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TECTONIC Las Vegas

 

TECTONIC Las Vegas is a conceptual design for a casino for a plot of land on the Las Vegas Strip. I was responsible for the concept illustrations and the show writing. Catie Dellemonache completed the concept sketches, Leslie Dong completed the masterplans, and Andy Hernandez completed the building models. 

My team's initail inspiration was the visual concept of magma glowing through a faultline. What if the rocky ground was the building? What if the magma was smooth glass windows? 

 

To the left are my initial concept sketches of two masses colliding and creating a faultline. That's where our story was born. 

 

 

Energy release associated with rapid movement on active faults is the cause of most earthquakes. And here, on the Las Vegas Strip, this fault is active.

Two lovers, two colossal Titans, embodied in Tectonic plates, meet at this fault with a love so fiery and tempestuous, it shakes the Earth.

After establishing the story and aesthetic mood as passionate, fiery, and tense, we moved on to consider what elements and spaces would fill out our lot and we came up with the above ground plan (designed by Leslie Dong.) I completed the final facade rendering, pictured below. 

Guests enter at the collision point of the tectonic plates. A river of lava flows around the building, marking the entrance and carrying boats across its crimson waters. Guests choose their own path through a system of bridges and travel directly into the tectonic fault. 

 

The lobby was formed by the collision of the two colossal bodies. The fusion of their energy has created a hard, fractal space. 

 

The lobby in our design is created by lounge areas and crevices in the stone, leading to the exterior retail areas.

Falling lava becomes the backdrop of the reception desk. Elevators on either side are the main form of transportation through the hotel. But if guests choose, they may take the stairs up and behind the lava to the mezzanine level, wrapping around the entire space.Located on the second level is the dinner show entrance, the lobby bar, and a single elevator which travels through the fault line, becoming an attraction in and of itself. The following sketch depicts the TECTONIC lobby (by Catie Dellemonache.) 

Traveling further into the resort, the guest suite focuses on the guest experience, using angles and light to create unique moments around every turn. 

I designed the room layout and completed the floor plan and perspective render. Catie Dellemonache completed all of the room sketches. 

The first view in the room is the freestanding wet bar, which flows like molten rock, fusing into the floor. Guests also catch a first glimpse of the lit, fractal sculpture, referencing the exterior fault. As they round the first corner, they see a stone soaking tub against the window, partially enclosed by an electrostatic glass. The shower area, across from the tub, is cornered between the slate wall and panes of glass and utilizes multiple showerheads. The bed is not visible from the door, left as the final moment of this unique experience. The minimalistic design and the movement of the fault draw the attention to the window to create an atmosphere of primal instincts. 

To contrast the fiery interior of the resort, we also included a unique pool experience in our designs. The pool area references hot springs and cool, quiet moments. A web-like structure of coiled lava stretches over the water, offering shade and enclosure. I completed the final rendering of the TECTONIC pool, pictured below. 

For the nightly light and fountain spectacular, Tectonic Pulse captures the intensity of a volcanic eruption. 

 

The earth comes to life. Magma ruptures into the night. Light radiates to the sky. Shards of rock explode from the depths. The eruption engulfs Las Vegas in a titanic force that is heady, earth shattering, and Tectonic. 

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