Gruskin Group Takes Honors at AIA Newark & Suburban Competition

October 7, 2015

Gruskin Group™ Designs SPEEDVEGAS

Gruskin Group Takes Honors at AIA Newark & Suburban Competition for Design of Las Vegas’ Premier Driving Experience Venue

Springfield, NJ, (October 5, 2015) — Gruskin Group has created an award-winning design for SPEEDVEGAS, an exhilarating, 100-acre supercar experience located minutes from the Las Vegas strip.  Scheduled for completion in early 2016, the 1.5-mile Formula One-inspired course includes 60 feet of rising elevation, banked corners and a half-mile straightaway.

According to Kenneth A. Gruskin, AIA, founder and principal of Gruskin Group, “The team designed the entire complex around creating the best possible driving experience for SPEEDVEGAS visitors.  It begins with the track, designed for drivers to experience exotic supercars in all their glory.  The track has a strong visual presence to the adjacent highway as well as from SPEEDVEGAS’ Welcome Center.  Drivers on South Las Vegas Boulevard and the I-15 can view the supercars swooping through the ‘S’ curve up a hill in a long banked curve, and see the exotics accelerating from the starting grid along the track’s merge lane.  This creates an exciting visual canvas of the SPEEDVEGAS experience.”

Gruskin Group designed the master site plan and the 21,000-square-foot Welcome Center to evoke a motorsports character of track and racing facilities, while amplifying the intensity of getting up-close and personal with these exciting vehicles both on and off the track.  Among its key features:

• The facility incorporates red, yellow, and silver – colors typically associated with racing/motorsports events – which stand out in contrast to the sand coloration of the surrounding terrain.
• The Welcome Center has exposed structure and mechanical systems, along with a standing seam barrel roof, metal siding, stucco accent walls, industrial-style lighting, and stained concrete flooring to authentically mirror the lean and purposeful engineering aesthetic inherent in exotic cars.  The long exterior horizontal walls feature racing style graphics to enhance the overall visual appeal and excitement.  The facility’s elongated linear design emphasizes the horizontal nature of driving and the blur of traveling at “SPEED!”
• A “Vegas-sized” sign tops off the Welcome Center and stretches nearly 100 feet.  It features internal and external back lighting to make the building “pop” in the dark desert evenings and provide a Vegas vibe.  The Welcome Center’s interior public spaces are designed to maximize the visceral connection to the track and cars.
• To conserve energy, the various overhangs were designed to minimize solar heat gain and shade the windows, providing comfortable shaded seating on the exterior terraces.

“SPEEDVEGAS promises to offer an extraordinary, life-changing experience to our thrill-seeking patrons,” said Aaron Fessler, SPEEDVEGAS CEO.  “Gruskin Group captured the feeling we wanted visitors to experience from the moment they walked through our doors.  Whether they are there to drive one of our cars or simply to watch a friend enjoy their own driving experience, the design of SPEEDVEGAS will allow everybody to experience the upper limits of exotic sports cars in their true element.”

Gruskin Group earned industry recognition for its design of SPEEDVEGAS; in June 2015, the firm earned a bronze medal in the unbuilt, non-residential category at the AIA Newark & Suburban Architects’ 2015 Design Awards.

About SPEEDVEGAS

SPEEDVEGAS is an everything-speed experience that allows anyone to become a supercar rock star.  It is proudly located on South Las Vegas Blvd. just 10 minutes from the world-famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign (Exit 25 off on Interstate 15).  SPEEDVEGAS is a 100-acre speed complex which will feature a multilevel Welcome Center complete with indoor and outdoor observation decks and much more; and a supercar course inspired by Formula One racetracks with rising elevations changes, sweeping turns and a straightaway that compares to the top circuits in the world.  The masterfully designed course will be fully lit allowing for after dark experiences and events.  SPEEDVEGAS will have some of the world’s most sought-after exotic and muscle supercars including, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Ford Shelby, Corvette and many more. For information visit www.SPEEDVEGAS.com or call 1-877-597-6403.

Bob Barnard of Motorsport Services International (MSI) brought his substantial experience to bear on SPEEDVEGAS.  MSI’s work on FIA/FIM racetracks, Formula One, MotoGP^TM and Sportscar events, plus the Mooresville Motorplex and Monticello Motor Club private circuits, all contributed to make SPEEDVEGAS’ supercar track the best venue to experience the thrill of driving exotic cars.

About Gruskin Group™

Gruskin Group is an integrated design firm that builds unified brand experiences through architecture, brand development, visual communications, web/interactive, industrial design, interior design, strategic consulting, and sustainable design.

Architectural Record named Gruskin Group one of the top 250 leading architecture firms in the U.S.  The Group has also been included on the prestigious Inc. 5000.  In U.S. retail design, the firm ranks 24 according to VMSD and has appeared in the top 20 per DDi.  Gruskin Group was included among the top 25 architectural firms in New Jersey by NJBiz.  The firm’s and its professionals’ award-winning work has been recognized by AIA, the Retail Design Institute, New York Ad Club, New Jersey Ad Club, ASID, Graphis, and the Association of Graphic Communications.  For additional information, visit www.gruskingroup.com.

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