Red Rock Rolls Forward
New Las Vegas Resort Enters Second Phase

by Tony Illia

The new Red Rock Resort is anything but cliché. The $925 million, 415-room hotel, casino and spa opened this April to rave reviews for its dramatic, desert modern look. The Friedmutter Group, the project architect through its Las Vegas office, drew design inspiration from 1950s-era Palm Springs.

"We tried to combine the iconic glamour of a Hollywood escape with a desert retreat," said Brad Friedmutter, company CEO. "Our intention was to create a style that was very warm, sexy and a place where people would enjoy a great casino, entertainment and lifestyle experience."

Now Station Casinos, the resort's Las Vegas owner, is adding another 415-room hotel tower. Work on the $95 million addition began in September, roughly 15 >> months after Red Rock initially broke ground. Phoenix-based Perini Building Company is the general contractor for both phases.

"A second tower was a part of the master plan from the very beginning," said Leo Estrada, Perini's project manager. "Moving forward with the expansion now enables us to keep the same project team in place."

The 2-million-sq.-ft. property is located at Charleston Boulevard and the Interstate 215 Beltway. The 68-acre complex currently consists of an 18-story hotel tower and a 720,000-sq.-ft. double-height low-rise with a three-acre pool deck.

Two five-story cast-in-place garages combine for 3,000 parking spaces to the east and west of the property. Bomel Construction of Anaheim, Calif., was the parking garage contractor.

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Red Rock's first phase boasts an 87,000-sq.-ft. casino with 3,000 slot machines, nine restaurants, 94,000 sq. ft. of meeting and convention space, 16-screen Regal Cinemas movie theater and a 35,000-sq.-ft. spa designed by Portland-based Architropolis.

The first phase also includes a 8,500-sq.-ft. nightclub called "Cherry." Designed by The Rockwell Group of New York, the oval-shaped facility features electric red leather walls, translucent crimson glass doors and a 7-ft. sculpture of red cherries by artist Takashi Murakami.

The 198-ft. tall cast-in-place hotel tower is unique as well. The 394,000-sq.-ft. high-rise is set on a radial curve with post-tensioned floors that cantilever 3 to 6-ft. to create architectural fins. It's clad with various shades of native sandstone as a nod to its neighbor, Red Rock National Park, and uses a custom terra rosa glass that took six months to select.

"We went out to the Red Rock Mountains and put the glass up next to the rocks to make sure it blended with and complemented the natural surroundings," said Albie Colotto, Friedmutter's director of design. "We did that at different times of the day, from dawn until dusk, devoting over six months to choosing and creating the precise color of glass for our desired results."

The complexion of the glass evolves throughout the day, appearing dark, at times, and transparent or reflective at others. Walters & Wolf Glass Co. of Fremont, Calif. is the glass supplier/fabricator.

"Red Rock redefines how casinos are created, incorporating liberal use of glass walls to provide natural light and views of the mountains to meld inside and outside," said Lori Nelson, a Station Casinos spokesperson. "The result is mid-century classic glamour fused with desert-modern decor and the comforts of a modern lifestyle."

The low-rise, for example, has more than 3.1 million pieces of Swarovski crystals, or 99 mi. worth. The casino alone has 12 crystal chandelier spheres, each with more than 36,000 crystal pieces. The resort's sunken circular hotel lobby features the property's most stunning chandelier - a 32-ft.-tall, inverted wedding cake design with more than 185,993 crystal pieces.

And there are 590 palm trees used through the resort, including 2 double-trunk tornado palms on the 17th floor. Lifescapes International, Newport Beach, Calif., is the landscape architect. Red Rock has numerous waterfalls with palm trees that appear to float on pools of water as well as decorative fire features.

Construction hasn't been simple.

"Due to the fast-track schedule, construction occurred while detailed architectural plans were finalized, which made coordination a challenge," said Roy Wright, Perini's project superintendent.

The project, as a result, utilized two hammerhead tower cranes to help expedite building progress. Red Rock has seen over 60 subcontractors and 1,000 tradespeople onsite at the height of building activity.

Perini is self-performing the carpentry, labor and concrete work. It's a move that gives them more control over the project's quality and scheduling, said Joseph Pipia, a Perini project manager.

The second tower, meanwhile, is currently on track to finish in December. It shares the same design, look and construction as its older sibling. But the 198-ft. tall tower also has luxury penthouses that cantilever by 8 ft. for dramatic views of the surrounding Red Rock Mountains.

The steel-framed, 22,000-sq.-ft. upper level has an upturned roof line that creates a greater sense of volume and scale. Studio Gaia of New York City was the penthouse designer.

The addition requires 115 tons of structural steel to complete. SME Steel Contractors of West Jordan, Utah, is the steel fabricator and erector.

The tower will also take 20,000 cu. yds. of concrete and $5.7 million worth of glass to finish. It will bring the property's room tally to 850.

The Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa will employ roughly 2,400 people. It marks Station Casinos' 15th property in southern Nevada.

 

Key Players
Owner:	Station Casinos
General Contractor:	Perini Building Company
Architect:	Friedmutter Group (Phase 1); KGA Architecture (Phase 2)
Steel:	SME Steel Contractors; Century Steel
Electrical:	Bombard Electric Co., Inc.
Mechanical:	Hansen Mechanical Contractors
Glazing:	Walters & Wolf