Las Vegas CityCenter's Aria and Vdara Resort Hotels Receive LEED Gold Certification Status

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(News Source: CityCenter)

(LAS VEGAS, NV) -- CityCenter announced today that it has received three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council for ARIA Resort's hotel tower, ARIA's convention center and the Vdara Hotel.

ARIA and Vdara will open in December on the Las Vegas Strip and are the first of CityCenter's developments to be LEED certified.  CityCenter anticipates Gold or Silver LEED certification for its remaining developments which include Las Vegas' first Mandarin Oriental; Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district; Veer Towers, the community's only strictly residential buildings; and The Harmon (opening late 2010), a 400-room luxury boutique hotel.

Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli to artfully redefine the Las Vegas skyline, ARIA is a 4,004-room resort destination that is at the core of the 18-million-square-foot CityCenter development.  Vdara, designed by RV Architecture, LLC led by Rafael Viñoly, is an internationally inspired all-suite hotel and spa for those who love the excitement of Las Vegas but prefer to enjoy it in an exclusive, non-gaming, smoke-free environment.

CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World.

The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Meeting the rigorous environmental standards of LEED Gold Certification is a testament to the complete integration of sustainable principles throughout the design and construction of ARIA and Vdara, and the remainder of CityCenter.

CityCenter will serve as a remarkable demonstration that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable while providing exceptional entertainment, hospitality, and meeting and convention experiences.  This blend of nature and luxury will be evident in the design and construction solutions employed to achieve dramatic improvements in energy efficiency, water conservation, and occupant health and comfort.  Particular highlights of CityCenter's LEED efforts include:

• First energy-generation on The Strip through its 8.5 megawatt natural-gas co-generation plant, providing efficient electricity on site, reducing emissions and using "waste heat" to provide domestic hot water

• Water conservation technology and programs that will save between 30% and 43% of water within the buildings and 60% in outdoor landscaping

• World's first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG)

• Nation's most technologically advanced hotel rooms with exclusive features allowing guests to "green their stay"

• Development of slot machine bases that serve as floor air-conditioning distribution units, efficiently cooling public spaces from the ground up in the occupied zones, rather than wasting energy cooling the empty space below the ceiling

• Energy-efficiency initiatives providing a savings equivalent to powering 8,800 households annually

• Creation of a large-scale recycling operation that enabled the recycling or reuse of more than 260,000 tons of construction waste, including 97% of the imploded Boardwalk Hotel

"From the beginning we believed that intelligent design and sustainable practices would reinforce a sense of permanence for CityCenter and create a healthier, more appealing environment for guests, residents and our workforce," said Bobby Baldwin, CityCenter's president and CEO. "The LEED Gold certification for ARIA and Vdara is a great leap forward in our effort to redefine the destination resort experience and provide a true cultural center to the Las Vegas Strip."

Collaborating with the foremost sustainability and LEED consultants from throughout the nation, CityCenter has introduced more than 10,000 construction trade and craftsmen to green building techniques that can be implemented at other developments throughout Las Vegas and beyond.

"The CityCenter team set a standard for responsible growth in Las Vegas by pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification," added Cindy Ortega, MGM MIRAGE's senior vice president of Energy and Environmental Services Division. "CityCenter's pursuit of LEED is driving green economies of scale in multiple industry segments, paving the way for other entities to build and operate sustainably."

CityCenter's LEED certification effort was lead by MGM MIRAGE's Energy and Environmental Services Division along with a recognized group of sustainability consultants including CTG Energetics, Green Building Services, Viridian Energy & Environmental and The Fore Group.

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