QED Structures were delighted to attend the RIBA Sussex Summer Social – Saltdean Lido, hosted by RIBA Sussex Branch.

Nigel Tsang, Klara Koudelkova, and Samantha Salsoni enjoyed catching up and meeting lots of new people within the industry.

Nigel Tsang was one of the speakers at the event, alongside Phillip Naylor from R H Partnership Architects. Each speaker shared their perspectives of the Saltdean Lido project, and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to their insights, learning more and contributing our own perspectives with fellow industry professionals.

In our presentation, Nigel talked about the repair and restoration of Saltdean Lido, a project we worked on and completed in 2024. Saltdean Lido was built in 1937-38 and was predominantly constructed using in situ reinforced concrete. The walls were only 5 to 6 inches thick, and it was a radical structural design for the time.

Nigel discussed the structural engineer’s perspective on this iconic award-winning project and highlighted how the challenges of the preservation of the building to strive for authenticity made it an exciting project to work on. This project showcased engineering creativity, leading to the contrast of modern methods to preserving as much of the original building as possible.

Some of the challenges discussed were:

• Concrete dilapidation was worse than initially expected
• The concrete crumbling upon touch
• Hydroblasing
• Contaminated aggregate was likely the cause of such degradation
• Rusting of the reinforcement
• Heritage meant that the walls could not be demolished and rebuilt
• Use of spray concrete and replacing reinforcement
• Strengthening of members to substantiate the facility for modern day loading and standards
• FRP strips used to reinforce/strengthen slabs
• Sampling and scanning
• Prevention of future deterioration using anodes and treatment of existing reinforcement

Special thanks to Stuart Eatock from RIBA Sussex Branch for moderating!