The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) honored the Center for Character & Leadership Development (CCLD) ?with an International Lighting Design Award of Merit. Now in its 34th year, the IALD award program recognizes excellence in aesthetic and technical design achievement. In announcing the 2017 award recipients, IALD noted, “This year’s winners represent some of the most innovative and inspiring work found anywhere in the world of architectural lighting design.”
Located on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, CCLD serves as an education and research center for cadets in training. The building’s most prominent feature, a 105-foot-tall skylight, symbolically serves as a navigation aid and as a reminder of the Academy’s core values. Shaped like an aircraft tailfin, the glass-enclosed structure precisely aligns with the North Star. The skylight also provides ample natural light to the space below.
CCLD’s truss system of horizontal plates acts as both a sunshade and light reflector. Additional lighting features include glass fritting to reduce glare and heat gain, and reflective panels that diffuse artificial lighting to provide a uniform pattern of illumination.