Scarborough Spa

Watertight concrete system

Hanson Concrete supplied watertight concrete to the lift and basement areas during a major £6.5 million refurbishment of Scarborough’s historic Spa, a multi-purpose venue on the Yorkshire coast.

This Grade II listed Victorian building is situated on the site of the original spa house, which was erected in the early 1700’s following the discovery of natural mineral waters, which it were claimed, had medicinal properties. Since then, use of the natural water wells declined and finally ceased, but the Victorian Spa building itself has continued to evolve, and today is an outstanding venue for conference, exhibition, entertainment and banqueting facilities.

The Sika® Watertight Concrete system was used to protect the basement areas of the refurbishment, which includes the addition of new dressing rooms and a new hydraulic lift pit. Hanson Concrete supplied 200 cubic metres of Sika®Watertight Concrete, which was chosen for the below ground structures to ensure a dry and comfortable environment. This innovative product incorporates state‑of‑the‑art Sika admixtures to prevent water penetrating through the concrete.

This guaranteed system is BBA certified and has a successful track record going back 50 years.

To complete the system, construction joints were sealed with the SikaSwell® jointing system, which consists of joint sealing profiles that expand on contact with water to seal any voids between adjoining concrete slabs.

The Grand Hall, which is at the heart of the Spa, has now been returned to its original Victorian splendour with theatre seating for nearly 2000 people, or alternatively, it can be cleared to give 823 square metres of exhibition space. The refurbished Spa, is one of the largest multi-purpose conference and entertainment venues on the North East coast, offering a full range of conference, hospitality and entertainment facilities.