Projects
resorts world

Resorts World

Project Overview

On the Las Vegas Strip, where every hospitality venue boasts its own set of unique features, Resorts World Las Vegas succeeds in setting itself apart. Hired by general contractor W.A. Richardson Builders LLC, Giroux Glass provided extensive interior and exterior glazing work for the Resorts World property; working to design-assist and install the many and diverse glass components of this project.

The project consisted of three primary sites of installation: the “Podium,” the pool deck and villas, and the “Spine” – the portion of the property that houses the casino floor and a myriad of retail and dining establishments.

Specifically, the scope included the following:

  • Exterior curtain wall
  • Structural glass wall entrance
  • Skylights
  • All-glass entrance doors/vestibules
  • Handrail and metal panels
  • Panda wall sliding doors

Challenges and Solutions

The custom curtain wall systems for the Podium and Spine presented some of the most challenging aspects of this project. The design of the system itself was highly complicated, using a unique, steel-loaded I-beam system to support large spans of glass, allowing for various degrees of deflection at different levels.

The curtain wall also incorporated a diverse assortment of oversized lites comprised of many different glass makeups, and combined, in some areas, with metal panels, to create a unique, varied pattern of glass, spandrel, and metal across multiple floor lines. We added yet more decorative and functional custom architectural elements to that varied exterior. Further additions included a variety of sunshades, glass fins, metal panels, and portals. It was critical for us to take extreme care in tracking and organizing each component of these many diverse sets of elements in order to achieve their successful installation.

“Giroux’s expertise helped us achieve our design very quickly and effectively. Their team understood our vision and worked with us to create a stunning and sleek façade for Resorts World Las Vegas .” – Patrick Hanson, Project Manager, Steelman Partners (architect)

Additionally, obtaining the huge quantity of 40,000 square feet of gold glass added further challenges. It was essential for us to strategically plan how and when to order and receive the quantities needed to complete each of the various phases of the installation, as Viracon manufactures the glass only at specific times and in limited quantities during the year.

We also had to accommodate several late-stage changes to the project, which presented a number of challenges, given the specificity of the materials used, and the project’s rapidly-approaching deadline. Our solutions to both of these challenges involved creating and maintaining a unique, coordinated schedule to keep the product arriving as needed for continuous installation. We did not have the luxury of waiting for all of our pieces to arrive before beginning the work; we had to install them as we received them.

“Our team spent many hours collaborating with trade partners and ownership to meet the visual and structural requirements of the curtain wall system that appears in the Spine, Podium and retail build-outs. Ongoing discussions and changes required us to maximize crews in a time where glazier labor was sparse to ensure the project was completed on time.” – Jerod Allen, V.P. of Business Development, Giroux Glass 

To meet the project’s tight timeline, our team of glaziers worked seven days a week for the final three months of the installation. It was a very demanding schedule for our field crew, but through their hard work and dedication, they were able to get everything done in time for Resort World’s grand opening in June 2021.

The project represents one of the largest scopes Giroux Glass has ever had the privilege to take on. “Every type of work that Giroux typically does is present on this one project,” says Giroux Glass Project Executive Jessica Castillo, who managed the Spine portion of the installation along with V.P of Business Development, Jerod Allen. Over twenty-five separate scopes were executed on the Spine portion of the project alone, from curtain wall to extra-large skylights, to structural glass walls, to ceiling mirrors. Extreme organization and adaptability at every step of the project were key to its successful installation.

“Altogether, our work on Resorts World involved roughly 25 scopes overseen by several different project managers. Everything Giroux installs — from curtain wall to enormous 28×28-feet skylights, to structural glass walls, to ceiling mirrors – was installed on this project.” – Jessica Castillo, Project Executive, Giroux Glass

Here is some more detail about the various elements our team completed:

Curtain wall system:

  • 36,500 square feet of glass were used for the Spine curtain wall. The Podium portion included 10,000 square feet of glass installed into a 55,000 square-foot curtain wall system.
  • Resorts World is the only project on the Las Vegas Strip constructed with this robust system.
  • The (Arcadia) T-I Beam Aluminum Unique vertical beams used in the Southeast entry curtain wall were “I”-shaped to accommodate unique load and deflections requirements. In our 75-year history, we had never before seen or installed beams of this shape.
  • At about 11 lbs. per linear foot, this curtain wall system weighs over three times that of a typical curtain wall system, which averages only about 3.5 lbs. per linear foot.
  • Eighteen (18) mullions were installed; each one was steel-loaded and extruded without a splice.
  • The mullions each measured an unprecedented 52’ long. Standard length is typically no more than 24’ long, with lengths of 30’ being a rare exception. We have never previously installed mullions of this length. . .
  • . . .  Nor have we ever installed mullions of such excessive weight. Each of the mullions used in the Southeast entry weighed over a ton, or about 2,340 lbs. apiece.
  • For the above reasons, the mullions’ installation required a crane and engineered rigging.

