Rafael Vinoly's 1,495 room Las Vegas hotel opened yesterday (1 Dec) bringing the completion of the $8.5billion CityCenter MGM development a giant step closer to realisation.

The form of the 1.6 m sq ft, 57 storey Vdara Hotel and Spa is a crescent providing alternative perspectives from each elevation and offering a variety of views across the Las Vegas desert. The tower is distinguished by three recessed segments of different heights and contrasting colours. Designed by RV Architecture LLC, under the leadership of Rafael Vinoly FAIA Vdara becomes a monument not just because of its architect but because of its contrast with the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip. The building's modern character is instead generated by both form and by the alternating bands of reflective vision glass and light-diffusing, acid-etched spandrel glass in black and white which are set off on different planes to achieve a unique shimmering texture on the facade.