A topping out ceremony was held last week for the new United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) Visitor Center. Project teams and representatives from the Air Force Academy signed a steel beam before it was placed at the top of the structure, symbolically indicating the completion of the structural components of the project.
The new USAFA Visitor Center, located outside the gates of the academy, will replace the existing visitor center inside the base. The center will be 34,000-square-feet, inclusive of a level one mezzanine and level two core and shell build out, and mimics an airplane taking off for flight. Construction of the award-winning design by Fentress Architects includes a metal wall panel, curtain wall, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roof, and three metal panel roof systems.
“This milestone means a great deal to the team who has worked extremely hard so far. We have also recently hit a safety milestone of completing 100 days on the job without a recordable injury. We’re proud to be a part of the construction of such an iconic building,” says Todd Reynolds, GE Johnson construction executive.
The Visitor Center is part of a larger development of the area outside of the Academy gates. This area will eventually be connected via an overhead pedestrian bridge to the Hotel and Convention Center. The center will illustrate a day in the life of cadets, tracing their journey from in-processing day through major academy milestones to graduation and commissioning as officers in either the Air Force or Space Force.
About GE Johnson
For more than half a century, GE Johnson has been dedicated to enriching our communities by leading and building projects with the best people and ideas. The company embraces the power of ingenuity and trusting relationships, and values integrity, safety, collaboration, and excellence. GE Johnson is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado with offices in: Denver, Colorado; Jackson, Wyoming; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Lenexa, Kansas.
###
