Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) revisit their design of Colorado Springs’ Air Force Academy campus to gift it with a new building, a symbolic yet practical structure which will act as the site’s new Center for Character and Leadership Development, abbreviated to the CCLD.
Originally designed by SOM in 1954, the campus which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District since 2004, accommodates around 550 staff and over 4,000 students. The CCLD will act as the new architectural focal point for the campus, whilst also visually offsetting the academy’s iconic and striking Cadet Chapel which resides directly next door to the new building.
Totalling 46,000-square-foot, the CCLD is situated to be a critical meeting point between public and cadet areas of the site, acting as a nexus due to its select location by different sectors of the building which are each designated to professors, cadets, important visitors and the public. The new building will contain a forum, a flexible working space, collaboration conference and seminar rooms, along with a library, offices and an honour board room where important matters concerning the Cadet Honor Code are held.
A 105-foot skylight looms over the CCLD’s visitors casting natural light into the depths of the building. The glass structure was designed to align with the position of the North Star, to the signify the Academy’s guiding values. An architectural and engineering marvel, the dynamic structure is composed from Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS), and exists without any embellishment or ornamentation, its sleek connections working in aesthetic harmony with SOM’s refined and pared-back design.
'Our Center for Character and Leadership Development creates a distinct and contemporary icon for the U.S. Air Force Academy, while also deferring to the discipline and rigour of the original campus plan,' states Roger Duffy, design partner at SOM. 'We were honoured to have this opportunity to revisit one of our most important projects, and to make a 21st-century contribution at the heart of the campus.'
The dynamic skylight is composed from an Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS), existing without any embellishment or ornamentation and with sleek connections, which work in aesthetic harmony with SOM’s refined and pared-back design
Totalling 46,000-square-foot, the CCLD is situated to be a critical meeting point between public and cadet areas of the site, acting as a nexus to all of the Academy's visitors
The CCLD will contain a forum, a flexible working space, collaboration conference and seminar rooms along with a library, offices and an honour board room where important matters concerning the Cadet Honor Code are held
A 105-foot skylight looms over the CCLD’s visitors, casting natural light into the depths of the building. The glass structure was symbolically designed to align with the position of the North Star
INFORMATION
For more information on the Air Force Academy's Center for Character and Leadership Development, visit Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's website
Photography: Magda Biernat
-
Rome’s hottest new bar is a temporary art installation – don’t miss itVilla Lontana presents ‘Bar Far’, a striking exhibition by British artists Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page, where nothing is what it seems
-
Apple unveils Creator Studio, a new subscription service for its top-tier creative appsApple Creator Studio brings together Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro and a host of other pro-grade creative apps, as well as a new level of AI-assisted content search
-
We celebrate hope and optimism in architecture at the 2026 Wallpaper* Design AwardsSeeking the positive and the spirit-lifting, we commend this year’s architectural innovators and change makers
-
The New Museum finally has an opening date for its OMA-designed expansionThe pioneering art museum is set to open 21 March 2026. Here's what to expect
-
This remarkable retreat with views of the Catskill Mountains was inspired by the silhouettes of oak leavesA New York City couple turned to Desai Chia Architecture to design them a thoughtful weekend home. What they didn't know is that they'd be starting a farm, too
-
Wallpaper* Best Use of Material 2026: a New Mexico home that makes use of the region's volcanic soilNew Mexico house Sombra de Santa Fe, designed by Dust Architects, intrigues with dark, geometric volumes making use of the region's volcanic soil – winning it a spot in our trio of Best Use of Material winners at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2026
-
More changes are coming to the White HouseFollowing the demolition of the East Wing and plans for a massive new ballroom, President Trump wants to create an ‘Upper West Wing’
-
A group of friends built this California coastal home, rooted in nature and modern designNestled in the Sea Ranch community, a new coastal home, The House of Four Ecologies, is designed to be shared between friends, with each room offering expansive, intricate vistas
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
