The Park

!melk

Design: !melk.
Client: MGM Resorts International.
Size: 5 acres.
Cost: $100 million (including the architecture of the restaurants).
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
Photographs: Hans Joosten.

An unprecedented and unique urban infill project in Las Vegas has just been completed.

The notorious Las Vegas Strip, today, is the most visited tourist destination in the world. The Strip recently received its first-ever park, a spectacular public space designed by !melk, that is destined to become the most trafficked park in the world.

melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_08

melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten

What makes this project remarkable is the fact that private corporations, the owners of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard, recently came to realize the value of investing in outdoor public space versus traditional real estate development (buildings). They also see the economic and marketing value of sustainable, authentic, and contextual design. A more complete and mature urban condition has begun to form, as a contrast to the prevailing thematic and artificial attractions that have given Las Vegas its familiar reputation to date.

melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_21melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_19

The cutting-edge design of “The Park” celebrates the context of the Mojave region and reinstates what Las Vegas once was: an oasis in the desert.

melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_12melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_02melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_03melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_07melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_13melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_01

Las Vegas exists in an extremely challenging arid location, exposed to sun, heat, dust storms, and scarcity of water. All design elements mitigate these extremes to create the most enjoyable urban experience possible. Iconic shade structures, water features, and desert plantings with drought-resistant trees help temper the Las Vegas heat. “The Park” utilizes best management practice sustainability guidelines for water use.

melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_11melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_09melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_10melk-the-park-vegas-hanns-joosten_22

At !melk, we always strive to create spaces that exude an identity that is authentic to the context of a project. “The Park” is a complete success in that regard. It celebrates the Mojave desert, using its colors, patterns, materials and vegetation. In terms of comfort, safety, food, and entertainment, there is no other place like it in Las Vegas. Amidst the hectic hustle and bustle of the Strip, we were able to create something that is not just sustainable, but also genuinely authentic to the City. In addition to its iconicity, “The Park” reinstates what Vegas once was: an oasis in the middle of the desert.
Jerry van Eyck, Founder & Principal, !melk landscape architecture & urban design

melk-the-park-vegas-plan

Plan

melk-the-park-vegas-vignette

melk-the-park-vegas-planter-vignette-01melk-the-park-vegas-perspective

Vignettes
melk-the-park-vegas-axo-park
Diagrams

Planner: Cooper Robertson & Partners.
Architect: Marnell Architecture.
Civil engineer, structural engineer: Lochsa Engineering.
Electrical engineer: JBA Consulting Engineers.
Lighting design (site): Lighting Design Alliance.
Lighting design (shade structures): Arup, Leni Schwendinger.
Water feature engineer: Water FX.
Awards: Water Hero Award from the Water Conservation Coalition / Southern Nevada Water Authority.