Courtyard Homeless Resource Center
las vegas
BEST PROJECT
Sent by: CORE construction
Owner: city of las vegas
Design company: LGA Architects
Contractor: CORE construction
Civil Engineer: Stanley Consultants
Structural Engineer: Mendenhall Smith Structural Engineers
MEP Engineer: TJK Consulting Engineers
Landscape architect: Aria Landscape Architecture
With more than 5,600 homeless people in the Las Vegas area, many of whom are sleeping outside in the extreme heat, the city stepped in to create a solution. The result is a 50,734 square meter campus that offers much needed services and support. Phased construction of three stand-alone buildings and a 22,500 square meter sleeping canopy was completed on budget and on time in June 2023.
Making way for the new $24.6 million facility on a 2.7-acre site required the sequenced demolition of several existing buildings. The space now houses a two-story administration building, a customer service building and a two-story indoor day care center.
Shade structures provide relief from extreme Las Vegas heat and other weather conditions and include features such as floor and ceiling fans, evaporative coolers and radiant heaters.
Photo by 501 Studio Photography
These shade structures cover an area that can accommodate up to 1,432 people during the day. For those staying, there are more than 600 beds. Unlike other shelters, Courtyard also offers shaded animal enclosures and pet fans.
At the start of excavation, the contractor discovered extremely saturated clay soils and groundwater at depths below those identified in the geotechnical report.
After caving in several locations and monitoring the flow of groundwater into the wells, the project team determined that no native material would be suitable. After a collaborative effort, the team designed and installed a permanent dewatering system for the entire facility.
Each building consists of concrete and steel blocks with an exterior cladding of insulating metal panels. Although the project team chose prefabricated metal buildings to save budget, when it came time to build the third and final building, it was done with a traditional steel frame. To navigate a restricted active site, the contractor also established daily temporary rest areas and removed them at the end of each workday to avoid disrupting surrounding activities.
Photo by 501 Studio Photography
One of the unusual features of the facility is in the day center, where small hot rooms use heating technology to kill bugs and germs that might be present on guests’ belongings, helping to prevent the spread of non-contaminants. desired
Throughout the project, the contractor collaborated with adjacent active homeless facilities to ensure their services remained uninterrupted during construction. Several homeless people were even hired to handle security monitoring duties during off hours to ensure that no theft or vandalism occurred at the workplace.
To provide a welcoming atmosphere, the finishes of the facility include bright colors. The finishes are also extremely durable to ensure they stand up to heavy use. Large exterior windows and tubular skylights provide natural lighting that reinforces the interior aesthetic.
Two passive, seasonal mechanical cooling towers were installed to help condition the outdoor meeting areas as well. Crews planted a variety of trees and plants throughout campus, and planters around the perimeter of the sleeping canopy and between buildings serve to break up larger areas of concrete.
