A Sustainable Master Planned Arts District for the Las Vegas Valley

Echo Terra is a design response to the fragile state of the Las Vegas Arts District. Regardless of the political wins, financial gains, or building facilities the district may acquire, the pressure from gentrification will always loom and threaten a district whose commencement was achieved from the absorption of existing architecture. Designs that had no intentions to maintain an assemblage of artists, curators, and art patrons.

The stigma behind commerce and art has long overshadowed reason, and our collective hesitation has resulted in a poor cohesive plan for sustainability. The irony in our logic is that we as artists can recognize the audacity in Duchamp's 1917 fountain (the urinal) yet neglect to admire and implement the beauty in economic models.

This letter of intent will primarily focus on the political, economic, and technological concerns and rely on the attached landscape architecture and it's details to demonstrate the social and environmental affairs.

The location of this proposed district is at the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd and Hidden Well Road and is perhaps it's most important ally. This remarkable 63 acres of undeveloped land directly connected to the future home of the Las Vegas Art Museum (LVAM), Callaway Golf Course and a major end of line bus terminal for the Las Vegas Valley. The parcel is zoned for both commercial and residential use, but due to the McCarren Airport flight path, it is not zoned for a casino/resort.

Echo Terra shall encourage a minimalist political approach by designing a for profit business model. The projected main source of income will be derived from leasing spaces, built to suit locations, and studio apartment living. Secondary incomes can be generated by building a venue that caters to a niche audience seeking a logistically and aesthetically accommodating location for national and international symposiums.

Echo Terra shall have it's own on-site, internal marketing agency whose physical location is located centrally in the district. The department shall have spacious offices, panoramic views, and proper tools to market the district. By catering to the marketing department, we can entice the top talents in the field. The marketing team's primary goal will be to add value to the Echo Terra brand, all galleries inside the district, and all artists associated with Echo Terra. In order to achieve this, every building, kiosk, and location within the district shall be hard-wired with a fiber connection. Galleries may post their current shows with live feeds, unobtrusive blog stations (think Apple's iPhone), point-of-purchase technology, and e-commerce purchases, both direct and auction. Artists' work shall be documented professionally, with up to date biographies, and artist statements. Connecting the district's galleries will be an extremely powerful website that is malleable internally and externally.

The success of the district relies heavily on foundational elements, both physical and theoretical. By allowing a modern community, not only do artist's have the freedom to make work, but they can profit and sustain a community from the same forces that traditionally displaced artists.

As Echo Terra is a solution based response, it is my intention to continue to research, learn, and design with tangible projects in mind. If a school can provide me an education strong enough to materialize my ideas. Other cities' art's districts may use Echo Terra as a model with open source think-tanks. From there, it's exciting to imagine what other communities our designs could empower. The most pressing might be a new model for a farmer's market.

Genuinely,

Michael Todoran 2008