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The Las Vegas Gameworks is on Las Vegas Boulevard ("the Strip"), directly west of the Coca-Cola bottle and adjacent to the MGM Grand Hotel. The artificial climbing rock is the world's tallest, being 71'-0" from finish floor at the base, which is in the basement level of the hotel, to top of steel at the highest point, which is approximately at the 3rd floor mezzanine level. The next largest structure of this type is located at REI in Seattle, WA, which tops out at 65'-0.
The main structural frame is 14x14x1/2 tube steel, which is fully moment-connected at each node, and was designed by Ficcadenti & Waggoner Consulting Engineers, of Irvine, CA. Matt Stevens of Ficcadenti & Waggoner was the Project Engineer. Secondary steel consisting of braced angles provides support for bolt-on climbing holds which may be relocated in order to provide varying degrees of difficulty in ascending the structure. The climbing routes were designed by Rad Wall, a firm from Northern California which specializes in constructed climbing facilities.
The steel structural framework is encased in a reinforcing steel cage, over which reinforcing mesh is applied, and the entire structure is gunited. The general contractor for this project, Living Waters of Brea, CA is a specialist in this type of construction.
The structural steel fabricator was K & J Steel, Washington, Utah, and the primary structural steel was detailed by Tekton Construction Services, Corona, CA. Special thanks are due to Joe Monreal, Project Manager, John Wright, Quality Control, and Jerry, the layout fitter, from K & J Steel for their respective roles in this project.
The project was noteworthy because the unusual geometry required close coordination among the structural engineer, the steel detailer, and the steel fabricator, in order to insure that engineering requirements were met, and that the structure could be easily constructed inside an existing hotel. The parties involved were not acquainted prior to commencing this project, and all communication took place via telephone, FAX, and emailed *.dwgs. As a result of close communication between the detailer and the structural engineer, it was possible to fabricate and erect the primary structural steel without formal engineering approval of the shop drawings prior to construction. The shop drawings were submitted to the structural engineer for approval, and approved as drawn and fabricated, after the primary steel was erected. Thus, the steel fabrication met a very tight construction schedule.
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©2000-2009 Herman Mayfarth
Last updated Nov 09