With its recent certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Palazzo resort in Las Vegas is the largest “green” building in the world—by a long shot, according to a recent report in the online real estate site, GlobeSt.com
The $1.9-billion, 3,000-room resort is more than four times bigger than any other LEED-certified building, according to the USGBC, which presented developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. with a Silver LEED Certificate at an award ceremony held in April.
Key features that led to the Palazzo’s certification include:
• Artificial turf, drip irrigation and moisture sensors in planted areas, resulting in a 75 percent reduction in irrigation needs.
• Swimming pools heated with an expansive solar pool heating system. In the summer, the excess solar energy not needed for the pools is directed to the hotel’s hot water system.
• Air conditioning controls in guest suites that automatically set back when guests are gone and reset to the desired temperature upon return.
• Interior plumbing fixtures that use 37 percent less water than conventional buildings, including water-efficient showerheads, high-efficiency toilets and low-flow lavatory faucet aerators.
• Occupancy sensors in employee areas that shut off lights when no one is in the area.
• A waste-recycling program that from demolition through completion diverted over 70 percent of waste from landfills. The building’s structural steel averaged 95 percent recycled content, while the concrete averaged a 26 percent recycled content rate. The technologies conserve enough water to provide each citizen in Nevada with two gallons of water per year, according to the developer.
The technologies also save enough electricity to light a 100-watt light bulb for 12,100 years, according to the company.
In addition to its Silver LEED certificate, the U.S. Department of Energy presented Las Vegas Sands Corp. with “The Energy Innovator’s Award,” which recognizes deployment of energy-efficient and/or renewable energy technologies and services.
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