Dec 17 2009
Executive Construction Manager Tishman Construction Corporation, this month delivered an unprecedented venture in real estate, hospitality, entertainment and gaming to client MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Dubai World. CityCenter, an 18-million-square-foot, $8.5-billion project that opened this month on the Las Vegas Strip, is the result of world-class architecture, interior design, art, engineering and construction.
Design and construction of the largest private development in the U.S. began 60 months ago and required innovations in technology and coordination that allowed Tishman, in conjunction with MGM MIRAGE, to deliver the project on schedule.
Astounding in scope and scale, the project required 77,000 tons of steel, equivalent to 10.5 Eiffel Towers; 1.2 million cubic yards of concrete, equivalent to 120,000 typical concrete-mixing trucks; 30 cranes, including 13 tower cranes; more than 3.7 million square feet of curtain wall facade, equivalent to 78 football fields; 17,000 miles of electrical wiring; and 7,000 miles of telecom, security and A/V cabling. Tishman Construction Corporation successfully achieved the challenge of planning, budgeting, scheduling, and overseeing construction on all of the elements of CityCenter during a three-and-a-half-year time frame.
CityCenter is home to the 4,004-room ARIA Resort & Casino which contains a 300,000-square-foot convention center and an 1,800-seat theater; Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas hotel; the Crystals retail and entertainment district; Vdara Hotel & Spa; The Harmon hotel; and residential Veer Towers. The project also contains extensive public art installations. To tackle the technical innovations, vast scope, and complexities of the project designed under the aegis of MGM Mirage, Tishman assigned 150 professionals, among them construction managers, architects, engineers, estimators, schedulers, cost control specialists, project controls specialists, global procurement professionals, superintendents and LEED specialists, to manage and coordinate work on the 67-acre site. Tishman Construction closely collaborated with Executive Architect Gensler and with the world-renowned architects and their teams on individual buildings. Tishman also worked closely with General Contractor Perini.
"Tishman is accustomed to taking on complicated mega-projects and to sorting out their logistical challenges and wide-ranging issues. We worked side-by-side with the MGM MIRAGE executive team to meet their needs during every step of the process," said Daniel R. Tishman, Chairman and CEO of Tishman Construction. "Our professionals thrive on managing the complexities and meeting the challenges of large visionary projects that are game-changers in the world of architecture and design. I am extremely proud of what we've accomplished here."
Providing Key Services for Critical Activities Every Step of the Way
As a full-service construction management firm and national leader in the construction management field, Tishman Construction provided a broad array of services as an extension of the Owner's staff during all phases of the project, including:
- Planning phase: scheduling, budgeting and cost estimates, constructability reviews, logistics, strategic procurement, cost control criteria, and systems development and selection;
- Implementation/Construction phase: review bidding, validate engineering and value analysis, resolve design and field conflicts, review and confirm construction progress, and monitor cash flow/manpower;
- Final phase: monitor building commissioning, confirm certificates of occupancy, and negotiate final contract costs.
"A key part of our working relationship with MGM MIRAGE and Dubai World on the CityCenter project was our ability to comprehend the scope of the development. We understood their design and construction complexities, budgeting processes, quality expectations, and reporting methods," said Daniel P. McQuade, President of Tishman Construction Corporation of Nevada. "Working closely with our clients, we built an enormous level of comfort and trust for our clients, by bringing on the most talented people in our industry."
Additionally, in 2008, MGM MIRAGE and Tishman Construction agreed to expand Tishman's role by serving as general contractor for interior fit-outs for the residences at Mandarin Oriental, Veer Towers, and Sky Suites at ARIA.
"Our imaginative solutions to the challenges that arose at CityCenter truly demonstrate our analytical ability and how uniquely qualified Tishman is to work on complex projects," said Jim Scarpace, TCC Executive Vice President and Corporate Executive for CityCenter. "MGM MIRAGE worked with brilliant and forward-thinking architects, engineers, interior designers, and artists on CityCenter. It was our job to execute MGM MIRAGE's visions and make it a reality. I'm delighted with the technical expertise and ability our team brought to this mega-project"
Sustainability Was A Priority from Day One
An area of importance to the owners of CityCenter was their goal of achieving high levels of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the project, as specified by U.S. Green Building Council. All design, development, and construction companies involved operated under the owners' mandate of overall sustainability with one goal in mind: to create a destination that is not only built in an environmentally sustainable manner, but also operates every day with an equal commitment to conserving natural resources.
The amount of energy saved by the efficient design of CityCenter is equal to the average annual power use of 8,800 homes. LEED Gold certifications have already been achieved by six buildings at CityCenter.
Entire Professional Team Used State-of-the-Art Project Management Systems to Stay on Top of Tens of Thousands of Activities
Advanced project management systems allowed Tishman to trace, record, date stamp and electronically sign and store all matters concerning budgeting and estimating; design development and management; value engineering; procurement; change management and cost control; scheduling; cash-flow management; field reporting; quality management and commissioning; and close-out management.
"A project of this scope needs robust cost reporting capabilities and clear definitions of responsibilities," said Mark Bodner, First Vice President of Tishman Construction. "Responsibilities must be detailed, processes must be transparent and workflows must be consistent. Tishman Construction met these demands with the seamless coordination of thousands of participants and workers--many with different project management styles."
Innovative Worldwide Procurement Efforts Cut Costs
The Tishman procurement team created umbrella agreements that allowed local subcontractors to purchase materials directly from manufacturers around the globe at a pre-approved, pre-negotiated, point-of-purchase prices, allowing the owner to leverage massive buying power of the project and resulting in substantial savings. This model proved to be highly effective, especially in the areas of copper tubing, stainless steel pipe, lighting fixtures, wood millwork, curtain wall, conduit, carpet, stone, tile, glass, and doors.
Source: http://www.tishman.com/