Entry number: B07028
Project Name: Waterworks Facility at the Springs Preserve
Location: 333 South Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas
Building Type: Public – Utility & Exhibit Building
Completion Date: June, 2007
Architect:  Lucchesi Galati


Sustainable Description

Design Team:
Architect: Lucchesi Galati
Civil Engineer: Pentacore (Stantec)
Electrical Engineer: Boyle Engineering Company
General Contractor: Tiberti Construction Company
Interior Designer: Lucchesi Galati
Landscape Architect: Deneen Powell Atelier
Photographer: Tom Bonner and Jeff Roberts
Structural Engineer: Pentacore (Stantec)

Narrative/Project Description:
Located in Las Vegas, Waterworks is a $26-million multi-faceted utility and exhibit building, and includes a 20 million gallon water reservoir. Waterworks consists of a 24,000 square foot, three-level concrete structure that houses 10 large water pumps, accompanying pump controls, water service monitoring, along with interpretive exhibits. The adjacent below-grade concrete water reservoir serves three purposes; education, storing potable water and lending its roof as the main parking for the Springs Preserve site. Interpretive exhibits along the parking deck describe how the site once was the crossroads for the Spanish and Mormon Trails, and the Paiute Indians.

Waterworks is an operational water utility, and includes informative exhibits to educate visitors of the technology necessary to deliver water to the Las Vegas valley. Visitors enter the building through a 12 foot diameter concrete pipe, which gives visitor the experience of water passing through a pipe underground, and proceed to the 2nd story through an additional 12 foot pipe which contains the elevator. At the 2nd story, a viewing deck allows visitors to peer into the 20 million gallon water reservoir that houses the same water they are using in their homes. Visitors can view the 300 foot pump room and visit an interactive pump control exhibit that is linked to the operating machinery. Finally, exhibits show dissected pumps, valves and other fixtures that describe the water purveying process.

Waterworks is almost entirely poured-in-place concrete to adsorb pump equipment vibrations. Screen walls that surround the grade-level mechanical yards are made of integral colored concrete poured in varied levels to resemble the strata of the mountains surrounding Las Vegas and give an organic nature to an otherwise typically hard utilitarian building. These strata are highly detailed with different sized aggregate, from 3/4 to 2 1/2 inch minus, and varying color of aggregate. Also, there are varying integral colors added to the concrete to signify each separate stratum. The designers and contractor worked to achieve the desired look for each strata lift. Lifts varied from 18 up to 48 inches for walls that were 12 to 18 inches thick. Walls were pressure-washed within 48 hours after the forms were removed to expose aggregate and imperfections within the concrete for an organic aesthetic. Steel accents on the building including stairs, railings, and shade structures were pre-weathered to continue the rustic look of the building.

Sustainability Description:
Waterworks incorporates many sustainable design elements that make the building well adapted for the Mojave Desert climate, To begin at the exterior, the building is oriented for optimum solar performance. For example, the northern elevation has the largest exposure where thermal gain is minimal but uses a large glass curtain wall to provide maximum amount of daylighting. The east and west elevations incorporate absolute minimum glazing and use screen walls to protect against thermal gain due to solar radiation. The Southern exposure is heavily shaded by the roof overhang, and uses high windows just below the roof line fpr natural daylighting. Also, the South elevation is almost entirely below grade, up to 16 feet, insulating it from thermal gain or loss. The roofing is a high albedo material to reduce any possible heat island effect. This same high albedo principal is used for the surrounding paving and landscaping too. Landscaping is designed to mimic native surroundings, using almost entirely native plantings and uses efficient irrigation systems to reduce water needs. With concrete being the major building material, most components of the concrete were extracted regionally, manufactured locally and the ready mix was done on site at the mixing plant. Moreover, using concrete supports our local economy and construction industry within Las Vegas. As another major building component, steel was chosen as a building material due in part because it has a high recycled content and reduces the need for virgin material.

Within the interior, much of the occupied space is left to the exposed structural components reducing, if not eliminating, the amount of additional finishing materials that were used. Reducing special interior finishes also reduces the need for maintenance of such materials, Paints and coatings were limited in VOC content to improve interior air quality. Lighting, both interior and exterior, is compliant with all ASHRAE and IESNA standards that limit light pollution, and lighting calculations were performed to confirm all lighting met LEED Sustainable Sites Credit 8; Light Pollution Reduction standards. Cooling for occupied spaces is provided via high efficient evaporative cooling, and all of the water fixtures meet standards for low-flow volumes to reduce potable water needs. Finally, the main corridors and stair wells for occupant circulation are at the perimeter of the structure to reduce the need to condition these non-regularly occupied spaces.