The Palazzo Las Vegas became one of the newest properties ranked among the overall 2009 Mobil Four-Star Award recipients. Opened one year ago, The Palazzo has earned many other honors. Among its first accolades was making history as the largest building project in the world certified at the Silver level by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating, according to a release.

WAUSAU, Wis. - The Palazzo Las Vegas became one of the newest properties ranked among the overall 2009 Mobil Four-Star Award recipients. Opened one year ago, The Palazzo has earned many other honors. Among its first accolades was making history as the largest building project in the world certified at the Silver level by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating, according to a release.

The Palazzo Las Vegas is owned and operated by affiliates of Las Vegas Sands Corp., as is its sister-property The Venetian, one of the world’s most recognizable destination resorts. With 3,066 expansive suites, luxury shopping and world-class dining and entertainment, the $1.9 billion, 50-story Palazzo Las Vegas literally takes luxury to new heights. Designed by Dallas-based HKS, Inc., it is the second tallest building in Nevada at 639.5 feet and four times bigger than the second largest LEED-certified structure.

Aiding in its LEED certification, The Palazzo welcomes outdoor views and indoor natural light. Covered by 320,000 square feet of glass, the prestigious property features six skylights manufactured by Super Sky Products, Inc. of Mequon, Wis., and finished by Linetec. The 16,800 square feet of skylights enhance architectural functionality, sustainability and beauty throughout the building’s common areas.

In addition to the daylighting advantages, The Palazzo’s skylights’ finishes contribute to the building’s long-lasting performance; minimize maintenance and replacement needs, further enhancing the building’s lifecycle. All of the Super Sky skylights finished by Linetec used 70 percent Kynar (PVDF) low-VOC (volatile organic compound) and no-VOC coatings. Liquid Kynar paints may be requested with up to 100 percent post-industrial waste.

For the rotunda’s 49-foot-diameter, multi-slope dome skylight, a clear, low-e, insulated glass with custom-color and custom-pattern silkscreen compliments the dual-color finish. Linetec applied a Fluropon two-coat in Kingsport Gray for the exterior and a Fluropon Classic II two-coat mica in Gordon Gold on the skylight’s interior framing and ornamental detailing. The same glass and finishes were selected for the 64-foot-diameter, multi-slope dome skylight above the retail area’s octagonal hub. While the same finishes were utilized for the 83-foot-diameter, single-slope dome skylight crowning the porte cochére, it was glazed with clear, low-e, laminated glass with the same custom-color and custom-pattern silkscreen utilized on the insulated units.

The Shoppes at The Palazzo showcase more than 60 luxury boutiques, 20 remarkable stores and countless luxury brands. Maintaining consistency with the other skylights’ low-e glass and Kingsport Gray/Gordon Gold finish choices, the ridge skylight - with 17-foot, 6 inches by 45-foot, 4-inch hip ends - sits atop the retail area’s west and south wings.

The 85,000-square-foot Barneys New York is a key destination within The Shoppes at The Palazzo. Super Sky manufactured a custom, elliptical, single-slope skylight with vertical, aluminum panels to enhance the store’s design. The eye-catching skylight is 29 feet, 6 inches by 41 feet by 7 feet, 6 inches overall. The glass is clear, low iron, low-e, insulated glass with a standard, white line, silkscreen pattern. Linetec painted the exterior, metal panels and trim in a Northhampton Putty. It finished the exterior, snap-on caps and interior, metal components in Duranar Sunstrom two-coat mica in Champagne Bronze. For all six of these skylights, “no crane was utilized for installation of the skylights and glazing,” said Ryan Navis, Super Sky’s project manager. “The materials were hoisted to the roof, then installed 100 percent by hand.”

Taylor International Corp. served as construction manager and contractor throughout The Palazzo’s nearly four-year construction. During the project, 70 percent of waste materials were recycled, diverting nearly 42,000 tons from the landfill. In building the mostly concrete-and-steel resort, the steel used averaged more than 95 percent recycled content, while the concrete contained 26 percent recycled content. Every effort was made to procure materials from within a 500-mile radius of the construction site to minimize the negative environment effects of transporting those materials.

Due to energy efficient materials and practices, The Palazzo conserves more than 10.6 million kWh annually; enough to power more than more than 700 homes a year. The property’s conservation efforts are estimated to prevent of 16.4 million pounds of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Today, The Palazzo Las Vegas’ 105,000 square-foot casino houses more than 120 table games and nearly 1,400 slot, video poker and reel machines. It offers a variety of cuisines from a collection of award-winning chefs and restaurateurs such as Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, and Charlie Trotters. Other one-of-a-kind offerings include: Tony Award winning Broadway musical, “Jersey Boys,” the chic dining and nightlife LAVO, the world’s largest Canyon Ranch SpaClub, and the Strip’s first Lamborghini dealership. For more information, please visit The Palazzo Web site at www.palazzolasvegas.com.

Architects, building owners and other professionals engaged in green building practices can learn more about the role of finishes and thermal barrier systems by visiting Linetec’s online Architectural Reference Center at www.linetec.com or calling 888-717-1472. Linetec is one of the nation’s largest paint and anodize finishers, and the largest independent architectural finisher. Located in Wisconsin, the company serves customers across the country through a national trucking network and offers 500,000-square-feet of capacity for finishing such products as aluminum windows, wall systems, doors, hardware and other architectural metal components, as well as automotive, marine and manufactured consumer goods.