CityCenter’s retail complex receives LEED Gold certification

Crystals, CityCenter’s 500,000-square foot retail, dining and entertainment district, became the project’s fourth location to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

MGM Mirage, which is opening the $8.5 billion Strip complex in December, announced the certification Thursday. Crystals joins Aria, CityCenter’s 4,004-room centerpiece hotel-casino, the 1,500-room non-gaming Vdara Hotel and Aria’s convention center and theater area in receiving LEED certification.

Crystals, according to MGM Mirage, is the largest retail complex ever to receive LEED Gold recognition.

“From CityCenter’s inception, we aimed to create a vibrant destination to demonstrate that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable for today and for future generations,” said Cindy Ortega, MGM Mirage’s senior vice president of Energy and Environmental Services.

The Green Building Council evaluated the public areas of Crystals, but not the tenants’ interior spaces. Tenants will be able to capitalize on green strategies implemented throughout Crystals, including energy and water efficiencies, enhanced indoor air quality, sustainable building materials and an abundance of natural light.

“From its intense focus on water conservation to the multiple strategies for energy efficiency, the CityCenter team has delivered several exceptional properties that qualify for the LEED Gold rating,” Green Building Council President Richard Fedrizzi said. “Extreme climates challenge the most creative of project teams, and the CityCenter team has risen to the occasion and then some.”