Construction workers at the Platinum condominium-hotel on Flamingo Road celebrate the topping off of the tower's 17th floor on Dec. 15. Work on the $112 million Platinum is scheduled to finish in May. Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.

Residential Constructors, a subsidiary of McCarthy Building Cos., topped out construction of the $112 million Platinum luxury condominium-hotel on Flamingo Road, east of Koval Lane, for Chicago-based developer Diversified Real Estate Concepts.

The Platinum is scheduled for completion in May and will be among a wave of condo-hotels to open in Las Vegas. Intrawest Development built the Viera condo-hotel at Lake Las Vegas and Turnberry Associates is building the Residences at MGM Grand.

The Dec. 15 topping-out laid in place the final section of concrete roof deck on the Platinum's 17th floor. Residential Constructors did the concrete work on the project, which included 23,000 cubic yards. In total, the high-rise tower has 400,000 square feet of living space.

"Our first challenge was trying to effectively utilize our limited work space," said Residential Constructors senior project manager Don Dyer. "Being pinned down to just 1.6 acres right off of one of the busiest roads gave us little room to maneuver or store materials. So we devised a tight delivery schedule for our materials that allowed us to quickly place things and eliminate the need for long-term storage."

More than 200 workers from Residential Constructors, Berg Electric, Interstate Plumbing and Air Conditioning and Midwest Drywall were at the topping-off ceremony.

Milwaukee-based Marcus Hotels, a partner in the project, will manage the Platinum's 255 condo units. Owners participating in the rental program can live in their units for 60 days a year, but not more than 29 consecutive nights.

Designed by Morris & Brown Architects of Solana Beach, Calif., units range from 911 square feet to 2,166 square feet and are priced from the $300,000s to $1 million. Each suite features upscale amenities such as plasma-screen televisions, oversized whirlpool baths, granite fireplaces, private terraces and custom-designed interior finishes.

GOING TO UTAH: Las Vegas-based luxury home builder Christopher Homes is expanding its business to Park City, Utah, where the company is building the Tuhaye ski and golf resort community on about 1,900 acres.

Christopher Homes founder and Chief Executive Officer Chris Stuhmer said he's owned a vacation home in Park City for 10 years and has built several custom homes there.

He watched the area evolve into a year-round resort with the development of master-planned golf course communities. He said he felt this was the right time to move into Park City in a more significant way.

Homes at Tuhaye range from 2,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, with preconstruction pricing in the low $1 millions. Stuhmer said he expects to draw home buyers from Southern Nevada who are familiar with Park City and with Christopher Homes. He said he also expects to draw Park City residents who want to live in a golf course community.

The centerpiece 18-hole championship course, designed by golf pro Mark O'Meara, is completed.

SKG OFFICE: Las Vegas-based SR Construction has started building advertising firm Schadler Kramer Group's new three-story corporate office building at The Park at Spanish Ridge, a 32-acre business park on the east side of the Las Vegas Beltway between Tropicana Avenue and Russell Road. The 70,000-square-foot building is slated for completion in May at an estimated cost of more than $20 million. Perkowitz & Ruth Architects designed the building.