Project Overview

Governor Mike O’Callaghan Legacy Apartments

High-Performance SIP Construction for Affordable Housing in Las Vegas

The Governor Mike O’Callaghan Legacy Apartments is a low-income affordable housing development located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Designed to provide stable, energy-efficient housing in a hot desert climate, the project supports residents while helping developers and operators control long-term utility and maintenance costs.

As a multifamily residential project serving income-qualified tenants, the building required a construction approach that balanced durability, speed, and energy performance. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) were used as a primary building envelope strategy to support these goals.

Design and Sustainability

In Southern Nevada’s extreme heat, cooling demand is one of the largest drivers of operational cost in multifamily housing. The design of the O’Callaghan Legacy Apartments prioritizes envelope performance to reduce heat gain, improve interior comfort, and support predictable energy use throughout the year.

SIP construction plays a central role by delivering continuous insulation and reduced air infiltration—helping stabilize interior temperatures and reduce strain on mechanical systems. This envelope-first approach supports both sustainability goals and long-term affordability for residents.

Why SIPs?

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) were selected to help meet the project’s affordability and performance objectives. For low-income housing, construction systems must deliver lasting value while minimizing build time, labor demands, and operational costs.

SIPs offered an efficient, panelized solution that integrates structure, insulation, and air sealing into a single system. This reduced construction complexity, accelerated enclosure, and improved energy performance—making SIPs a strong fit for large-scale affordable housing in a demanding climate.

Benefits of SIPs

Using SIPs on this project provided several key advantages:

• Energy Efficiency:
  Continuous insulation and airtight construction help reduce cooling loads in the desert environment, lowering utility costs.

• Construction Speed:
  Panelized SIP assemblies allowed the building to go up faster than conventional framing, supporting tighter project schedules.

• Labor and Cost Control:
  SIP construction reduced framing labor and material waste, supporting budget discipline on an affordable housing project.

• Long-Term Performance:
  A high-performance envelope supports durability, comfort, and predictable energy use over the life of the building.

Construction and Innovation

SIP construction enabled faster dry-in and allowed interior and exterior work to progress concurrently—an important advantage for multifamily projects where schedule efficiency directly impacts cost. Windows could be installed earlier in the construction process, and the simplified envelope reduced coordination challenges across trades.

This approach supports scalable, repeatable construction methods well suited to affordable housing developments.

Challenges and Solutions

Affordable housing projects must balance upfront construction cost with long-term operational efficiency. In a hot climate like Las Vegas, managing cooling demand is critical. SIPs addressed this challenge by delivering a high-performance envelope that limits heat gain, reduces air leakage, and supports efficient mechanical operation—helping keep long-term utility costs manageable for both residents and operators.

Key Features

• Low-income affordable housing development in Las Vegas, Nevada

• Multifamily residential project

• Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) wall and roof construction

• High-performance envelope designed for desert climate conditions

• Reduced construction time and material waste

• Improved energy efficiency and long-term affordability

“We have used SIPs on our last 9 projects and will never go back to conventional framing.  The SIP panels are far superior in time and construction, and much less waste on a job site than lumber. There are never problems with the walls not being straight, like we faced in stick frame construction. We also pay all of the utilities on all our SIP projects, and we have found great cost savings of power, especially in the summer months of Las Vegas.” -Sharon Bullock, CDPCN

“Compared to stick framing, SIP walls go up much faster since they can be installed in large sections and eliminate the need for separate on-site framing and insulation work.  The finished walls are also beautifully straight, which saves time on drywall installation, painting, and other finishing work.  I can finish a 3 or 4-story apartment development in 9 months.” -Sharon Bullock, CDPCN