By Valerie Putnam, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Designed to inspire.
The 2023 New American Home showcases industry innovations, revolutionary design concepts, construction techniques and lifestyle trends.
The official show home of the annual National Association of Home Builders International Builder’s Show, the New American Home returns to Las Vegas after a short two-year run in Orlando, Florida, marking the project’s 40th year.
“We’re back in Vegas for 2023 through 2025,” said Tucker Bernard, executive director at NAHB, Leading Supplies Council, New American Home, New American Remodel. “We go back to Orlando for 2026 then return to Vegas permanently for the foreseeable future.”
Michael Gardner, principal and founder of Studio g Architecture and Luxus Design Build, was awarded the project. Gardner and his team of nine staffers designed the New American Remodel 2019 in the Las Vegas Historic District. He also served as the architect on the 2013 and 2016 New American Homes.
“Michael is a fabulous architect,” Bernard said. “He was the perfect fit. He had experience being the architect on several NAH homes.”
The 2023 New American Home is under construction at 19 Rockstream Drive in Ascaya, a luxury Henderson residential community. The showcase home unveils to event attendees during next year’s International Builders’ Show, Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2023, in Las Vegas.
“It was always the next step for us,” Gardner said. “We wanted to work on the NAH. It exposes us to new and innovative products but also helps us stretch ourselves as designers.”
Sited on the 0.5-acre lot, the two-story contemporary-styled property showcases breathtaking views of the Strip and surrounding mountains.
“We’re calling the home Vegas Sophistication,” Gardner said. “Its goal is to represent the maturity we’re starting to see happen with design and the importance of it. We’re shying away from the traditional Vegas; what I call the ‘shock-and-awe’ design.”
The overall scheme incorporates layered effects and finishes throughout the home while integrating organic materials and warm neutral tones.
Breaking ground in December 2021, Gardner and his team are on an aggressive construction schedule with only 10 months to complete the project. He is undergoing discussions with companies to determine the project’s final partnerships and hopes to have everything finalized by the end of May, but he is facing shipping delays.
“Unlike other years, there are people who want to participate but they can’t guarantee they’re going to have product available,” Gardner said. “It’s very hard to take an integrated approach to the design if you don’t know what’s going to show up.”
The 2023 NAB features five en suite bedrooms including a primary and junior master suite; flex bedroom/office space; 6½ baths, including a primary bath with infrared sauna; elevator; multiuse game room; covered patio with outdoor kitchen; striking 12-foot two-sided fireplace; and pool bath with steam shower.
The home’s ingenious main-level, groutless monolithic floor demonstrates a novel idea to traditional flooring options.
“The market has been trained to think tile,” Gardner said. “That’s what this home is supposed to do. Take the norms and turn them upside down, shake them around a bit and develop some unique solutions.”
Gardner plans to use the same groutless concept in the bath’s shower surrounds.
“We wanted to create a lower maintenance but higher design,” Gardner said. “It’s a rare approach and going to be done in a very subtle way.”
Its multilevel infinity-edge pool takes advantage of the lot’s topography. The upper level features a lounging area, shallow pool and wet deck while the infinity-edge spills into a lower linear lap pool.
“Instead of just having a trough, which most homes do,” Gardner said, “we’ll make it usable by expanding it 2 feet wider and suddenly you can swim in it.”
Still in development, the kitchen’s design incorporates dual spaces, each with a distinct purpose and function. The central kitchen, designed as an extension of the main living area, is a showpiece for entertaining. It will have a sleek contemporary design with innovative integrated smart appliances and LED lighting. An adjacent working kitchen serves as an extension of the main galley and functions as food preparation.
“It gives you flexibility with the additional cooking area,” Gardner said. “And allows you to keep the main kitchen pristine and clean.”
The main level’s seamless indoor-outdoor connection, accessed through a unique 44-foot six-panel door system, spans across the back of the home. Each panel is approximately 7 feet wide by 10 feet high. Each panel is separated by a three-quarter-inch thick metal strip. The innovative system provides opening and closing flexibility through a series of different combinations. A similar three-panel door system is planned for the home’s entry.
“I think it’s going to be very unique,” Gardner said. “And has a minimal visual impact. It’s different from most windows and doors you see in Vegas.”
