AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — A 46-ton, 105-foot-tall steel and glass tower pointing toward the North Star being built at the Air Force Academy so students can study character and honor is out of alignment and contractors are trying to figure out how to fix it.
The tower of honor sits atop the new Center for Character and Leadership Development. The academy hopes it will be a national hub for studies on how character influences life and how character is built.
The project, which costs about $35 million, has been in the works for a decade and is being built with a combination of government cash and more than $12 million in donations.
The school's honor code is "We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does."
The tie to the honor code was the inspiration for the leaning tower, which points to the sole object that stays fixed in the night sky, creating a structural representation of a moral compass, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Sunday.
"Polaris has long been a navigation tool used to guide the traveler," academy architect Duane Boyle said. "Likewise, it symbolically relates to one's own ethical and moral journey through life. The steel and glass tower aligns with Polaris, sending a powerful message to all that leadership and character development are paramount in all that we do."
Carlos Cruz-Gonzalez, who oversees building work at the academy, said problems are expected when putting up a one-of-kind building.
From the start of work, though, the center's construction has seemed star-crossed. Cruz-Gonzalez said that as they excavated for the building's foundation, workers uncovered a car-sized boulder that took two weeks to jackhammer away.
The latest issue was discovered during quality control checks. The tower is being built to tight specifications. Officials found that the 14th level of the metal structure close to the top is out of line by nearly an inch, exceeding the 1/8-inch standard set for the building.
The 60-year-old school is known worldwide for its architectural wonders. Designed by the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill firm, the academy is considered one of the finest examples of the art of modernism. That firm also designed the Center for Character and Leadership Development.
Work is proceeding on the interior of the building, which will house classrooms, conference facilities and a courtroom where cadets who violate the honor code will answer to peers.
