The project was initiated by MGM Resorts International, the largest property owner along Las Vegas Boulevard. Back in the 2000s, its revenues from hotels, restaurants and shops exceeded those from the gambling business, that is, customers who move around the city on foot, shop and go to cafes, and do not spend whole days in a casino, moving between them, have become more valuable. by car. In 2012, MGM initiated the creation of a masterplan for the reconstruction of the boulevard sections adjacent to its casino hotels: it was supposed to become a comfortable and attractive space; the company also finances the project. Architects were chosen as the executors! Melk.
Important aspects of the project were the lively Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as the Strip, which means "narrow strip" (believed to be the most popular attraction in the world with 40 million visitors a year) and the harsh desert climate of Nevada.
At the moment, the public space along the boulevard (3.64 hectares) and "Park" (2 hectares) - the first park on this street - have been implemented. They are located near the MGM Grand, New York New York and Monte Carlo casino hotels. The renovation includes the creation of new shops and restaurants along the boulevard: thus, these giant hotel and entertainment complexes, previously "alienated" from street life, now face it. At the same time, the architects did not support this neighborhood with the pseudo-historical architecture characteristic of Las Vegas, but chose abstract forms, materials and colors reminiscent of the Mojave Desert surrounding the city (for example, metaquartzite).
The public space on the boulevard (opened in 2014) is designed for a constant flow of pedestrians, so the architects removed almost all “attractions” blocking the passage (a copy of the Brooklyn Bridge, however, remained) and smoothed out the level differences. The new fountains use 90% less water than the old ones, and the landscaping, including the trees shading the boulevard, consists of desert-like plants that do not require much watering. The project budget is $ 90 million.
This spring, the park was replaced by a parking lot on the boulevard: 250 trees and more than 7,000 plants are planted there, all of which are characteristic of the Mojave or other deserts of the world. However, the most noticeable component of the design was not green, but 18-meter openwork "umbrellas", red and white during the day and brightly illuminated at night. They were manufactured from inch steel sheets in the Netherlands using numerically controlled machines. The $ 100 million budget also includes restaurant buildings flanking the park on the side of the New York New York Casino Hotel.
