Terrazzo

From USAFA Folklore

The Terrazzo is the central, open area between the buildings of the Cadet Area. The name comes from the large, marble-lined terrazzo tiles that surround both the Air Gardens and a large grassy area (containing Spirit Hill) often referred to as "the mall". Sometimes called the "T-zo" by cadets.

1 Architecture
2 Marble Strips
3 Trivia
4 Spirit Missions
5 External Links

[edit] Architecture

(taken from USAFA's National Historic Landmark application

The western half of the Terrazzo is a square grassy field with a wide border of exposed aggregate walkways, delineated with rows of marble tile reflecting the Cadet Area design grid of twenty-eight feet. There is a small hill in the middle of this field, created in 1956 as part of the landscape plan developed by Dan Kiley. Hired by Skidmore Owings and Merrill on the recommendation of Eero Saarinen, Kiley was a widely respected landscape architect. His design created a wooded sloping hill from the middle of the Terrazzo extending south to the valley below, balanced visually with a rise on the higher plateau of a mountain to the south of the Cadet Area. A masterful blend of nature and man-made environments, this feature was eliminated in 1968 with the construction of Sijan Hall, which served to enclose the Terrazzo. The hillock on the southeast corner of the grass field remains, although now without trees, which where recently removed.

The east quarter of the Terrazzo, parallel to the long west elevation of Fairchild Hall, features another distinctive Kiley landscape. Called the "Air Gardens", the 700-foot long space held an ordered geometry of lighted pools, lowered grass sections and maze-like walkways. The Academy filled and leveled the feature in 1975 following perceived drainage problems. Kiley chose geometric forms as symbols of the cadet’s life- geometrical and disciplined. The walkways, separated by spaces of lowered turf grass at the same height of the water, connect the pools and the Terrazzo grid. Rows of honey locust trees flank the pools on the east and west sides of the garden. In recent years, both north and south ends of the garden have been excavated and the terminating fountains and lighted pools restored.

[edit] Marble Strips

Marble strips surround and cross the Terrazzo. Basic and fourth class cadets may only travel around the Terrazzo on the perimeter marble strips and must turn square corners.

[edit] Trivia

During high wind conditions, commonly 60-70 mph during spring and fall, an announcement would be made that cadets weighing less than 150 pounds should stay away from railings. The marble strip on the northeast corner of the Terrazzo over what was formerly the Bring Me Men ramp was a particularly dangerous location for lighter cadets to travel, as the gap between Vandenburg and Fairchild Halls created a Venturi effect and generated even higher local winds.
On high wind days, cadets will engage in a pastime known as Terrazzo Surfing.