Apartment Accents

Aluminum composite material panels create a strikingly bold exterior

Located in downtown Redwood City, Calif., Indigo is a newly built development of rental apartments consisting of 470 apartments in three, 10-story high-rise towers. The $137 million project is a total of 723,636 square feet and includes an approximately 210,000-square-foot garage with electric car charging stations and basement level that sits completely below grade. Sitting atop the third level of the parking structure is a 34,200-square-foot landscaped outdoor podium surrounded by the three high-rise towers.

Indigo Apartments stands out from the rest with its striking and bold exterior. Designed by San Francisco-based BDE Architecture, the majority of the project's exterior is clad with Omega-Lite aluminum composite material (ACM) panels from Laminators Inc., Hatfield, Pa. The ACM panels are installed in Laminators' 1-Piece, Tight-Fit Molding installation system.

Juliana Brodsky, with BDE Architecture, says the design goal was to create a building with very clean lines, defined corners, and visual contrast between the white, grey, and dark blue. "When we were looking at materials, the ACM panel had a great look, and was visually lighter than [glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC)], while meeting our budget goals. We were able to use the ACM to create a sense of lightness for these large towers," she adds.

Shawn Crouthamel, national sales manager at Laminators, says for a project this size, it was imperative that the installer had significant flexibility throughout the entire panel installation process. "Laminators helped to solve this issue by proposing a proprietary field-fabricated system that afforded the required flexibility while still delivering the look that the design professional desired," he adds.

Architectural Building Products, West Seneca, N.Y., distributed more than 160,000 square feet of Laminator's Omega-Lite ACM panels in a variety of colors, including classic Bone White. A selection of custom colors in Mediterranean Blue, Great Grey and Granite Grey, were chosen to accent the buildings. The ACM panels provided a traditional, yet high-tech appearance at an affordable cost.

"On a project of this scale, in regards to the manufacturing process and job-site logistics, the combined coordination and communication between all parties were essential to make Indigo a success on all levels," says Mike Mantione, regional sales and operations at Architectural Building Products. "In addition, having direct and unlimited access to Laminators Inc. technical engineers and support staff in relation to conference calls, detailing, testing and constructability were critical to this success, as well as the efforts and input with our construction and architectural partners."

Opened in July 2016, the 2.44-acre project also features several two- and three-story podium buildings that span an entire city block. Located with easy access to nearby freeways and public transportation, Indigo also has 120 bike racks and an on-site bike maintenance and repair shop.

The building's ground floor features commercial spaces and lobbies, while amenities include a third-floor courtyard, recreational room, gymnasium and outdoor pool. Indigo features studio, one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments with a modern chef's kitchen, high ceilings, wood plank flooring throughout, and a bathroom mirror with HDTV. Residents also have access to Indigo's full concierge service, a saltwater swimming pool with open-air cabana lounge, outdoor theater and fireplace, deluxe spa/hot tub, fully equipped fitness center with yoga studio, spin studio, and outdoor workout area. The pet-friendly apartment complex also offers a pet park with dog exercise area.

Indigo apartment complex, Redwood City, Calif.
Award: Silicon Valley's 2016 Market-Rate Residential Project award
Owner: Apartment Investment and Management Co. (AIMCO), Denver
Developer: The PAULS Corp., Denver, www.thepaulscorporation.com
Architect: BDE Architecture, San Francisco, bdearch.com
General contractor: Cahill Contractors, San Francisco, cahill-sf.com
Construction manager: ECR Construction, Redwood City
Distributer: Architectural Building Products, West Seneca, N.Y., abp-distributors.com
Metal wall panels: Laminators Inc., Hatfield, Pa., www.laminatorsinc.com