CityCenter Named Best Commercial Project of 2009 by FSC-US

The Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US) has honored CityCenter in Las Vegas, Nev., as the best commercial project of 2009 in the fifth annual Designing & Building with FSC Awards. The awards recognize entities that are committed to using sustainably harvested wood and creating a marketplace that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management. CityCenter’s dedication to the use of FSC-certified wood products is unprecedented in scale and resulted in a significant market transformation.

“We are honored to be recognized as this year’s top commercial project,” said Cindy Ortega, senior vice president of MGM MIRAGE’s Energy and Environmental Services. “Sustainability has been at the forefront of every design and construction decision for CityCenter, and due to our high demand for responsibly harvested FSC-certified wood, numerous local companies have transformed their business practices, thereby opening channels for future sustainable projects.”

Due to its size and buying power, construction of the 18-million-square-foot CityCenter development expanded the local and domestic FSC wood supply markets, which will serve to open channels to future projects interested in purchasing FSC-certified wood. Ten local wood suppliers received their FSC chain of custody certification to supply wood to CityCenter.

Additionally, the development supported numerous FSC-certified companies, including: 17 wood mills, 19 manufacturers and fabricators, 50 vendors, and eight sub-contractors.

“As far as a project that has driven the national demand for FSC chain of custody suppliers and products, CityCenter is it—and it deserves to be recognized for that,” said Terry Campbell of Forest Products Solutions, in Portland, Ore., and a Designing & Building with FSC Awards jurist.

The FSC is an international nonprofit organization established to promote responsible management, distribution and use of timber throughout the world. The FSC-US is recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system as the world’s only credible organization to certify responsible forestry.

CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World.