The monument, designed by architect Adi Gershoni, is inspired by the ziggurat and by American Indian architectural forms found in the kiva, the tipi and the mound. Many ancient civilizations used the ziggurat—a form of successively receding terraces, for building structures—in many cases for temples and holy sites. The maze and the spiral are symbols and motifs often found at American Indian
archeological sites. The project, intended to be built in the Las Vegas vicinity, was budgeted at around $15 million.
The main central space includes two flights of stairs and an elevator that leads to mid-and top-level platforms/circulation paths. The top platform leads to an outside observation deck for views of
the sounding landscape. Displays and art exhibits can be placed along the curved walls. The central area would be an exhibit and gathering space. One of the curved walls forms a semicircular space that
can be used as an amphitheater for gatherings, lectures and performance arts.
The project would be sustainable and off-the-grid, with minimum ecological footprint. The walls would be built with adobe building techniques using earth dug locally; water for the reflecting pond and building use would be harvested from the surrounding vicinity with techniques similar to those used by the Nabataeans and the American Indians, and preserved in underground cisterns and recycled; for the building’s power needs, solar panels would collect solar energy from the abundant desert sun.

Project Status: Schematic design, Project Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Design: Adi Gershoni Architect, Website: www.GershoniStudio.com
Copyright ©; Adi Gershoni Architect; All rights reserved