It was built in hopes of encouraging students to stay and utilize resources on campus. If the building’s appearance plays any role in such decisions, then surely the goal has been met. Clad in brick, the North Academic Classroom building on the McAllen campus of South Texas College is made more inviting by the presence of colorful Thermolite ACM panels from Laminators Inc.

Founded in 1993, South Texas College (STC) is a public community college providing education to the Hidalgo and Starr counties in Texas.  STC has approximately 34,000 students enrolled on a yearly basis throughout the six campuses and two satellite locations in cities such as McAllen, Weslaco and Rio Grande City.

The new North Academic Classroom Building is at the Pecan Campus (main campus) in McAllen. It’s design incorporates 2,000 sq. ft. of Thermolite ACM panels in Dove Grey and various custom blue, green and orange colors that tie in the official colors of the STC logo. The Thermolite panels not only help to brighten up the exterior, but also provide some energy-saving and insulating properties to the building.

Thermolite panels are constructed with an insulating foam core sandwiched between two corrugated, stabilizers and finished aluminum sheets.  Available in smooth or stucco-embossed finishes in a variety of durable colors, Thermolite panels add a highly decorative and durable surface with excellent insulating properties.  Architect, PBK, in San Antonio, TX chose Thermolite panels because they are lightweight, easy to handle, and quick to install. This is the perfect solution for fitting into 1-inch insulating glass curtain walls and storefront extruded molding systems. Panels can be fabricated on-site using standard carpentry tools or factory-cut to meet your exact specifications.