PPG Restores Community Center in Italy

PPG announced the completion of a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project to restore the Circolo di Santa Croce, a social and youth aggregation center in Borgomanero, Italy. The transformation is one of 10 global flagship projects celebrating the 10th anniversary of the company’s Colorful Communities program.

PPG recently completed a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project to restore the Circolo di Santa Croce, a social and youth aggregation center in Borgomanero, Italy. Photo: PPG

The project brought together around 100 PPG employees, family members and community volunteers who helped restore the facility, transforming it into a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for over 2,000 local residents, PPG provided a grant of €120,000 to The Municipality of Borgomanero, including 580 gallons (2,200 liters) of SIGMA COATINGS products by PPG. An external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) using PPG SigmaIsol expanded polystyrene (EPS) was also professionally installed.

“The Colorful Communities project was so emotional, with so many people coming together to take care of the public space, creating new social and community value through color and returning a regenerated place to the community,” said Elisa Lucia Zanetta, Councilor for Public Works, City of Borgomanero. “I sincerely thank PPG for believing in and investing in our area.”

The volunteers used Sigma Coatings Façade Top-Coat Self-Clean paint with patented NPS™ nanotechnology that creates a self-cleaning surface to protect against dirt, smog and algae. They also applied Sigma Coatings Contour Aqua PU Gloss paint, a premium waterborne enamel designed for metal structures such as handrails. Its LTA+ resin technology ensures a hard, scratch-resistant finish that repels grease and dirt, making it highly durable and easy to maintain in public spaces.

The transformation also included street art murals on three façade walls, created in collaboration with the Graphic Days collective. Under the theme “Forms of Care, Colours of Change,” the artworks highlight diversity, environmental harmony and generational responsibility through interconnected visual narratives.

“As a company, we believe color is a powerful tool for creating change. The Colorful Communities program is an opportunity for us to give back in a meaningful way, combining professional skills, time, and creativity,” said Silla Giusti, PPG general manager, Italy and Iberia, Architectural Coatings. “We are proud to collaborate with the Municipality of Borgomanero on a project that restores social, aesthetic and community value to a space that plays a central role in local life.”

PPG has expanded the Colorful Communities program for an additional 10 years and will commit a further $10 million to the program, taking its total investment to $25 million through 2035. To build on the positive impacts of the program, PPG and the PPG Foundation will also distribute a total of $1 million in celebration grants to 100 previous and current Colorful Communities partners globally this year.