The Cadet Chapel was the culminating architectural element of SOM's master plan and design of the entire U.S. Air Force Academy campus. Designed by SOM as part of the Master Plan and design of the entire U.S. Air Force Academy campus, the Cadet Chapel was created as a single symbolic religious structure that accommodates the individuality of three major American faiths, thus requiring three distinct chapels. It’s the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Designed by the late Walter Netsch, of the renowned architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the chapel is a masterpiece of glass, steel, and aluminum, a breathtaking place of worship dominated by 17 identical spires that pierce the Colorado sky. The striking building features a succession of 17 glass and aluminum spires — each composed of 100 tetrahedrons — enclosing the upper level. Cadet Chapel and the new Center for Character & Leadership Development in 2016. The Falcon Circle is the newest of the Cadet Chapel's worship areas, dedicated in 2011. Netsch's original plans included a series of rain gutters just underneath the aluminum exterior of the Chapel's spires, but these were not built due to budget constraints, and the seams between the panels were The Cadet Chapel was designed specifically to house three distinct worship areas under a single roof. The Cadet Chapel is the most recognizable building at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the most visited man-made tourist attraction in Colorado. The structure is a tubular steel frame of 100 identical tetrahedrons, each 75 feet (23 m) long, weighing five tons, and enclosed with aluminum panels. This aluminum, glass and steel structure features 17 spires that shoot 150 feet into the sky. Soaring 150 feet into the air against a Rocky Mountain backdrop, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs is a National Historic Landmark and one of Colorado’s most-visited manmade attractions. Photo © Magda Biernat U.S. Air Force Academy – Center for Character & Leadership DevelopmentU.S. The front façade, on the south, has a wide granite stairway with steel railings capped by aluminum handrails leading up one story to a landing. It is considered among the most beautiful examples of modern American academic architecture. The Cadet Chapel was the culminating architectural element of SOM's master plan and design of the entire U.S. Air Force Academy campus. Inspired by chapels at The building's tetrahedrons form the walls and the pinnacled ceiling of the Protestant Chapel.The walls of the foyer are purple stained glass panels alternating with green and blue stained accent windows. The most striking aspect of the Chapel is its row of seventeen spires. The circular walls of the synagogue are panels of translucent glass separated by stanchions of Israeli cypress.

The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, completed in 1962, is the prominent architectural feature of the Cadet Area at the United States Air Force Academy located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The striking building features a succession of 17 glass and aluminum spires — each composed of 100 tetrahedrons — enclosing the upper level. Photo © Magda Biernat Cadet Chapel and the new Center for Character & Leadership Development in 2016. The Cadet Chapel was the culminating architectural element of SOM's master plan and design of the entire U.S. Air Force Academy campus. The original design called for twenty-one spires, but this number was reduced due to budget issues.The Cadet Chapel itself is 150 feet (46 m) high, 280 feet (85 m) long, and 84 feet (26 m) wide.
Air Force Academy – Center for Character & Leadership DevelopmentEric Keune and NPR Discuss SOM's Design for the U.S. Air Force AcademyFrank Mahan Delivers Keynote at International Society for the Philosophy of Architecture Conference Continuous panels of brilliant stained glass clad the tubular tetrahedrons, enabling diffused light to enter the building. The most striking aspect of the Chapel is its row of seventeen spires. It was designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The striking building features a succession of 17 glass and aluminum spires — each composed of 100 tetrahedrons — enclosing the upper level. They are divided into three groups; brotherhood, flight (in honor of the Air Force) and justice.