Restoring the Splendor
of The Great Stupa
Kynar Aquatec® resin-based architectural coating gives a sacred monument a vibrant new look with long-lasting protection in harsh high-altitude climate.
Nestled high atop the Rocky Mountains in Northern Colorado, the Great Stupa is one of the most magnificent examples of Tibetan architecture outside of Asia. Consecrated in 2001, this 108-foot-tall sacred monument was designed according to strict Buddhist tradition and constructed using complex geometric calculations.
With many vibrant colors, the Great Stupa is one of the most beautiful structures in the Western hemisphere, and four exquisitely ornamented entry gates distinguish this architectural treasure from any other stupa in the world.
Extreme Weathering Environment
Designed to last 1,000 years, the Great Stupa was built with an advanced extended-life concrete to help it endure the dramatic freeze-thaw cycles and harsh climate at the site’s 8,000-foot elevation. These extreme weather conditions—especially radical temperature swings and intense UV light—are also particularly tough on paint, prompting lower-quality, less-durable formulations to peel, flake, fade, and degrade more rapidly than a premium high-performance protective coating.
The team responsible for preserving the facade of the Great Stupa determined that the exterior coating—a good-quality acrylic latex paint—had reached the end of its service life, resulting in a dramatic weathering and dulling of the colorful gateways. “There was very noticeable fading of the beautiful archways, and the coating was chipping and flaking on the support columns,” said Bob King, project manager for the team. “It was clearly time to restore the concrete gateways to their former glory as their overall appearance was very dull and significantly faded.”
Desired Long-Lasting Protection
A primary goal of the project was to find and apply a best-in-class architectural coating that would provide long-term durability, extreme weatherability, and outstanding resistance to dirt/dust pickup in the harsh high-altitude climate conditions. “It takes a very long time to perform the restoration work on the gateways, which makes coating longevity extremely important,” said King. “If we can recoat the structure half as often, we are saving an enormous amount of manhours of labor.”
Vibrancy and color were also important considerations in the coating selection according to Joshua Mulder, director of art and design for the restoration. “We wanted to make the gateways look as beautiful as we could and for the rejuvenated look to radiate brightness and richness for a very long time,” he said.
High-Performance Coating Solution
After researching various high-quality architectural finishes, the restoration team decided that an ultradurable Kynar Aquatec®-based product, called NeverFade® Exterior Paint, offered the optimal performance properties needed for protecting the building facade and preserving color vibrancy in the harsh climate.
“We were impressed with the coating system’s extreme weatherability and extended service-life performance, which is backed up with a manufacturer’s 15-year product and labor warranty against color fading from APV Engineered Coatings,” said Richard Assaly, lead painter for the Great Stupa project team. “It was the ideal solution to meet the challenging goals of the restoration work.”
Kynar Aquatec® emulsions are used to produce premium high-performance architectural coatings for keeping building facades looking vibrant and appealing. This water-based PVDF fluoropolymer technology provides the same long-lasting durability, extreme weatherability, and color-retention properties as Kynar 500® resin-based coatings, which can withstand extended exposure to temperature extremes, ultraviolet rays, and other aggressive climate conditions.
Challenging Application Goes Smoothly
Based on color cards provided by the Great Stupa’s facade-restoration team, APV Engineered Coatings created 15 vibrant custom colors of the NeverFade® Exterior Paint for the project—four colors for the columns and eleven colors for the gateway’s intricate ornamental design elements.
While the Kynar Aquatec®-based coating typically is applied by manufacturer-approved contractors, in this instance, the Great Stupa assembled a team of volunteers to handle the job. According to lead painter Assaly, the one-component coating was very user-friendly and easy to apply. “The product has wonderful flowability and workability,” he said. “The colors were so vibrant and rich that as each painter applied the coating, the luscious color just jumped out at them and they were astonished.”
Long-Lasting Beauty Restored
With the makeover of one entry gateway complete, the Great Stupa’s maintenance team will turn its attention to restoring the other three gateways to their former splendor with the ultradurable Kynar Aquatec®-based NeverFade® coating.
“We are strongly committed to maintaining this sacred, colorful monument to the utmost degree of perfection that we can, which is why we are so pleased to have used this high-quality coating system to keep it crisp, vibrant, and beautiful for many years ahead,” said Mulder. “When visitors see the newly restored gateway, they’ll find it very easy to appreciate the freshness and radiance of the new coating.”
Kynar Aquatec® and Kynar 500® are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.
NeverFade® is a registered trademark of APV Engineered Coatings.