An impressive reconstruction effort on what’s now Saint-Gobain’s continental headquarters in Malvern is extending to the surrounding metropolitan area and making quite an impression on new homeowners.

The Saint-Gobain Foundation and YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School just finished up renovations to two dilapidated Nicetown homes that showcase the global building materials company’s energy-efficient products and help provide affordable homes to first-time buyers with low to moderate incomes, according to a Daily Local News report by Brian McCullough.

$42,000 worth of Saint-Gobain insulation, drywall, roofing products, siding and more was installed by employees — who invested 975 hours — and YouthBuild students according to LEED Platinum standards.

“To see your products being held by a 19-year-old student and being discussed, it teaches you something very valuable about what you’re making,” Vice President of Communications and Saint-Gobain Foundation Executive Director Carmen Ferrigno said in the article.

And there’s much more value yet to come. Saint-Gobain has committed $1.3 million to YouthBuild through 2017.

Read more about the partnership and recent Nicetown project in the Daily Local News here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Saint-Gobain here.