Construction begins on symbolic CCLD skylight tower

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  The Air Force Civil Engineer Center has begun construction on one of the most symbolic components of the Air Force Academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development: the Vertical Compass. The compass is a glass skylight tower angled to point directly to Polaris, the North Star.

The CCLD serves as a focal point of the Academy's commitment to developing leaders of character since its creation in 1993.

"It exists to catalyze and support the work of all at the Academy: cadets, faculty and staff, for the purpose of graduating young men and women into the profession of arms to lead throughout their lives with integrity, a spirit of service, and excellence in a nonlinear world," said Col. Joseph Sanders, CCLD Director and Permanent Professor. It is important to Academy officials that the new facility symbolizes this mission.

"We established early in the design phase that Polaris had to be portrayed in a meaningful way," said Duane Boyle, the Academy's chief architect and deputy director of the Installations Directorate. "Polaris has long been a navigation tool used to guide the traveler. Likewise, it symbolically relates to one's own ethical and moral journey through life."

The cost of the skylight tower, interior enhancements and many of the internal furnishings is being financed from approximately $17.5 million in funds raised through the USAFA Endowment, while $27.5 million in military construction funds are being used to construct the basic facility.

"In the graduate community and among donors, character is the heart of the Honor Code and the Air Force core values," said retired Gen. Stephen Lorenz, the endowment's president and CEO. "When we would go out and ask people to donate toward this building, which is iconic in nature, the project resonated. It was not difficult to raise funds."

The result is a structure that is unlike anything the Air Force has built before, said Bob Barrish, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center construction manager for the project.

"This is truly a one-of-a-kind project," said Russell Henderer, the AFCEC construction agent for the project. "The tower is particularly intricate and is incredibly complicated in how it fits together. There are only two identical pieces on the entire structure."

The design was orchestrated by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the company which planned and designed the Academy Campus. Situated in the heart of a National Historic Landmark District, the facility occupies much of the space on the Honor Court and is adjacent to the Academy Chapel. Once complete, the 46,500 square-foot facility will bring all of CCLD's divisions under one roof for the first time.

In addition to the skylight tower, the building includes a Cadet Wing Honor Board Room, where cadets gather to uphold the Academy's core values and honor code, as well as offices, conference and seminar rooms, a library, and other gathering spaces.

In addition to its symbolic features, the CCLD facility will also incorporate several sustainable elements, including the use of natural ventilation in the skylight, radiant heating and cooling, photovoltaic panels, natural lighting and occupancy sensors. As a result of these features, annual energy consumption by the building is expected to be reduced by nearly 70 percent and is expected to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver rating.

Construction is expected to be complete in 2015, with the facility open for use by mid-year.