International Coatings Scene
LATIN AMERICA
BY CHARLES W. THURSTON
LATIN AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
THURSTONCW@RODPUB.COM
Brazil highlights historical
architecture renovations
Paint and
coatings
companies
play an
important
role in
restoring
Brazil’s
historical
architecture.
Brazil’s paint and coatings industry
is highlighting the important role it
is playing in the renovation of historically important architecture in the
country, providing a showcase for sponsors’
products, according to Dilson Ferreira, the
president of the Brazilian trade association
Associacao das Fabricantes de Tintas
(Abrafati) in Sao Paulo.
Abrafati recently profiled the work of
BASF’s Suvinil unit in painting the 1861
Mercado Modelo building in downtown
Salvador in conjunction with the city government. Rui Goerck, BASF’s vice president for
paint and varnishes in South America said,
“Monuments like these reinforce our culture
and sense of being Brazilian, and the preservation of these buildings is the responsibility
of all of us.” Suvinil has been involved in the
renovation of some 30 buildings in Brazil
since 1988 when the company formed a special unit for historical architecture called
“Cor, Arquitectura e Memoria,” or “Color,
Architecture and Memories.”
Sherwin-Williams also has been active in
helping to restore public architecture, like
the Morumbi soccer stadium in Sao Paulo.
“We have an ongoing partnership with the
stadium and once we saw the need for paint,
we offered to help them,” said David Ivy,
Sherwin-Williams’ director of marketing, in
Sao Paulo. “Then when the operators of the
Moises Lucarelli soccer stadium in
Campinas, near our factory, saw what we
did at Morumbi, we painted their stadium
as well. This is an incredible opportunity.
Apart from the preservation of one of the
focal points of the city and the support for a
sport for which we are globally recognized,
we have a chance to contribute to the beauty of the region.”
Similarly, Tintas Coral has been active in
the renovation of several buildings in
Recife, the capital of Pernambuco state,
through an alliance with the city government and a local retail business owners’
association. Tintas Coral launched its
“Pintando o Brasil” or “Painting Brazil” program in 2000, encompassing projects in
nine cities and based on public school students’ suggestions to select the monuments
that were restored. Several museums and
other public buildings were painted as part
of the program, including the Museu da
Casa Brasileira, in Sao Paulo.
Finally, Abrafati recognized the work of
Renner Sayerlack in restoring buildings in
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, including the 150-year old Sociedade Portuguesa de
Beneficiencia hospital. Renner also helped
paint several dozen homes in the historic
town of Antonio Prado, also in Rio Grande do
Sul state, which had been placed on the
Patrimonio Historico e Artistico Nacional,
Brazil’s national registry of significant architectural buildings.
“By participating in initiatives like
these, the paint industry not only plays an
important social role, but also demonstrates through highly visible action how
paint contributes to the beauty, the value
and the conservation of architecture,” said
Abrafati’s Ferreira. “Certainly this is an
investment which brings many dividends,
not only for the companies but also for society as a whole.” CW
