LEED Gold Veer Towers Soar Over CityCenter in Las Vegas

In a town full of themed buildings, faux pyramids and rollercoasters, refined modern architecture is hard to come by. The new <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/01/07/is-it-green-citycenter/" target="_blank">CityCenter</a>, which opened this past summer, diverges from the standard Las Vegas fare with some more sophisticated buildings that make significant green strides. <a href="http://www2.citycenter.com/environment/commitment/" target="_blank">Six of the CityCenter buildings</a> have been awarded LEED Gold certification, including the Veer Towers residential development, designed by Helmut Jahn of <a href="http://www.murphyjahn.com/base.html" target="_blank">Murphy Jahn</a>. Fortunately, Jahn's residential towers aren't burning guests like the <a href="http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/las-vegas-death-ray.html" target="_blank">Death Ray building</a> located directly behind, otherwise known as the Aria.

Veer Towers is part of the CityCenter development in Las Vegas. It is one of six buildings that have been LEED Gold certified.

The leaning twin condominium towers were designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy Jahn.

The 37-story towers include retail space on the lower floors and 335 condominiums per tower on the upper floors.

The east, west, and south facade of each tower is covered in yellow checkerboard sunscreens to minimize solar gain.

About 50% of the glass underneath is fritted to further reduce solar gain inside and improve energy efficiency.

The roofs of the towers have amenities for residents like pools and lounge areas.

Offering dramatic views of the city, these refined eco towers stand apart from the other themed buildings in Las Vegas.

Natural air ventilation and daylighting play a large role in the design of Veer Towers.

Helmut Jahn <a href="http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2010/01/18/news/iq_33669731.txt" target="_blank">said</a> about the design of the building: "We wanted to do real architecture, which tips its hat towards this entertainment culture. No 'theming' but architecture based on urban responsibility, functional efficiency, simple and elegant form, technical refinement and environmental responsibility."