The giant Sphere in Las Vegas has become one of the city's most recognizable landmarks, with its massive LED exterior and immersive entertainment experiences attracting visitors from around the world.
Now, a smaller version of the attraction is planned for National Harbor in Maryland. The $1.4 billion project received unanimous preliminary design approval from the Prince George's County Planning Board on Nov. 5, bringing it one step closer to becoming reality.
The venue would bring similar technology to the Washington DC region, but planning documents highlight several differences that could affect everything from its nighttime appearance to its local impact.
Here's how the two venues would compare.
How would Maryland's Sphere be different?
The Las Vegas Sphere stands 366 feet tall, while
the proposed National Harbor version would have a maximum height of 305 feet, according to documents submitted to the Prince George's County Planning Board.
The Maryland venue also would be considerably smaller in capacity, with approximately 6,000 seats compared with 17,600 in Las Vegas.
The two structures also would use different LED technology on their exterior displays, known as the Exosphere.
Las Vegas uses LED nodes manufactured by SACO, while the National Harbor project plans to use nodes made by Planar. SACO's technology has a higher potential light output than the Planar panels proposed for Maryland, according to the documents.
“There would not be any type of light pollution coming outside of the property itself,” County Planning Director James Hunt told WTOP. “In particular, the information that came out indicated that it was actually going to be less intrusive than the light that comes from the sphere in Las Vegas.
Unlike the Las Vegas location, which is situated near the iconic Strip, the National Harbor Sphere would have more residential neighborhoods nearby as well as the historic Oxon Hill Manor.
Planning documents also point to differences in the surrounding roads. National Harbor has several high-speed, federally funded roadways near the proposed site, compared with the lower-speed local roads surrounding the Las Vegas venue.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How will Maryland's Sphere compare with the one in Las Vegas?
