University of Sussex to replace crumbling concrete
The University of Sussex has been given permission to replace crumbling concrete in a Grade II listed building on its Falmer campus.
Brighton & Hove City Council has granted listed building consent to replace the Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in Arts Building A, which also suffers from other problems including leaks.
The university commissioned a survey of 27 buildings three years ago and found Raac in seven of them.
The university intends to remove the concrete panels from the first-floor office, corridors and balcony and replace them with a new timber floor, glazed panel and zinc roof to the balcony.
The Falmer campus includes several Brutalist concrete buildings designed by the architect Sir Basil Spence and constructed in the 1960s and 70s.
The use of Raac was widespread at the time because it made concrete panels lighter, but it only has a 30-year lifespan, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In a report to the council, the university said the concrete had deteriorated due to "continuous exposure to moisture".
"This results in leaching of its structure, cracking and loss of structural integrity," it added.
"The Raac planks are past the end of their viable life and pose a risk of brittle failure when traversed."
The university is replacing Raac across the campus, with the first phase having started in April 2024 at Bramber House.
Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
University of Sussex fined £585k in transgender free speech row
University of Sussex aims to cut hundreds of jobs
University of Sussex support staff to go on strike
What is RAAC concrete and why is it a safety risk?
University of Sussex
Brighton & Hove City Council
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Baby Ducklings on 'Jump Day' is the Cutest Leap of Faith We Have Ever Seen
In the animal kingdom, each species has a unique way of setting their young ones free and out on their own. Some parents gently guide their young for several weeks or months, teaching them what's safe, what's dangerous, and how to live in the vast world on their own. It's a gradual process that requires steps towards freedom. This is not so for birds! They have a particularly tough way of introducing their babies into the world around them and it is rather dramatic and adorable at the same time. Birdwatchers have a very fitting name for the day that young birds leave the nest. They refer to it as 'Jump Day!' Click here for the baby duckling "Jump Day" Video! Whether the nest is 5 feet or 50 feet off the ground when it is time for them to leave, it's just time. Recently, one lucky nest-watcher, @jonnameidal, captured a family of Wood Ducks taking their first leap of faith and it is a true overload of cuteness! In the Instagram video, we are given a lakeside view of the tiny little ducks leaping and landing in the grass below. It's a long way down from their birdhouse by the lake to the grassy knoll below. The little guys seem to bounce upon landing, then toddle over to their mama and wait for their duckling brothers and sisters to join them!The last little one to take the plunge really goes for it and lands at least three feet away from the others. They bounce just a bit, pop their little legs out, and then waddle over to the others. The question we all want to know the answer to is, 'How do they not get hurt?' Well, apparently due to their large amount of fluffy feathers, pliable bone structure they are made for 'Jump Day' and it usually happens just one day after they hatch! If you would like to know more about Wood Ducks look at the National Audubon Society's website. It is a thorough source of information for new birdwatchers! Baby Ducklings on 'Jump Day' is the Cutest Leap of Faith We Have Ever Seen first appeared on PetHelpful on May 21, 2025


Hamilton Spectator
9 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
I was a stay-at-mom for a decade. We made all our choices based on my husband's career. Now I'm back to work and my husband is asking who will make dinner. Can I say ‘you'? Ask Lisi
Q My boyfriend's sister is an absolute jerk to me whenever we're in the same room. I have no idea why she hates me so much. We were very good friends when we were kids, and then we lost touch when I moved away. We were just a bit too young to keep in touch through social media. High school and university came and went, and we never crossed paths. I moved to another city, was out for drinks with some girlfriends, and there was my old friend's brother. We hadn't seen each other in years! We hugged hello asked what we were both doing there, but then the conversation continued. One thing led to another, and we're now together. I didn't contact my friend right away because we hadn't spoken in over a decade. I assumed my boyfriend would tell his sister. But he didn't. She found out through an Instagram post he made with the two of us at a restaurant. She called him and started screaming at him. I don't understand what the