Flats on Main
Normal, Illinois
The Flats on Main Phase III was designed as the next phase of a successful student housing development in Normal Illinois, home to Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University. Complementing the first two buildings on the site located south of ISU’s campus, this third phase provides larger two and three-bedroom units on the lower floors with a concentration of one three-bedroom and studio apartments to provide the privacy desired by an upperclassman and graduate students.
This six-story building was designed with a panelized load-bearing light gauge metal structure to respond to an accelerated schedule and the tight site, which has little room for construction staging. Clad in a combination of masonry and prefinished metal panels, the building exterior will provide the developer with a reliable and durable surface requiring minimal maintenance.
The panel’s linear orientation and varying lengths provide the Flats development with a contemporary design while maintaining a visual connection to the initial phases through the use of bold accent color.
In addition to 41 apartment units, the building will provide students with indoor bike storage, a community room for social events, and a study room in the lower level. The initial phases and adjacent properties were developed by the same team and provide convenient retail and dining options. Eckenhoff Saunders also developed alternative townhome concepts on the same project site.