Signs of the Times - September 2013 - (Page 76)

Aria’s New Colossus on the Strip A 260-ft. pylon sign highlights Las Vegas’ CityCenter By Louis M. Brill One destinations, the CityCenter of Las Vegas’ latest entertainment complex, opened in 2009 and operated by MGM Resorts Intl. as a multi-use, urban complex, comprises the Aria (hotel/casino), the Vdara (condo hotel), the Mandarin Oriental (boutique hotel), the Harmon Center (boutique hotel which never received a certificate of occupancy), Crystals (an ultra-high-end mall) and Veer (residential living). CityCenter, built on 76 acres at the halfway mark of The Strip (Las Vegas Blvd. and Harmon Dr.), notably rates as the largest, privately funded, U. S. construction project at approximately $9.2 billion. The entire complex’s overall design resembles a visionary slice of fantastic, geometric architecture – tilted and oddly shaped buildings covered in LED facades or mirrored glass. With all of CityCenter’s orch- estrated, visually kinetic presence, one could argue that, as a signature building, it needed little to no signage. The Aria (pronounced R-e-ah) casino/hotel, centered in the middle of the complex, is nearly hidden by other CityCenter venues. Once it opened, and despite its bold geometric presence, CityCenter clearly realized it needed additional signage to increase Aria patronage. So Aria decided to create its own pylon; its eventual, 260-ft. height made it the tallest pylon on The Strip (and second tallest in Las Vegas next to the new [formerly the Hilton] Las Vegas Hotel (see ST, November 2012, page 68). “The Aria sign wasn’t designed to win some kind of a height contest,” explained Rick Juleen, YESCO’s (Las Vegas branch) Special Projects Director. “The 76 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / SEPTEMBER 2013 / www.signweb.com pylon was sized at that height more because of an in-depth study of the pylon’s sight lines, and the relationship of the sign to the adjacent architecture and nearby building structures. The size we came up with was an exact fit for the limited footprint provided. If we made it 40 ft. shorter, the pylon would seem under-scaled. We did, however, consider the pylon at several different heights. “We also didn’t want the Aria pylon design to compete with the existing, adjacent architecture,” said Juleen. “We wanted something that would be very stoic and visually complement the CityCenter landscape around it. So we designed a very simple, narrow, vertical, monolithic sign structure, complete with a closed-face set of logo channel letters with the signature look of the hotel’s name emblazed in Arctic http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - September 2013

Signs of the Times - September 2013
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Who Uses the Phone Book?
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review - DGS 3D POP store system
Technology Review - KIP C7800 poster printer
Design Matters
New Products
When the Cheering Starts
Enter the ST Intl. Sign Contest!
Starting at the Bottom
LED Lamps for Box/Cabinet Signs
The Aria’s 260-ft. Pylon Sign
Industry News
Advertising index
Editorially speaking

Signs of the Times - September 2013