Preserving an Icon while Re-envisioning the Enclosure of the United States Air Force Academy Chapel

How does one address systemic water infiltration in an iconic building while preserving its historic character? Completed in 1963, the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is a celebrated example of modernist architecture and a National Historic Landmark. Yet its innovative aluminum-and-glass enclosure has experienced persistent water leakage since its opening. After decades of repairs that addressed symptoms rather than root causes, the Air Force undertook a comprehensive restoration using modern building enclosure principles. This case study explores the challenges of integrating a contemporary rainscreen system behind a replication of the Chapel’s historic aluminum cladding, including the design process, development of unique solutions and their validation through full-scale mock-ups.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the causes of water leakage issues in a significant, historic modernist structure
• Analyze the building enclosure design and water management system of the existing building compared to the repair design
• Discuss determination and implementation of the design-phase laboratory performance mock-up process for the repair design
• Evaluate the results and lessons learned from the mock-up construction and testing to inform the final repair design

Presenter: Bryan Rouse, AIA, Associate Principal, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

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