The F4 (“form follows function with flair”) Tower, also known as the “PAU” Standard, is the 14th generation of the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) prototypes. In 2021, PAU led the architecture and engineering team that submitted the winning entry in an open design competition with a forward-looking design that not only meets the client’s requirements on durability and adaptability, but also sets a new resilience benchmark. Inspired by the small-scale urbanity of rural water towers and lighthouses, PAU was lauded by the FAA in the interview process for deeply collaborating with engineering partners, providing optimal conditions for both the towers’ systems and their operators. Designing for the specificity of the ATCT’s functions and adaptability as a prototype to a multitude of sites—including varying cab heights, seismic and climatic needs, and material availability—all the while maximizing value with a limited budget was a core challenge. In a break from traditional slender-shaft towers, the F4 Tower incorporates program as “modules” around the core in a cruciform configuration, which provides usable, well-proportioned rooms, efficient circulation, and programmatic flexibility in site-adaptation, future expansion, and end of life deconstruction. Beyond providing critical structural redundancy, the eight exterior columns affords a touch of local flair in customizable colors. Major resilience strategies woven into the design include all-electric building systems and geothermal heating and cooling. Following completion of the prototype design, PAU was engaged to adapt the prototype to site-specific locations: Towers will be built at an initial set of 31 municipal airports across the country, often the tallest structures in these rural settings.