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I recently took my virgin pilgrimage to the city of sin. There I saw what could be one of the more important projects of the last decade.

 CityCenter

While this project is not new to the architecture communtiy, and Vegas isn’t where one would look to find innovative architecture, this project begs for a second look. Here are some reasons why this project is important.

1.  It is projected to be the largest LEED project in the world. This is of considerable importance since Vegas is in the middle of nowhere and a huge resource suck on the already depleted area. For more on the “green virtues” of the project, check this article out.
2. The program provides for 2,650 condominiums to balance out the 4,540 hotel rooms. This is a gesture to slow the steady sprawl that has occured through the past few decades in Las Vegas. And why wouldnt you want to live on the strip?!
3. It brings together some of the top architectural firms in one place; something the World Trade Center has famously failed at. Firms listed in this project include EEK (masterplan), Rafael Vinoly, Norman Foster and Partners, KPF, Helmut Jahn, and Daniel Libeskind. 
4. By bringing these architects to the desert, Vegas may finally start to gain an architectural value it has been missing for so long. Ships, castles, fake cities (Paris, New York, Venice) and even pyramids, will hopefully go by the wayside as Vegas continues in the new vernacular set by the Wynn and the Palms. (Disclaimer: I like the Bellagio even if it doesnt have a great amount of architectural value.)