The
sphinx with its full face, a castle, the New York City skyline, the
most recognized building in the world, Paris, ancient Rome, Venice,
Morocco and a tower reaching the stratosphere, all contained in a
4.2-mile strip. I have just described some of the casinos/hotels on the
Las Vegas Strip, replicates of eras, dreams and folly, and all made
possible with EIFS.
The year was 1990 and EIFS began the departure
from a classic-looking cladding to a replication of architectural
wonders on the Las Vegas Strip. The tall castle turrets of the Excalibur
with their capped conical tops, curtain walls with sculpted parapets
and a gatehouse entry were all created with an EIFS cladding. This was
the first building of “folly” in the west, where the usual details of
the EIFS cladding were enhanced and stretched to create the look. EIFS
was being asked to do many things, like pop out from a wall plane in
dimensions never before done, be a roof material, be finished in bold
colors, and last in the temperature swings of the Nevada desert
environment. EIFS responded magnificently with a “hold my beer” track
record of 34 years.