Case Study: MGM Grand Cool White Roof of landmark Las Vegas hotel retains high total solar reflectance properties after 10 years of service

Towering over the Las Vegas Strip, the spectacular 293-foot-high main building of the MGM Grand defines the Las Vegas skyline. Owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, this massive hotel and casino complex is the largest hotel in the United States and the third-largest hotel resort in the world. The property includes 6.6 acres of pools, rivers and waterfalls; a 380,000 square-foot convention center; and numerous retail shops, entertainment venues and restaurants. It also houses a 171,500 square-foot casino, the largest in Clark County, Nevada.

Most conventional roofing materials absorb solar radiation, causing a rise in surface temperature. Not only does this heat transfer to the interior of the building, but it also accelerates the deterioration of the roofing materials. In lowering the surface temperature by reflecting heat from the sun, a durable and highly reflective bright-white coating helps ensure a long roof service life with minimal maintenance, decreases air-conditioning load and reduces energy consumption by as much as 18 to 26 percent. In fact, using a cool roof that efficiently reflects visible and infrared light from the sun—and also radiate heat at night—is one of the most important energy cost-savings strategies in locations with hot climates, such as Las Vegas.
 

Exceptional topcoat solution

After carefully considering various high-performance and sustainable product options, the MGM management team decided to use an ultra-durable, bright-white topcoat for the new cool roof of the hotel’s main building. Formulated with Kynar Aquatec® PVDF fluoropolymer resin, the thin-build elastomeric finish coating provides long-term color stability and protection against all types of severe weather extremes. 

An added benefit to the MGM Grand’s management at the time was that the Kynar Aquatec® latex–based coating would have the highest-known reflectance value of any roof on the Las Vegas Strip, and would deliver an estimated annual energy cost savings of $15,000 to $30,000 per 100,000 square feet.

Kynar Aquatec® emulsions have long been used by manufacturers of high-quality cool-roof coatings due to their outstanding durability, resistance to dirt and biological growth accumulation, and capability to maintain high reflectivity for long periods of time without fading or yellowing. Kynar Aquatec®–based coatings have also been reported by the Cool Roof Rating Council to have initial solar reflectance and emissivity values greater than 0.85 each, and to have met or exceeded most “green” building codes and standards, including California’s Title 24, LEED® and ENERGY STAR®.