Court approves demolition of
Foster’s ill-fated Las Vegas hotel

News: a court ruling has paved the way for demolition of the Foster + Partners-designed Harmon Hotel in Las Vegas – a half-finished building that never opened.

Owner MGM Resorts International received permission on April 22 to tear down the 27-storey blue-glass tower, which was designed by Foster + Partners as part of an $8.5 billion (£5 billion) casino and hotel complex on the Las Vegas strip, but was never completed due to severe structural defects.

The move marks the latest development in an ongoing battle between casino giant MGM Resorts and building contractor Tutor Perini to determine who is responsible for the faulty construction, which experts say could topple the building in a major earthquake.

Clark County District judge Elizabeth Gonzalez has now ordered lawyers to collect any outstanding evidence, making way for demolition.

The building will be taken apart floor by floor, rather than with the implosion recommended by MGM Resorts’ advisors, and will cost $11.5 million (£6.5 million).

Foster + Partners broke ground on the curved glass hotel back in 2006, which was initially set to be 47 storeys. Problems arose two years later when structural defects were discovered, and the developer was later forced to downsize the proposals.

The architecture company did not comment on the demolition when contacted by Dezeen, but has removed the building from the project list on their website.

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