Structure Type: Porte-cochรจre covered entryway
Project Scope:
Project Size: 16,640 sqft
Material: PTFE
Location: Chandler, AZ
Completion Date: 2009
Market Segment: Event & Entertainment Facilities
Owner: Gila River Indian Comm.
General Contractor: JE Dunn NW
Architect: Group West Companies
Engineer:
The Lone Butte Casino is located south of Phoenix in Chandler, Arizona, and is owned and operated by the Gila River Indian Community. The 120,000-square-foot casino opened in December 2008 and replaced the former location less than a mile away.
Lone Butte offers 850 slot machines, 24 Las Vegas-style Blackjack and Pai Gow tables, a state-of-the-art 750-seat Bingo Hall, and a High Limit Gaming Area offering privacy and comfort for the high rollers. Visitors to the casino are greeted by a spectacular fabric structure from Enclos Tensile Structures.
Enclos, in conjunction with Group West Architects and General Contractor JE Dunn, has created a custom-framed tensile structure made of PTFE fabric. The five-tiered, wrapped panels form the porte-cochere for the main entrance to the casino. The casino also features two smaller side entry structures as well as an interior fabric structure for the central court of the building. The design of the entryway structure is unique in that the fabric cladding is on the underside of the structural steel elements, thus concealing the steel from the view below. The cumulative effect of the design is that the structure looks like layers of clouds floating above the entryway. To add to the dramatic appearance, the structure has been built with colorful custom up-lighting, which automatically changes and can be controlled for various degrees of evening light and for the time of year. The Gila River Lone Butte Casino received an award of Outstanding Achievement in 2009 from the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI).
