Earlier this year, the ongoing refurbishment of SOM’s Walter Netsch-designed United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado reached a significant milestone when contractors for the $220 million project removed the final aluminum fin from its iconic exterior, culminating the renovation’s asbestos removal stage and clearing the way for the final reconstruction to begin.
The painstaking process, which began in 2019 and hit an impasse after two years due to “unforeseen” issues that added nearly $80 million to the project’s original budget of $158 million, is now on track for completion in 2027 and will result in the installation of an aluminum water barrier system the Air Force scrapped during construction in favor of cheaper caulking seals.
“Scraping the sealants off the building damaged the aluminum finish and as time went on and new resealant projects came in, the sealants were no longer adhering to the aluminum very well,” Academy architect Duane Boyle said in an Air Force press release, referring to the multiple failed moisture-blocking systems which were enacted in place of the original plan. “The longevity of those projects was very short, so that’s what really drove us to actually think about how can we fix this problem once and for all?”
Aside from the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral, this is one of the most significant architectural makeovers underway in the Western world and entailed what Donny Tennyson, Vice President of J.E. Dunn Construction (the lead contractors for the project), characterized as a “national effort.”
“Although we still have a long way to go before reopening to the public, we’re committed to getting this right, from solving the water intrusion issue, to ensuring that the building is brought back to its original design intent for the Academy, the region, and the nation to enjoy,” he added finally.
More photos of the ongoing restoration effort can be found here via the Academy's Flickr.
6 Comments
Typical government delays and incompetence. Not the Norte Dame, though both countries move at a snail's pace.
When it comes to architectural masterpieces, if it's a choice between do it fast and do it right, I take the latter.
Am I reading that right, $238MM??! Just replace the entire skin and shell! Better yet, build a new identical one next to it and demo the old one! Even better, build multiple multi-family housing buildings in an impoverished region suffering from a housing crisis!
#rickitect
Only if you're the architect on one of the projects though right? Hypocrite.
The cost of a single (one) F22 fighter jet is $143 million.
Looks like Judson Studios is back at work on the stained glass.
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