The Nova Scotia Casino project site location is on a 3.5-acre lot, located on Halifax Harbour. The Casino is connected to the downtown core via an elevated pedestrian Pedway system that connects four major hotels, two retail malls, the 10,000 seat Halifax Metro Centre and the World Trade and Convention Centre in downtown Halifax.

Casino
The Casino complex comprises approximately 138,340 sf (12,900 m2) of total building area. The massing and design of the buildings complement the existing traditional and more modern architecture of the Halifax downtown. The casino complex along Halifax harbors beautiful historic seawalk has been designed as a series of articulated columns with clad bases. The infills between columns feature arched glazed window openings reminiscent of traditional patterns found in Halifax and other cities of the East Coast. The feature towers are a complement to the architecture of the more prominent public buildings in Halifax and specifically the Old Town Clock on Citadel Hill that was designed and presented to the city by Prince George of England almost 200 years ago.

Parking Garage
The project includes parking garage (550 cars on 6 levels) with a total area of 169,740 sf (15,800 m2). The parking garage structure uses all precast, prestressed concrete architectural and structural members. The interwoven single-helix, sloped ramp design creates a column-free parking deck. This permits one-way traffic through the parking structure using a single entry/exit to the garage.

Finishes
The beige coloured precast concrete was used for the exterior cladding of the Casino and the parking structure. Red granite aggregates column base accents and green-tinted reflective glazing in prefinished aluminum frames complete the exterior. The Porte Cochere, Entrance Tower, Amphitheatre Tower and surrounding towers are designed to be reminiscent of the lighthouses that are traditional along the East Coast. They are clad with precast concrete to match the Casino and are highlighted with copper domes.

Project
The designers have successfully blended the garage and casino into one structure using the details of the roof domes on the circular garage stairwell and incorporating the roof coping details, column shapes, and other architectural detailing. The aesthetic flexibility of precast/prestressed concrete is truly showcased in the casino and parking structures.

Schedule and Completion
The Casino Project broke ground on January 28, 1998 and opened on April 24, 2000.

Owner: Metropolitan Entertainment Group/Sheraton Casinos Nova Scotia
Architect: Lydon Lynch Architects Ltd. Halifax Nova Scotia
Engineer: Brandy McBride Richardson Engineers Halifax Nova Scotia
Contractor and Project Manager: J.W. Lindsay Construction Halifax Nova Scotia
Construction Manager: Caesars World Inc. Design & Construction
Precast Contractor: Strescon Limited