Under a design-bid-build contract, ECC constructed the LEED Silver, 46,500-square-foot US Air Force Academy Center for Character and Leadership Development in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The iconic building serves as a focal point for more than 4,000 cadets per year, who will receive honor, ethics, and leadership training. Integrating award-winning design by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (original USAFA designers) with state-of-the-art technology, the team focused on sustainable construction and alternative energy solutions, critical to meeting the US Air Force’s commitment to the environment. One of the most unique, symbolic, and structurally interesting aspects of the building is the 105-foot-tall skylight glass tower. The visually striking “vertical compass” was designed to point towards Polaris, the North Star, as a symbol of the leadership and character guidance the Academy provides its cadets.