Designed as the forefront of energy efficiency, the 7,575-square-foot home is being built to achieve National Green Building Standard Emerald certification, Energy Star certification, Indoor airPlus certification, DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home Program Certification and net-zero status.
Achieving this high level of efficiency is not an easy task. Rather, it requires precise design calculations and engineering. Gardner’s holistic approach uses technology with enhanced construction methods.
With the standard Home Energy Rating System Index for residential construction being 100, Gardner’s multifaceted design focuses on exceeding last year’s minus 28 HERS.
“Every time they do one of these homes, they are trying to one-up,” Gardner said. “We’re shooting for a minus 30.”
An efficient building envelope system, solar with battery wall backup, energy-efficient appliances, exterior overhangs, interior and exterior shading system and zoned HVAC system are a few of the innovative elements integrated.
In addition to construction methods, a primary focus of the home’s design is integrating wellness and multifunction flex spaces.
“We look at the concept of wellness as both the environment the home creates as well as the functionality and features of the home,” Gardner said. “I don’t like to use the word green or healthy. It’s better to talk wellness because it is something I believe is more personal.”
Partnering with NordicTrack, Gardner plans to design a cutting-edge indoor/outdoor gym/flex space within a section of the garage. Integrating a fitness room in the garage showcases a unique approach to the space.
“After COVID, people realize they want their homes to be more encompassing,” Gardner said. “Live, work, exercise and play at home. That is an underlying theme to the home, as well.”
The 2023 NAH further showcases the latest in cutting-edge products, such as televisions, smart-home technology, appliances and other home innovations.
“LG came out with a roll-up television,” said Gardner, who is in discussions with LG Corp., to show off the television in the home. “It rolls up vertically, and you can tuck in underneath a bed or in a piece of furniture. It’s a cool innovation, especially for Vegas. You can make a television come and go to maximize the Strip view.”
The LG Signature Oled R television is planned to release this year for a price tag of $100,000.
Additional highlights include a fully integrated Crestron Smart Home system, controlling all of the home’s features easily through a Crestron Smart Home App and occupancy sensors. Installed to control lights and activate tankless water heaters in the baths, occupancy sensors provide convenience and energy savings.
“Occupancy sensors add a great layer of technology to the home,” Gardner said. “People walk in, and the light turns on. Then you leave the room, and it turns itself off. You don’t have to touch the switch.”
The home will be exhibited fully furnished including all of the artwork, furnishings and household items. His team is collaborating on the interior design with Elma Gardner, who is the owner and president of By Design and Michael Gardner’s mother.
“It’s going to be a bit of a family affair,” Gardner said. “It’s a turnkey project, so we get to design down to that level, which I think is very fun.”
With the NAH, Bernard said the NAHB is searching for a remodeler to tackle The New American Remodel. The participant’s renovated show home will be featured at the 2023 NAHB International Builders’ Show.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to feature the latest technological advancements in the industry with designated products provided by members of the NAHB Leading Supplier Council,” Bernard said.
Those interested in The New American Remodel are invited to send an email to Bernard at [email protected] and designate TNAR Featured Home on the subject line.
About the home
Location: 19 Rockstream Drive, Ascaya in Henderson
Size: The home is sited on 0.5 acres and measures 7,575 square feet. It has five en suite bedrooms, including a private primary suite and junior master suite; flex bedroom/office space; 6.5 baths, including primary bath with infrared sauna; and attached four car garage.
Features: Custom contemporary designed two-story estate; energy-efficient design/net-zero; grout less monolithic flooring throughout; formal living and dining spaces; elevator; multiuse game room; fitness room; main showcase kitchen with adjacent working kitchen; 44-foot, six-panel door system; three-panel door entry; covered patio with outdoor kitchen; upper-level deck with bar and conversation area; multilevel infinity-edge pool; 12-foot two-sided fireplace; pool bath with steam shower; solar system with backup; occupancy sensors; Crestron Smart Home system; LG Signature Oled R rollup television; custom lighting throughout; and fully furnished.
History: Las Vegas architect Michael Gardner is building the 2023 New American Home as a showcase for the annual National Association of Home Builders International Builder’s Show to be held in Las Vegas Jan. 31-Feb. 2.
Originally published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. To read the entire article, go to reviewjournal.com.