CityCenter

Overview

CityCenter provides a sophisticated, cosmopolitan hub to the Las Vegas Strip.

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada

Client

MGM Resorts International

Expertise

[FPO] Mixed Use Hospitality [FPO] Urban Design

Opportunity

MGM Resorts saw an opportunity to move beyond the themed resort model and create a cosmopolitan city district on the world’s most competitive entertainment corridor.

The Las Vegas Strip had long been defined by spectacle and simulation. MGM resorts International envisioned something fundamentally different: a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban environment where world-class architecture, genuine sustainability, and authentic urban density could coexist at resort scale.

Why This Matters

01
Redefining a Global Destination
Las Vegas had never seen a development of this ambition or density. CityCenter’s success would determine whether the Strip could evolve into a true urban destination rather than a collection of isolated resort islands.
02
Sustainability at Unprecedented Scale
Demonstrating that a large-scale hospitality and entertainment development could achieve meaningful environmental performance would set a new benchmark for the industry and prove that sustainability and luxury are not in conflict.
03
Coordinating a World-Class Design Team
Bringing five globally recognized architecture firms into a cohesive, unified district required a level of design leadership and coordination that had rarely been attempted on a single private development.

FPO Quote

Solution

Gensler served as executive architect and design coordinator, providing the connective tissue that unified five distinct architectural visions into one urban district.

Rather than imposing a single aesthetic, Gensler established the frameworks, standards and coordination processes that allowed each architect’s vision to flourish while ensuring the district read as a unified whole. Gensler led programming, construction documentation, administration and the design of common areas. Sustainability was embedded from the outset through a series of eco-charrettes that shaped every building’s performance targets. The result is a district where bold individual buildings contribute to a walkable, contemporary urban experience.

From brief to build: Gensler managed one of the most complex multi-architect coordination efforts on a single private development site.

Impact

CityCenter opened in 2009 as a new kind of Las Vegas, one defined by urban density, architectural ambition, and measurable environmental performance.

The district established that a resort development could achieve genuine sustainability, attract world-class design talent, and deliver a pedestrian experience unlike anything previously built on the Strip.

What Changed Because of This

01
The Urban Experience of the Strip
CityCenter introduced a walkable, pedestrian-scaled district to a corridor historically designed around the car and single-resort experience.
02
Environmental Performance in Hospitality
With six LEED certifications, 30% greater energy and water efficiency than comparable buildings, and 33% water savings, CityCenter demonstrated that large-scale hospitality development could meet rigorous sustainability standards without compromising the guest experience.
03
The Scale of What Is Possible
CityCenter expanded the definition of what a private development could accomplish, proving that architectural diversity, urban coherence, and environmental responsibility could be achieved simultaneously at resort scale.