Accoya helps restore Grade II listed Tinside Lido

Accsys, a supplier of premium, high performance and sustainable wood building materials, has announced that Accoya and Medite Tricoya Extreme were chosen as key materials in the restoration of Tinside Lido, a Grade II listed Art Deco landmark located on the edge of Plymouth Hoe.

Commissioned by Plymouth City Council as part of its National Marine Park project, the redevelopment transforms the 1935 seafront structure into a viable, year-round public destination. The brief was to safeguard a heritage asset in one of the UK’s most aggressive marine environments, while ensuring long-term environmental resilience and consequential value for money.

The scheme, managed by Currie & Brown and designed by LHC Design, with structural input from Airey & Coles and building services engineering by SDS, required materials capable of enduring salt spray, sustained humidity, storm impact and heavy public use.

Accoya is showcased in a range of applications, including sun terrace decking, external doors, windows, benches, planters and handrails, as well as in sensitive joinery repairs. Medite Tricoya Extreme Panels were engineered into large-format seasonal storm shutters, providing low maintenance protection during winter months. Installation was delivered by Nevada Construction, under the planning guidance of Devon & Cornwall Planning Consultant.

Matt Oxley, Architect at LHC Design commented: “As an architect, my role is to honour the past while shaping spaces that endure over time. At Tinside Lido, every decision had to support longevity, precision, and aesthetics in one of the UK’s most challenging coastal environments – no small task.

“Accoya allowed us to revitalise the Lido’s Art Deco elegance with durable, low-maintenance elements that will endure decades of public use.”

As a restoration project, integration with heritage features was important. Accoya’s stability and durability allowed the design team to introduce slimmer profiles and tighter tolerances, particularly across curved and exposed components aligned with the Lido’s Art Deco geometry, while maintaining structural reliability.

Left uncoated, the timber will weather to a uniform silver-grey, eliminating repeat finishing cycles and aligning visually with the coastal context. The material choice therefore serves both architectural intent and operational efficiency.

Sustainability was embedded from procurement through performance modelling. Accoya’s FSC? (CO12330) sourcing and extended service life supported a low-embodied-carbon strategy, critical in public-sector regeneration projects increasingly scrutinised for lifecycle impact. Less frequent replacement and lower maintenance improve long-term carbon impact and make costs more predictable.

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