Revitalizing the community by supporting artists

By Sika. 

In an effort to strengthen and preserve downtown McKinney Texas, these abandoned silos were repurposed with new mural art. 

In 2022, the McKinney Silo project began painting giant murals on silos in Texas. Created by the artist Guido van Helten, he observed the working-class area of eastside McKinney and tried to emulate his experiences through his art. These massive silos now picture several community members walking while one woman turns back toward the audience. This project was accomplished thanks to the help of Sika and their several innovative products. 

Project description 

As part of the historic landscape of McKinney, Texas downtown, the McKinney Silos became a project of restoration and preservation. The city of McKinney dedicated resources to creating and maintaining a strong and thriving downtown. Several opportunities and programs were put into place to promote reinvestment in the physical landscape and creating better public spaces.  

Unique problem  

The revitalization project had to maintain a careful balance of creating new while preserving the unique historic character. The silos needed to eliminate leaks on the tower roofs. They looked to Sika® and Sikalastic® RoofPro systems to provide products that are multi-substrate compatible (metal, concrete, modified bitumen) and could be installed simultaneously without interfering with the silo artwork being done.  

Project solution  

Sikalastic® EP Primer/Sealer provided a multi-surface solution to priming the substrates. Sikalastic®-644 LoVOC resin reinforced with Sika® Reemat Premium allowed for a seamless watertight installation. The flexibility of the RoofPro products helped to keep material and labor costs down. After completing the roofing/waterproofing in September the following months of sometimes severe Texas weather put the products to the challenge. The professional installation by Western Specialty Contractors and the tried-and-true quality of the Sika® products continue to hold up to all types of weather conditions and are keeping the silos protected. 

Original article source: Sika