straw bale + rammed earth = platinum in Vegas
Just because Las Vegas lives far beyond its own water supply doesn't mean you can't be green in celebrating its water history.
Here at the site of this desert town's original spring, developers have won LEED platinum with straw bale and rammed earth construction in a 180-acre visitor center.
Never mind that the spring stopped flowing to the surface in 1962.
Locals and visitors will come here to capture the essence of the land and early inhabitants who made the Springs Preserve their home and to gain a vision of a sustainable future (via red orbit).
That's the aim of the "Springs Preserve," whose green museums, botanical gardens, galleries, trails and concert venues will serve to illustrate the benefits of recycling, conservation and alternative energy sources in a fun and interactive environment.
The Preserve's complex of five buildings incorporate innovative green products such as:
- carpet made from recycled pop bottles,
- bio-filtration ponds that reclaim on-site wastewater,
- certified sustainable lumber,
- rammed earth walls,
- straw bale walls,
- radiant floor heating,
- cool towers for evaporative cooling systems,
- computer controlled building operations systems, and
- "Low VOC" paints, furniture, fabrics and wood composites.
The Desert Living Center at the Preserve uses green living principles as the focus of interpretation within its Sustainability Gallery, providing a forum for learning practical means of protecting valuable environmental resources without compromising their quality of life.
Yeah. Pass the water.
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