Originally built
in 1935, Uxbridge Lido was an elongated 12 sided star in shape with
two fountains at either end. The Lido closed in 1998 and since then had
fallen into disrepair and was covered in graffiti. The refurbishment which
was overseen by English Heritage involved restoring the Lido's distinctive
features, such as the grandstands, cascades and entrance, which had
survived almost unchanged since the leisure centre opened in the 1930s.
The grade II-listed open air swimming pool, perhaps the Lido's most
recognizable attraction, was also lovingly refurbished.
A major part of
the refurbishment works was to the Lido North Block. Ronacrete and Cemplas
worked closely in putting a specification together that would provide the
necessary protection and cosmetic appearance required by English Heritage.
Cemplas grit blasted the entire surface to remove the old existing
coatings before chasing out cracked sections in the brickwork and
installing a Helibar system to restore the original structural integrity.
Following the
structural remedial repairs, all elevations of the North Block were given
a new surface finish using Ronacrete’s Ronafix modified polymer render
to provide a securely bonded durable waterproof render. On completion of
the application of the Ronafix render, Cemplas overcoated the building
with Ronacrete’s Joltec elastomeric protective/decorative coating. The
Ronafix render system has a BBA Certificate and the Joltec coating is
insurable for 10 years against failures.
A key part of the
brief from English Heritage was to keep the building exactly as it was, so
all measurements had to match the existing right down to the last
millimetre, and Cemplas used laser levels to ensure each new measurement
and application of the Ronafix render was absolutely precise.
This case
study has been submitted by a member and the British Structural
Waterproofing Association accepts no responsibility for its content.
