Reaching high into the Las Vegas skyline is CityCenter, one of the world's largest environmentally sustainable developments. The general contractor for the project, Perini Building Company, relied on biodiesel blends to power heavy construction equipment and crew vehicles. Their focus on environmentally friendly practices resulted in six LEED Gold Certifications for the 67-acre urban development. This is the highest LEED achievement of any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas.

A B20 blend of biodiesel was used in construction equipment such as excavators, front end loaders and dump trucks for excavation and site work began in 2006. Biodiesel was used for work equipment and crew trucks through late 2009. This use of biodiesel resulted in a LEED Innovation Credit for reducing carbon emissions and utilizing local yellow food grease which would have otherwise been sent to a landfill.

CityCenter is a city within a city. It includes a casino, eight hotels, condominiums, numerous retail shops, restaurants, theaters and other entertainment venues. During its peak construction period, more people worked on CityCenter than worked during the peak construction period of the Hoover Dam. The project was developed by MGM MIRAGE.

Construction on CityCenter's major facilities began in April 2006 and was completed in December 2009. The project employed 250 subcontracting firms, over 100,000 craftspeople and a professional staff of over 500 people at CityCenter. In addition to biodiesel, construction areas with an impact on LEED certification included:

• Construction Waste Management
• Recycled Content
• Manufactured and Extracted Regional Materials
• FSC Certified Wood
• Construction Indoor Air Quality Management (IAQ)
• Low-Emitting Materials
• Construction Pollution Prevention
  

"MGM MIRAGE's initiative to build such an unprecedented environmentally sustainable project has changed the Las Vegas construction and hospitality industry," said Craig Shaw, president and chief executive officer of Perini Building Company. "There is a new level of understanding of the importance of environmentally responsible construction."

For more information, see http://www.citycenter.com.

Spring 2010