, one that is a dynamic, complex, resilient, and livable community; one that could never be sustained by merely hybrid cars, green roofs, and solar panels.

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WORK SITED Sustainable Hedonism

Fishman, Charles. The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water. New York: Free, 2011. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan. New York: Monacelli, 1994. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem, Stefano Boeri, Sanford Kwinter, Nadia Tazi, and Hans Ulrich. Obrist. Mutations. Bordeaux: Arc En Rêve Centre D’architecture, 2001. Print.

Mostafavi, Mohsen, and Gareth Doherty. Ecological Urbanism. Baden, Switzerland: Lars Müller, 2011. Print.

Venturi, Robert, Brown Denise Scott, and Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1977. Print.

Despommier, Dickson D. The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century. New York: Thomas Dunne /St. Martin’s, 2010. Print. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/freshwater-rivers/ http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?proj_Name=Boulder%20Canyon Power Outage from due to Nuclear Power Plant failure. Tokyo, Japan 2011 http://fopnews.wordpress.com/2011 Roach, J. (June 30, 2009). High-Rise Farms: The Future of Food?. National Geographic News. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jan/22/las-vegas-may-be-most-tourism-dependent-city-us/ www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/08/pricey-land-buy-bit-surprise http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Media/Slideshow/ 2011/08/03/9-Worst-Recession-Ghost-Towns-in-America. aspx?index=8 http://www.collagelab.org/en/ http://www.nctimes.com/business/energy-hoover-dam-could-stop-generating-electricity-as-soon-as/article_ b7e44e9e-087d-53b2-9c49-7ea32262c9a9.html G. Xian. Analysis of impacts of urban land use and land cover on air quality in the Las Vegas region using remote sensing information and ground observations International Journal of Remote Sensing Vol. 28, No. 24, 20 December 2007, 5427–5445 http://www.archdaily.com/50724/city-center-las-vegas-6-leed-gold-certifications/ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2012/6