P1 Completes Historic Casino/Resort Project During Pandemic Year
The P1 Las Vegas team never shies away from a challenge. The mighty Circa Resort and Casino, the first ground-up resort built in downtown Las Vegas since 1980, is no exception.
With tourism facing record lows and many projects stopped or held due to the pandemic, P1 Group was part of a determined team. According to Senior Project Manager Brian Maginness, one of the most remarkable aspects of the project was no work stoppage throughout the entire 22-month project completion period.
“This project came with challenges from the pandemic, and beyond, but doing it with no stoppage for the pandemic was pretty impressive,” Brian said.
He notes that working in an ever-evolving pandemic certainly changed how things were done.
“What started as an anticipated two–week impact transitioned to longer and longer. We had to work around man lift and scissor lift restrictions, and use special dedicated stairwells,” Brian recalled. “It also added extra work in the form of careful cleaning and disinfecting measures.”
P1 did all the plumbing for the 1.25 million sq. ft. facility, using PEX pipe system* in the hotel rooms for a more efficient install. A team of seven P1 Virtual Design and Construction experts coordinated model with the construction teams, and both P1 Lawrence and Vegas fabrication shops provided pipe fabrication for the project.
By the numbers, P1 installed 9,400+ feet of beverage conduit and 500 feet of beverage tray. The team also installed 1,042 lavatories throughout the tower. The lowrise, highrise, and pool portions of the building included about 45 miles of installed pipe.
There hasn’t been a tower built downtown since the economic downturn of 2008.
“This was a learning curve for a lot of our younger crews, who have never had the chance to work on something like this,” Brian said.
He also notes the challenging logistics of a small footprint. “The building covers the entire block – leaving no space for staging,” he said.
Not only is Circa the first ground-up resort built downtown in more than 40 years, the facility is home to the world’s largest sportsbook. The three-story, 1,000-seat auditorium faces the world's largest TV screen, and the top floor is filled with media studios, where sports betting networks, like VSiN, will broadcast live shows.
On top of the resort is a multilevel pool called "Stadium Swim" with a 40-foot tall screen, swim-up bars and poolside mobile wagering kiosks.
If you ever have the opportunity to experience Circa, think of P1 as you’re enjoying a beer or beverage, or using one of the state-of-the-art lavatories after too many beverages. Cheers to an amazing project!
*The Circa Tower utilized a PEX pipe system for a more affordable, efficient install. PEX provides a much quicker and less complicated installation than traditional pipe, and is much less expensive than copper.
- Flexible material is more resistant to breakage
- Can be bent and can curve around structural framing and other obstacles
- Bends in the tubing eliminate need for many elbows and other transition fittings
- Conserves energy by reducing heat transfer through the pipe wall
- Does not corrode
- Does not require soldered connections or tricky threaded connections
