Building C also rises

Steel continues to go vertical and has now reached 10 floors on Building C, a 2.1 million-square-foot, 16-story, $550-million structure. Building C will be complete in July 2008, which reflects unprecedented and rapid emergence of Las Vegas Market as the international marketplace for the home furnishings industry. World Market Center will have invested more than $1.1 billion in the campus by the time the third building opens in 2008.

WMC’s third building will be the largest, most diverse home furnishings showroom structure planned for the 12 million-square-foot home furnishings campus. Designed by The Jerde Partnership, the building will feature a contemporary design with floors grouped by product categories. Sky bridges at all levels will connect to Buildings B and D. WMC awarded The PENTA Building Group the construction contract for Building C.

With the opening of the third building in conjunction with the July 2008 Las Vegas Market (taking place July 28 – Aug. 1, 2008), WMC will stand at 6 million square feet of
permanent and temporary exhibit space dedicated to the home furnishings industry. The third showroom structure on the eight-building campus will allow significant growth opportunities for sectors of the industry that WMC already caters to, such as furniture and decorative accessories, in addition to offering major expansion opportunities for lighting and floor coverings, as well as fostering the introduction of new segments such as textile and floral/seasonal goods.

3,600-vehicle parking garage on schedule for July 2008 opening Construction is abound on a $60-million, eight-story parking garage, located immediately north of the third building. Sitting on nearly six acres with 175,000 square feet on each level, the parking structure is well underway on WMC’s campus and scheduled for completion before the July 2008 Las Vegas Market. The parking structure will accommodate 3,606 vehicles and is designed for maximum convenience and accessibility. It will be located in the heart of WMC’s eight-building campus with easy access to all of the buildings through temperature-controlled walkways and common areas.

Building C line-up
Floors 1, 3, 4, 5: Las Vegas Design Center (LVDC) open daily — high-end furniture, designer goods, textiles and fabrics (floor 2 is part of a two-story atrium and does not have showrooms)
Floors 6-8: Floor coverings, home accent and accessory showrooms
Floor 9: Holiday, seasonal, floral merchandise
Floors 10: Lighting showrooms, including portable and fixtures
Floors 11-16: Furniture showrooms with dedicated sections for high-end goods and contemporary

Project team
Developers: World Market Center LLC and The Related Companies LP
Managing partners: Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson
Design architect: Jerde Partnership International/Los Angeles
Executive architect: JMA Architecture Studios/Las Vegas
General contractor: Penta Building Group
Structural engineer: Desimone
Civil engineer: G.C. Wallace
Mechanical engineer: Harris

Campus
Situated on 57 acres in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, the $230 million, 10-story Building A opened in July 2005, which features 230 showrooms and 1.3 million square feet of permanent exhibit space. The $345 million Building B is a 16-story building featuring 300 showrooms and 1.6 million square feet of permanent exhibit space, which is opened for the January 2007 Las Vegas Market. WMC will have invested more than $1.1 billion in the campus by the time Building C opens in 2008. That’s merely three years after the opening of the first building.

When fully developed, the $3 billion WMC will span 12 million square feet in one fully integrated campus with eight separate buildings connected by sky bridges. WMC will be easily accessible for shuttles and taxicabs, with plenty of lighted parking spaces. Adjacent to WMC will be a 61-acre parcel, which is being developed as one of the nation’s premier mixed-use urban centers, with residential, commercial and cultural components. Contemporary architectural design, desert landscaping and iconic features will interface with the backdrop of Las Vegas.

Distinctive architectural and design elements
• Designed by internationally renowned architect Jon Jerde.
• Extensive use of iconic elements creates an “experiential design.”
• Free-flowing set of sculptured buildings designed in a collage of geometric shapes create dramatic style.
• Architectural drama and colossal scale are accentuated by convergence of exterior geometric blocks with iconic features soaring 300 feet into the desert sky.
• At completion of the campus, eight towering buildings will surround a central plaza, reminiscent of European piazzas.
• Sky bridges at every level will connect all buildings for easy access without ever having to exit.