Handrail:

  • We installed a total of about one mile of handrail with custom cladded panels throughout all combined scopes of the project.
  • Located at the South end of the Spine, (the plaza/mall area), the railing cladding on level 6 ties into the top of an enormous LED display, to hide the mounting brackets it required. This “ZOUK Nightclub” single LED Display wraps around two sides of the building and measures 64’ tall – or about six stories high.

Miscellaneous:

  • If laid down flat, the amount of glass used across all scopes of this project would cover an entire professional soccer field of about 81,000 square feet.
  • The interior and build-out bars and restaurants used a plethora of different types of specialty glass.
  • At poolside in the villas, we installed 36 units of 80” x 156” chemically-strengthened radius laminate glass, each lite weighing 1,200 lbs. These villas also included custom Panda stacking doors.
  • At roof level, we installed six large pyramid-shaped skylights — made from double-layered, high-efficiency polycarbonate — that measured 28’ x 28’, and each weighed a little over a ton, or 2,500 lbs. To lift the frames to roof level, we had to order a special lift that was narrow enough to make it through the existing doors, yet extensive enough to rise to the required height of 90’. Once we maneuvered the frames into their final position, we installed the polycarbonate pieces into place within the skylight frames.
  • In the promenade area, we installed a custom red glass wall that measures 20’ x 20’. This is located outside the “Umi Uma” restaurant, but inside the building. The sole purpose of this installation was for the glass to serve as a red background “canvas” for a huge black graphic featuring an octopus.
  • For the “Wally’s Wine” storefront, we installed the CRL “Fallbrook” partitions system. This was the first time we have ever installed this system.
  • Custom glass types also included were low iron glass, frosted custom cross-reeded laminated glass, and antiqued mirrors.
  • Spa & Fitness – consisted of custom mirrors, heavy satin etch glass, and heavy low iron glass.
  • Fred Segal men’s and women’s stores – TS-30 Panda’s lift and Slid doors, storefront with a faux wrap, custom handles, 3/4” glass and mirrors.

Materials

Spine

  • Viracon  –  1” & 1 1/4” VG1-20 “gold” insulating IG units @ curtain wall
  • NWI – 1” SNX 51/23 insulating Low-E on low iron IG units @ curtain wall
  • Glasswerks – 13/16” clear tempered laminated @ Handrail locations
  • CRL – handrail base shoe, cladded with brushed stainless steel with top cap of same finish, Patriot Red & Antique Bronze cladding panels from base of shoe to top of curtain wall panels.
  • Arcadia – curtain wall (T500 TI Beam & T500 Systems) with integrated sunshades and panels.
  • CW Extrusion Finish: Antique Bronze 70% Kynar, 2-Coat MICA exotic
  • Brake Metal/Panels: Antique Bronze 70% Kynar, 2-Coat MICA exotic, Cashmere DBC 758 70% Kynar 2-Coat, Warm Grey 70% Kynar 2-Coat, & Patriot Red.
  • PRL – all-glass doors and custom hardware
  • ASSA ABLOY – auto operators with panic hardware
  • Panda Windows & Doors – oversized multi-panel lift and slide doors w/ a Bronze #16 finish (Zouk, Redtail, & Craigs Vegan).
  • Smalley & Co – Dow structural and aesthetic caulking (Black, and Custom Bronze, Cashmere, & Red)
  • Sky Design – Kingspan/CPI Daylighting Skylights
  • W&W – Pilkington structural glass façade w/ fins and vestibule with 11/16” Optiwhite glass and stainless steel fittings and cladding.

Podium & Palace Villas Scope

  • Pulp Studios – 1 1/16” chemically-strengthened bent laminated glass at Palace Villas
  • Glasswerks  –  1” insulating glass units using SNX 51-23 Low-E on low-iron glass at Palace Villas @ 3900 sq. ft.
  • Viracon  –  1 1/8” insulating glass units using VG1-20 “gold” glass at Podium and North Palace Villas
  • Arcadia – curtain wall, doors and hardware
  • PRL – all-glass doors and hardware
  • Glasswerks – 3/4″ clear tempered handrail at Podium level 2
  • FHC – handrail base shoe and stainless steel top cap at Podium level 2
  • ASSA ABLOY – In-ground auto operators at Podium
  • Syer Metals – custom stainless steel door handles at Podium
  • Pohl Facades – custom red metal panels

Pool Deck Scope

  • Glasswerks – 3/4″ clear tempered handrail glass
  • FHC – handrail base shoe and stainless steel top cap
  • Sierra Metals – handrail cladding Level 5 stairs
  • Glasswerks – custom frit-patterned laminated glass for canopy at Pool Deck (2,016 SF Total)

Area N Doors Scope

  • Arcadia – wide-stile doors and hardware
  • ASSA ABLOY – auto-operator

Casino & Interiors

  • Pulp Studios – laminated ceiling mirrors custom patterns at High Limit
  • Glasswerks – all-glass wall and doors at High Limit, Credit Office and Host Office
  • Arcadia – storefront doors for interior circulation areas between the three different hotel lobbies and the casino
  • Innovative Glass – switch lite laminated glass wall for private poker area within Poker Room
  • PRL – all-glass doors with panic devices
  • Pulp Studios – custom wire glass sneeze guard at Food Court venue