DESERT LIVING CENTER, LAS VEGAS

As part of a massive water conservation program, the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Foundation hired AldrichPears Associates as part of a team to develop an interpretive master plan for a pristine parcel of land in the center of the city. The resulting 180-acre Las Vegas Springs Preserve (LVSP) is positioned to engage visitors with the valley’s past and inspire action toward a sustainable future.

The jewel of the project is The Desert Living Center (DLC), which provides the inspiration, practical strategies and tools residents need to conserve water and live more sustainably in the desert. The LVSP site opened with great fanfare in June 2007, with custom performances by Cirque du Soleil and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

In 1999, APA’s initial role was to facilitate a process involving creative workshops, site analysis and economic feasibility analysis. This led to the development of the overall concept for the LVSP site, buildings and visitor experience as well as an operational infrastructure plan. After the master-planning phase, APA acted as the design authority overseeing development of many of the educational and interpretive areas of the site, with a focus on the Desert Living Center.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

To motivate Las Vegans to value their environmental resources and protect them, AldrichPears wanted to show residents that they are part of the desert’s water cycle. As visitors drink from a water fountain, they physically enter the water cycle.

The DLC’s fun, lighthearted exhibitry communicates practical messages about lifestyle changes and sustainable living for adults and young people alike.

With its emphasis on action-based education, the DLC is setting the standard for community partnership and environmental sensitivity. The Center’s Design Lab, which advocates conservation in urban design and architecture, is a resource for homeowners and building professionals. School programs, conferences and workshops take place in the Dialogue Center’s relaxed classrooms.

The DLC site and buildings themselves incorporate sustainable design. Interpretive sculptures highlight the DLC buildings’ green design features such as straw bale walls, passive cooling towers and earth berming. The AldrichPears design team also developed an interpretive plan for the Center’s xeriscaped demonstration garden.

AldrichPears is proud to have played a key role in the development of a facility that will inspire and support continued community action toward a sustainable future.

TAA members Artcraft Display Graphics Inc. and CD/M2 Lightworks Corp. and former member Conceptron Design also contributed to the project.

www.aldrichpears.com