Fine Arts Academy Gets a Vibrant, Long-Lasting New Look
Kynar 500® PVDF
Spectacular makeover of Middle School relies on rchitectural coating made with Kynar® 500 FSF® PVDF resin to achieve long-term durability and color vibrancy in harsh Florida climate conditions.
McLaughlin Middle School in Lake Wales, Florida, opened in 1964 as a Junior High and soon progressed into McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy. Based on its exemplary arts programs, outstanding talent, and rich history of community engagement, McLaughlin earned the prestigious Arts Achieve! Model School designation by the Florida Alliance for Arts Education. As a distinguished model school, it has assisted other schools in developing and implementing exemplary visual and performing arts programs.
With its mission to inspire students through the arts, the McLaughlin Middle Fine Arts Academy set out to transform its exterior appearance with a new upbeat, welcoming, and inspiring façade aesthetic that fostered creativity and learning. For school administrators and the design team, long-term durability and steadfastness of the bold new color palette in the harsh South Florida climate were of vital importance.
Colorful New Aesthetic
Color plays a significant role in designing educational facilities for students of all ages. When it comes to the building’s façade—the first and lasting impression of the school to both children and adults—the color scheme sets the tone for how students perceive the space they're entering, maybe for the very first time. It needs to convey an inviting, lively, and stimulating learning environment. Color brightness needs to stand the test of time and withstand environmental conditions that contribute to degradation.
To realize the color inspirations and long-term durability goals at the McLaughlin Middle Fine Arts Academy, the new metal façade was coated with Sherwin-Williams’ SHER-NAR® 5000 product made with Kynar 500® FSF® PVDF resin. Available in a wide range of color and finish options, this fluorosurfactant-free protective coating meets the stringent requirements of the AAMA 2605-13 performance standard for 10-year South Florida weathering conditions.
Kynar 500® FSF® resin is a special grade of PVDF resin used by licensed paint manufacturers to produce long-life coatings for aluminum, galvanized steel and aluminized steel building components. It provides metal with superb mildew and chalk resistance, excellent dirt shedding and extreme weatherability. This next-generation Kynar 500® resin technology also can contribute to LEED® credits, as it is produced using a patented fluorosurfactant-free process.
Superior Long-Lasting Protection
The test of a coating is its ability to resist weathering, allowing architects to design in colorful palettes. Architectural coatings based upon Kynar 500® PVDF resin are widely recognized as some of the world’s most durable metal coatings with an extraordinary capability to retain color and gloss. Their extreme longevity and low maintenance have made them the first choices for architects and specifiers in protecting metal building components across the globe.
“The durability of protective coatings is vital to extending the color stability and gloss retention of metal building facades in South Florida’s harsh weathering environment,” said Paul Lavallee, Global Market Manager of Kynar Coatings at Arkema Inc. “We’re pleased that McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy recognizes the value that the SHER-NAR® 5000 coating made with Kynar 500® FSF® PVDF resin will bring them in keeping this beautiful façade vibrant and appealing for many years ahead.”
Kynar 500® and FSF® are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.