CAESARS FORUM | Submitted by the PENTA Building Group
Las Vegas
Region: ENR Southwest
Owner: Caesars Entertainment Inc.
Lead Design Firm: KGA Architecture
General Contractor: The PENTA Building Group
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn
Structural Engineer: John A. Martin & Associates of Nevada
MEP Engineer: FEA Consulting Engineers
Las Vegas’ newest conference facility can hold the equivalent of seven football fields, and features the two largest pillarless ballrooms in North America, each containing 110,000 sq ft, by utilizing a 315-ft-long clear-span truss. The $365-million CAESARS FORUM, located on a 24.5-acre site, is the first facility of its size built on a single level.
A total of 40,000 cu yards of concrete was used throughout the project as well as 12,900 tons of structural steel, which included one of the largest spanning steel trusses in North America, with a span of 315 ft and depth of 22 ft.
The project’s 18-month construction schedule was cut to 15 months due to a six-month permitting delay.
“Our team and trade partners put in 1.9 million worker hours of accident-free work in place on this project, most of which was performed 24/7 in order to keep the aggressive schedule on track,” says Trevor Dishon, project executive with PENTA.
Constant communication was crucial. PENTA and all major subcontractors had field and safety supervision for all three shifts. At peak construction, approximately 600 workers were on site, requiring a comprehensive safety program.
Ahead of construction, the PENTA team discussed possible hazards, including the lifting of heavy steel with multiple cranes and excavation with large footing. The team also engaged in pre-mobilization safety meetings with subcontractors to develop safety plans, daily and weekly safety huddles and quarterly safety stand downs focused on fall protection and electrical hazards.
As a result, the project team logged just six recordable and zero lost time incidents throughout the entire project.
“Safety is paramount on every PENTA project, but on this one in particular, it was embraced all the way through—from the owner through PENTA’s team and our amazing trade partners. We’re thankful for having such a strong team to make this safety achievement possible,” says John Cannito, president of PENTA.
