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Las Vegas, a city known for its excessive and conspicuous waste, is getting a "green" makeover thanks to a small group of concerned architects. The Las Vegas Committee on the Environment, or COTE for short, is a professional organization seeking to make sustainable design and conservation an integral part of building projects. Although few examples exist locally, several green developments are now taking shape throughout the valley, including the 180-acre Las Vegas Springs Preserve, located along Valley View Boulevard between U.S. Highway 95 and Alta Drive.
The energy-efficient urban park emphasizes sustainability by using conscientious designs that conserve power, minimize water-use and improve environmental quality. The project's freeway retaining wall, for example, is filled with straw to dampen noise and deflect heat while creating a microclimate for fragile species of plants and animals inside the preserve.
It also has a 30-acre wetlands area formed from stormwater, and a 46,000-square-foot Desert Living Center built from earthrammed...