User:Joegelman/Ofra Gelman, Architect

Ofra Gelman, AIA, NCARB, LEED-AP, is a Las Vegas Architect, who owns and operates one of the only women-owned architecture firms in the State of Nevada, RedRock Design. Ofra graduated Cum Laude from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), with a bachelor’s degree in Art History. She was quickly accepted to the Master of Architecture program (MArch1) at the University of California, Los Angele (UCLA), in 1991, where she studied under renowned architects Charles Jencks, Thom Mayne and Frank Israel. Her master thesis analyzed the Russian Deconstructionist movement. Upon graduation from UCLA, Ofra was recruited by Atlandia Design, the in-house design team of Mirage Resorts, to work on the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was an integral part of the design team, involved in master planning and the designing of key front and back-of-house areas. she was also project manager of the 40,000 SF Bellagio climate controlled greenhouse, and the designer of the Mirage Events Center; a top-of-the line (200,000 SF) convention and events center with lavish ballrooms, an 8,000 SF kitchen and food-prep facility, meeting rooms, and the most technologically advanced conference room of its time. Most visitors to Las Vegas have encountered any number of her projects. When MGM purchased Mirage Resorts Ofra moved to DCC architecture where she worked as the Project Architect of two prototype Elementary Schools. In January of 2004 Ofra was responsible for a start-up architecture firm in Las Vegas. She specialized in hospitality, mixed-use, retail and office buildings. She also designed a high-rise for the downtown revitalization area of the City of Las Vegas, and worked extensively with the City of Henderson Redevelopment team to change the face of downtown Henderson. With her broad knowledge of historical trends in architecture, she was tasked with creating a style that has been coined Neo-Deco, which incorporates traditional Art Deco architecture with contemporary design concepts and materials. Two of her projects on Water Street, The Pinnacle and The Meridian, are cornerstone projects for the entire city redevelopment scheme. These projects received much acclaim and publicity in the Las Vegas valley.

Links

 * The Red Report, Designing For The Future: http://www.theredreport.com/issue/010208/3/8
 * Las Vegas Review Journal: http://www.lvrj.com/business/10969031.html
 * Las Vegas Business News, Commercial builders thrive under housing bust:
 * http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2007/10/05/news/iq_16915858.txt
 * UNLV Architecture Studies Library: http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/archdb2/index.php/people/view/124