Building with concrete in Las Vegas: Le Reve and Mandalay Bay—two casino resorts built with concrete from the ground up

Concrete Construction, Jan, 2003 by Joe Nasvik

Each form table is 23 feet wide (the width between columns) and 72 feet long. The table is constructed of two structural steel beams that rest on the jack mounts on either side of the table, connected by steel trusses. Aluminum joists are positioned on top of the steel trusses parallel to the columns, with plywood deck attached to the aluminum joists.

The advantages of using column-mounted form tables, according to Patent's director of engineering, Roger Johnson, are:

* No center supports are needed.

* There is less forming material to erect and move.

* Since reshoring isn't needed, other trades can begin their work on the newly constructed floor more quickly.

Shims can be added to the column jacks if column sizes change, but at Mandalay Bay the center-to-center column spacing is 25 feet everywhere, and the column thickness is 24 inches. Only the height of the columns changes to meet structural requirements. Patent is supplying enough table forms to form two floors at a time.

Concrete

Nevada Ready Mix (NRM) is the concrete supplier for both projects. Mike Sherwood, vice president for sales, says that Le Reve will use over 300,000 cubic yards of concrete to complete the project. Mandalay Bay will use approximately 80,000 cubic yards. To supply concrete for the Le Reve project, NRM moved a batch plant onto the site with a 250-yard-per-hour capacity. Sherwood anticipates that the project will need 500 to 700 cubic yards of concrete each day, 6 days a week for the duration of the construction. "An unusual aspect of the Le Reve caisson work," he states, "is that the CFA piles will use an 8000-psi pea gravel mix."

Concrete strength requirements for both projects will range from 3000 to 8000 psi. Mix requirements above 6000 psi will include fly ash, with ultimate strength requirements to be achieved in 56 days. When asked whether there were any other special requirements for the concrete at either Le Reve or Mandalay Bay, Sherwood responded by saying, "In Las Vegas, the word fast is the unique requirement!"

Construction in Las Vegas

As in other parts of the country, Las Vegas' commercial construction market has been slow. The start of these two major projects may propel several other casino projects now in the planning process to follow.

For more information about forming systems contact

Atlas Construction Supply, 602-256-0600 or circle 1 on the reader service card.

Patent Construction Systems, 900-969-5600 or circle 2 on the reader service card.

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

Le Reve

Owner: Wynn Resorts Limited, Las Vegas

Architect: Butler-Ashworth Architects, Las Vegas

Structural Engineer: Lochsa Engineering, Las Vegas

Geotechnical Engineer: Western Technologies, Las Vegas

Concrete Testing: Owens Geotechnical, Las Vegas

General Contractor: Marnell Corrao, Las Vegas

Concrete Contractor: Marnell Corrao

Caisson Contractor: Morris Shea Bridge, Birmingham, Ala.

Forming Systems: Atlas Construction Supply, San Diego

Mandalay Bay

Owner: Mandalay Corp., Las Vegas

Architect: Klai Juba Architects, Las Vegas