Entry number: OC07012
Project Name: ECO Casino
Building Type: Hospitality
Completion Date: N/A
Architect: Steelman Partners

Sustainability Description

Narrative/Project Description:
A building that's both a fantasy attraction and a structure sensitive to new environmental designs; a must-see architectural aesthetic; The marvel of energy creation can become spectacular pieces of design and architecture - actual working world-class entertainment facilities."

Entertainment design has traditionally relied on having a "theme" as an attraction to create successful mega resorts, and some of the world's largest buildings are hotel entertainment resorts.
Most architects of large commercially oriented structures design for a specific business purpose and the buildings are so large and expensive that energy generation structures are at the bottom of the list. Resort casinos are among the largest energy users. An average resort casino utility bill in Las Vegas can exceed US $2 million per month. A typical Nevada resort could save US $25 million a year by going ecosino - a casino resort whose electricity is made by sunlight with absolutely no fumes emitted.
The bodies of water and water falls located along dramatic crevices running through the project, the immense green roof, and the light weight solar balloon hovering above the structure, all act as dramatic features for this Eco-Casino allowing it to exist simultaneously as an efficient green energy generating machine and an immersive, fantasy- like environment.

Sustainability Description:
The exploration of renewable energies and integration of such methods and technologies into the project sits at the heart of this proposal.

The diagram above encapsulates multiple facets by which this project incorporates renewable energies, and all text in the following pages is the extension of this same topic of sustainability.

Solar Electric Photovoltaic panels­: These modules of three-dimensional solar cells are integrated into the building skin. The three-dimensional photovoltaic cells trap light between their tower structures. Because the tower structures can trap and absorb light received from many different angles, the cells remain efficient even when the sun is not di­rectly overhead.
Wind Towers: Serving as an architectural device to generate cool­ing natural ventilation, these towers are capped and have several directional ports at the top. The key here to generating cool temperatures is that there are very few cracks at the base of the thick structure blow, but there is a significant air gap above the water-1)()d\- with frequent water reser­voirs along its path. The wind towers also function as stack-effect aggregators of hot air. They- create a pressure gradient which allows less dense hot air to travel upwards and escape out the top.

Solar Balloon­: This feature self-activates with the aid of rising hot air from within the building complex. In the day-time, the balloon inflates and rises up between the integrated array of photo-voltaic modules, boosting the absorption by capturing and reflect­ing back the rays escaping the primary impact with the solar-panel saturated building skin.

Wind Turbines: Wind turbines are lodged along multiple verti­cal crevices running through the building in two directions. Wind veins run through the building cavities actuating the wind-turbines.