Weather effects on building design and performance

Weather and Construction:

Las Vegas Valley

The Las Vegas Valley, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas is the fastest growing region in the United States. Some reports indicate that ten thousand people move to the city every month with a mere four thousand leaving. The result is that the city is growing by six thousand people every month. The valley's permanent population currently exceeds one million people, this does not include the tourist population which can exceed a half million people in a single weekend. It is estimated that by 2015, the regional population will double.

Construction in the area is constant. New subdivisions are being built at a tremendous rate to keep up with those who are moving into the area. New tourist attractions and large casino resort hotels are also being built and opened on a regular basis. The city is growing at an exponential rate.

The tourist Mecca of Las Vegas is located in a broad desert valley in extreme southern Nevada. Mountains surrounding the valley extend 2,000 to 10,000 feet above the valley floor. The Las Vegas Valley comprises about six hundred square miles and runs from the north to the southeast. These mountains and the metropolitan area's location at the bottom of the valley have extreme effects on the weather.

There are three major factors which may have an effect on construction in the Las Vegas Valley. The first is summer heat, the second is wind, and the third is flash floods. Each of these weather factors provide difficulties in the construction of homes and hotels in Sin City.

For the vast majority of the year, the temperature in Las Vegas is pleasant. In Fall and Spring, temperatures tend to be in the seventies and eighties. In the winter, temperatures may drop to freezing but are usually in the sixties. It's during the summer that temperatures are problematic for construction. Though the summer average is about 105 degrees, temperatures can spike up to the 115 degree or even the 120 degree mark. Following is a chart which shows the average weather and precipitation patterns in the Las Vegas Valley from 1961 to 1990:

Data is smoothed using a 29 day running average.

Precipitation is the average of all daily total precipitation recorded for the day of the year between the years 1961 and 1990.

Residents of Las Vegas often acclimate to the temperatures as they rise. There is no humidity, so even when the temperatures hit one hundred degrees most people who are from the area are still comfortable. Construction in temperatures up to one hundred and five degrees is certainly doable, however workers must be hydrated and have sufficient break time in the shade.

It is important to note that the city of Las Vegas, especially the hotel casinos are always being worked on. During the hottest months of the year some construction workers elect to work on projects at night when the heat is not so intense. During the hot months the night time lows may only drop to eighty degrees.

The second major factor in the Las Vegas Valley is wind. Due to its location the city is often buffeted by major windstorms. At times wind speeds may reach an excess of fifty miles per hour, however most wind storms only provide winds up to thirty miles per hour. It is not uncommon for windstorms to damage property throughout the valley. The more extreme windstorms tend to cause numerous problems throughout the city.

A secondary factor which must be considered with the windstorms is dust. The amount of recent precipitation - particularly in the deserts surrounding the city - will determine whether or not the dust will be problematic throughout the metropolitan area. In the spring of 2002, one windstorm produced enough dust to decrease visibility in the city to less than a mile.

Construction work during a major windstorm may prove difficult but not impossible. Primary problems tend to revolve around temporary signs being blown down and difficulty with free hanging cranes. Generally those involved with work on the exterior of a high rise hotel casino will withhold their work until windstorms have subsided. Certainly dust may be problematic for visibility and overall comfort, but generally does not deter construction projects.