LV revitalization project to set example of green design

on Tuesday,February 03,2009 21:02

An office building in downtown Las Vegas is set to achieve an environmental certification and become a symbol of a new sustainable trend in architecture and design.

Thompson National Properties/Shangri-La Green Building Fund has bought the 11-story building and an adjacent parking garage and will work to obtain a silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council''s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System.

While primarily a business opportunity, the acquisition will also serve as a new standard of environmentally friendly building construction and management.

"The …property represents a great opportunity to set a new standard for property redevelopment in converting a 1960s vintage, functionally obsolete, energy-wasting building … into a state-of-the-art LEED rated facility," said Anthony W. "Tony" Thompson, chairman and CEO of Thompson National Properties.

The upcoming renovations and upgrades - to be orchestrated by Gensler of Nevada, a firm recognized as a leader in sustainable design - will include an array of energy efficiency and water reduction measures and illustrate that any building can be retrofitted to be environmentally sound.

It is yet another example of an increasingly popular "green" trend in architecture and design.

Many believe that demand for architects with knowledge of and experience with sustainable design will be growing dynamically in the years to come.