Entry number: B07002
Project Name: Origen at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve
Location: 333 S. Valley View Blvd.
Building Type: Visitor Center
Completion Date: June, 2007
Architect:  Tate Snyder Kimsey

Sustainable Description

Design Team:
Architect: Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects
Exhibit Designer: West Office
Photographer: Tom Bonner Photograpy
General Contractor: Tiberti / Whiting-Turner Joint Venture
Interior Designer: Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects
Civil Engineer: Poggemeyer Design Group
Structural Engineer: LERA
Electrical Engineer: JBA Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architects: e group

Narrative/Project Description:

The Las Vegas Springs Preserve is an interactive environment that highlights the heritage of the site, which is known as the birthplace of Las Vegas. Once home to bubbling springs that were a source of water for Native Americans living here thousands of years ago, the land has been preserved since 1978 due to its significant cultural treasures and the ongoing archaeological studies being conducted there. The visitor center, called the Origen, encompasses two separate buildings, each housing distinct visitor amenities:

• The 53,000 square foot exhibit building features three galleries and a theater clustered around a rotunda element that showcases the unique natural occurrence of water emanating from the earth below.
• The 24,500 square foot guest services building houses a souvenir and book shop on the first level, as well as a second-level cafe with a large exterior balcony to provide views of the entire site.

The primary design challenge was to convey the cultural story of the site by means of exhibits and interpretive features that immerse visitors into a "seek and discover" environment. This was accomplished by melding buildings and site into a singular expression that demonstrates the dependence of life on the small, but powerful, water resource in the desert. Just as the materials harmonize with the environment, the basic forms of the buildings seek sensitivity with the land.

Additional site amenities include several exhibit / interpretive zones, an outdoor amphitheater, desert gardens, walking trails, and a children's play area. The site is also the future home of the Nevada Sate Museum.