Indiana State University’s 2009 housing project plans came to life in the fall of 2015 with the completion of a new student housing complex, 500 Wabash Ave in Terre Haute, IN. The exterior of the 128,547 sq. ft., five-story mixed-use retail/housing complex is designed to look like a row of smaller buildings, portions of which are clad with Omega-Lite ACM panels from Laminators Inc. of Hatfield, PA.

Four of the building's five floors are designated for student housing while the bottom floor was created with retail/office space in mind. The residential units consist of 75 apartment suites, with anywhere from one to four bedrooms, and several studio apartments. Total occupancy is 260. The complex is just one block from the University, which is home to over 14,600 students, faculty and staff.

To get the multi-building appearance, the design team from RATIO Architects, Indianapolis, IN decided to use various types of facades including brick, terra cotta, cast stone and Omega-Lite ACM panels.  R.A.M., Inc., Arcadia, IN installed and fabricated over 9,800 sq. ft. of Laminators Inc. Omega-Lite panels in custom AnoZinc I and AnoZinc II finishes—the anodic coatings simulate the look of natural zinc in light and dark shades.

The design team required continuity of the façade panel system, so an exact match finish on panel, joint and termination elements was mandatory. This was accomplished by a custom fabrication application developed by R.A.M. that involves “wrapping” the extrusion moldings with the same AnoZinc metal used to manufacture the Omega-Lite ACM panels. The result is a pleasing reveal joint panel system with exact matched joinery/termination elements in an economical “flat” attachment ACM panel system.  By wrapping the perimeter moldings with the AnoZinc metal, general contractor, Thompson Thrift, Terre Haute, IN was able to meet design, budget and constructability goals.