Background and Scope of Work
Situated on the shores of the Potomac River and only minutes from Washington, D.C., stands the MGM National Harbor, a gleaming $1.4 billion, 23-acre, 300-guest hotel casino resort complex. Inspired by D.C.’s grand architecture, MGM National Harbor features visually-striking designs, from the massive plinth constructed from precast concrete and the curtain-wall system of the hotel tower to the composite metal porte cochère greeting visitors. Architects and engineers focused on sustainability and efficiency leading to the LEED Gold certification with many innovations built-in to manage rainfall water runoff.
MGM National Harbor was designed to be an entertainment destination for the D.C.-metro region with over 15 dining options, 27,000 sq. ft. of high-end retail shopping, a 27,000 sq. ft. salon spa, and a 3,000-seat theater.
WPS was selected to engineer and integrate AV systems throughout the campus, including:
- Main casino, including:
- High-limit gaming
- Poker room
- Casino and hotel entrance, lobbies, and bars
- Casino and hotel porte cochère
- Conservatory
- All restaurants, bars, and lounges
- Retail promenade and food court
- Convention and meeting spaces, including:
- Grand ballroom
- Meeting spaces
- Ballrooms
- Boardroom
- Exterior event areas
- Conference rooms
- Business center
- Pool, salon, and spa
- Back-of-house office areas, including:
- Human resources
- Security
- Marketing and advertising
- Employee dining
- Locker rooms and fitness center
- Executive offices
- All guest elevators and restrooms
- Parking garage
To accommodate the unique audio requirements for the casino, the gaming floor was divided into four individual zones, each with independent volume controls for the staff. Because volume levels need to be different from slots to table games, the design decision to split the floor into individual zones prevents audio from being too loud when dealers and gamers need to communicate clearly, but allows the casino to create an immersive experience for guests in other areas of the floor.
Another benefit of individualized zones control is the flexibility for interior designers to rearrange the gaming floor without the need to renovate or change the audio system.
The pièce de résistance of the resort is the 15,000 sq. ft. conservatory that connects the main areas of the complex and displays a combination of floral arrangements, artwork, and theatrical presentation, each updated seasonally. The conservatory employs a combination of distributed audio and video elements to highlight the seasonal sculpture installations, such as D.C.’s cherry blossom-inspired exhibit.
To attract events and business conferences, WPS outfitted the meeting spaces and ballrooms with the latest audiovisual technologies including a 64×64 matrix router that provides intra-room connectivity for audio, video, and data sharing. Boardrooms feature 90″ screens with televideoconferencing capabilities and can be connected to high-quality fiber-optic ports for data sharing.
OUTCOME
MGM National Harbor officially opened on December 8th, 2016 to critical acclaim and rushing crowds that forced the casino to limit additional guests due to high demand and overcapacity. Large acts had been secured to perform at the MGM theater, and celebrity chefs from José Andrés to Marcus Samuelsson were keen to demonstrate their innovative menus to eager guests. Visitors were delighted with the dazzling displays in the conservatory that featured more than 150,000 flowers and featured a stunning floor-to-ceiling centerpiece.
Today, MGM National Harbor continues to enjoy attract visitors from the region and abroad. It’s clear that MGM put a large emphasis on making every guest’s visit as captivating as possible. We’re proud to have helped achieve MGM’s vision of elevated experiences by engineering robust and seamless audiovisual systems that perform flawlessly 24/7.
