At the corner of Chicago Avenue and Howard Street in Evanton, IL, is where apartment hunters in the Chicagoland area will find luxury and elegance. A new apartment building there, Evanston Gateway, brings together boutique living and accessibility. The residences feature modern, premium finishes, while the building itself features a rooftop deck offering endless views of Lake Michigan's shoreline and Chicago's iconic skyline. Helping give the apartment building its clean, modern aesthetic are aluminum composite wall panels from Laminators Incorporated.    

The exterior showcases over 27,000 sq. ft. of Laminators' Omega-Lite® ACM panels in various custom colors including 13,560 sq. ft. of Jade Green Mica (Metallic), 4,480 sq. ft. of Natures Gift, 6,108 sq. ft. of Silver Mica (Metallic), and 1,344 sq. ft. of Light Grey. The architects from Level Architecture, LLC, Chicago, IL chose Omega-Lite panels not only because they offer a highly decorative, strong, and durable surface finish for exterior wall surfaces, but also because of the short lead times and no set minimum quantities for the custom colors. Omega-Lite panels are composed of a polypropylene, corrugated core between two finished aluminum sheets. They are non-absorbent, water-resistant, and easy to maintain.

Niles, IL-based Valdex installed the ACM panels using Laminators’ “Legacy Version” of their 1-Piece, Tight-Fit Molding installation system. This proprietary system made the panel installation simple, using durable 1-piece moldings (both “H” and “Reveal H” moldings are available providing two different design options for the panel joints). Overseeing the construction was the general contractor, LG Construction & Development Group (LG Group), Chicago.

The legacy field-fabricated installation systems are ideal for various architectural features, and when building codes don't require the higher performance offered with Laminators’ back-drained and ventilated systems. Laminators' 1-Piece, Tight-Fit Molding Legacy installation system can be used over plywood (structural) or non-structural (gypsum) sheathing and addresses NFPA 285 (National Fire Protection Association) compliance.

Laminators’ Omega-Lite panels installed with the 1-Piece, Tight-Fit system guaranteed Evanston Gateway a class A fire rating and met NFPA 285, Miami-Dade County Product Control and Florida Product Approval requirements. Laminators Inc. manufactures high-quality ACM panels that meet these stringent performance levels and provide design professionals and building owners with the confidence that their cladding will withstand the most extreme conditions.