A Privatized Project
By Tony Illia

A unique private-public partnership should help spark a renaissance in downtown Las Vegas.

The Molasky Group of Cos., founded by Las Vegas real estate mogul Irwin Molasky, is developing a new office building for the Internal Revenue Service on 5 acres of city-owned land at Grand Central Parkway, between F Street and the U.S. Highway 95. The Molasky Group won a federal bid from the General Services Administration to develop the building.

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Although Molasky paid no money up front for the parcel, valued at $2 million, he agreed to make payments to the city. The $15 million project is viewed as conduit to redevelopment because it will bring roughly 400 IRS employees downtown daily plus another 100 visitors when it is completed in February.

"This is the seed that will help germinate downtown's renewal," said Richard Worthington, president of the Molasky Group of Cos. "It's smart planning that injects new blood and energy into downtown by creating a critical mass."

Designed by Howard F. Thompson Architects Inc. of Irvine, Calif., the four-story, 93,846-sq.-ft. building is a pre-cast concrete structure with green-tined glass.

Camco Pacific Construction Co. Inc., Newport Beach, Calif., is the general contractor.

Although approximately 12 percent more expensive, the design team opted for pre-cast paneled construction.

"We chose pre-cast for its aesthetics, durability and building efficiency," said Suzanne Sanders, Molasky's vice president of design and development. "It made space planning easier and saved in construction time."

The building, which sits atop a slab foundation with grade beams, uses a unique flooring system that enables minimal support columns for maximum spatial flexibility.
Each 22,700-sq.-ft floor has only three support columns plus sheer walls for the elevator core and stairwell.

The open expanses are made possible by pre-stressed T-panel pre-cast floors. The precast panels are positioned into place and then finished off with a 4-in. concrete topping that seals and binds the floors for the structural strength needed for broad column-free spans.

The panel flooring system enables the developer to easily subdivide and/or expand tenant space. STB Structural Engineers Inc. of Lake Forest, Calif., helped devise the system.

The 64-ft.-tall building will use a total 390 pre-cast panels with the largest measuring 12- ft.-wide by 65 -ft. -tall and weighing 74,000 lbs. Each factory- cast panel comes with a sandblasted finish. The project will require a total of 381 tons of reinforcing steel, plus 2,677 -cu. yds of concrete.

Steel Engineers Inc. is providing the steel, and Silver State Materials Inc. and Nevada Ready Mix Inc. are supplying the concrete. All three firms are based in Las Vegas.

There is also 14,000 cu. yards of excavation being performed by Southern Nevada Paving Inc., also of Las Vegas.

"The 15- month project will see up to 90 workers and 30 subs onsite during the height of construction activity," said David E. Parry, Camco Pacific's senior vice president.

Dual-pane, low-E glass set in a thermally broken aluminum window wall system will help reduce heating and cooling costs. There are also two high-speed service elevators that save approximately 14,000 watts each time they start from the first floor.

The building has electronic sensors that shut- off lights when rooms are not in use, and the interior ceiling tiles are manufactured from 75 percent recycled material. And with extremely dense concrete panels up to 10- in. -thick, the building requires no paint or sealer, which saves in cost and maintenance.

The customer service and mail areas are located on the first level, and offices for the IRS and treasurer inspector general for tax administration are on the second level.
Open spaces occupy the third and fourth floors with room for federal mediation and conciliation services.

The building will be serviced by electrical cable trays at every floor, plus four 90-ton roof-top mounted chillers. There are 300 surface parking spaces along the building's perimeter.

"The building has a classic contemporary look that is fitting for the area," said Bob Bingham, a senior associate with Howard F. Thompson Architects. "The history of downtown helped influence its design aesthetic."

The building has four-story metal column colonnades and a steel cantilevered entry trellis, which creates an eye-catching dynamic visual.

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