problem is. She wouldn't respond to any of my outreaches, and now that he and I are both visiting 'home,' she is so rude to me when we're in the same place at the same time. What did I do, and what do I do? Old friends, new enemies A Either you're not being honest with yourself about something that went down between you two OR she's upset about something, and you need to find out what that is. Does your boyfriend have a clue as to what's going on? Invite your old friend out to lunch. Tell her you have no idea why she's so upset with you, and you'd love to make things right any way you can. It can only go one of two ways — she either explains herself, you apologize (if necessary) and move on, or she says she hates you and never wants to speak with you. No love lost because she's already in that camp and you haven't been friends in years. If the latter, the unfortunate aspect is that you'll see her whenever you're home if you're still with your boyfriend. Sometimes people are just a certain way, and there's nothing we can do about it. Q I met my husband in university. He was a lacrosse player and lived and breathed for the sport. I was also an athlete, which is how we met: in the school's athletic physio's office. My husband studied business and sports. Right out of school, he got a job as the assistant coach for our school's team. His career has taken him — and us — all over the world, working for universities, coaching and recruiting players. In the beginning, I geared my career around his, making his a priority in terms of location. After we married and had our first child, we agreed that too much movement wouldn't be easy. We had our second, moved again, had our third and moved for the last time. Now the kids are all in school full-time, the youngest now seven, and I am going back to work full-time. My husband is questioning how the kids will get to and from after-school activities and who will make dinner. Isn't it time we start to share the parenting load more evenly? My Turn! A Absolutely, yes! You were the stay-home parent for more than a decade, allowing him to rise in his career and shine. And he was obviously able to support you all. It'll take an adjustment, some growing pains, but yes, he should be able to pitch in more and allow you the time to focus on your career. FEEDBACK Regarding the Concerned Grandma (March 17): Reader: 'I found the beginning of Concerned Grandma's letter to you noteworthy. She says that her stepson is 'selfish, uninterested in us, and never really connected with his half-brothers,' all signs that he too, may be on the autism spectrum. 'Perhaps some empathy toward him might be in order?' Lisi: You may be right in your assessment. I understood that the grandmother was more concerned with her grandchild's issues than the stepson's. FEEDBACK Regarding the retired guidance counsellor's perspective and reflection (March 19): Reader: 'Read with interest your conversation with the retired guidance counsellor regarding children leaving the family home. Until she died, my mother prominently displayed on her fridge a fridge magnet that read: 'Home is where, when you have nowhere else to go, they have to take you in.' 'As long as we have a home, my wife and I are happy to proclaim the same for our children and grandchildren.'
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mom Defends 'Lazy' Moms at the Playground Who Sit on the Bench
Don't judge those parents who sit on a bench at playgrounds. That's the message one mom wants to emphasize. 'I've never felt a need to get on the equipment,' Amanda Teixeira, a mother of three, tells Teixeira, whose children are 2, 4, and 7, shared her thoughts on Instagram after reading a post captioned, 'Parents at the park should get off the bench and play with their kids.' 'NO,' Teixeira responded on Instagram. 'God forbid we … let the playground be for kids. A space where they get to experience some freedom, explore, interact and engage with other children without their parent breathing down their neck.' 'I'm not saying to never intervene, play with or support your kiddo,' Teixeira wrote on Instagram. 'I'm just highlighting here that IT'S OKAY if you don't want to be the adult scaling the playground!!' The mom added, 'I didn't think this was a controversial take but I've said it before on here and have been called lazy.' On Instagram, parents said they hop on play equipment because they're concerned about older kids roughhousing, structures with drop-off sections, and children who lack climbing abilities. Parents who sit back wrote that independent play is important and allowed adults to rest. 'Sorry, it's labelled 2 to 8 years old. I can't go on it due to legal reasons.' 'Never, ever interrupt children at play. Let them be bored. Let them get creative. Let them make new friends. Their parent is not their court jester. The playground is meant for children to play, not the parents.' 'I'm fine with folks sitting, as long as they're paying attention and not on their phone. The park is not the place to zone out.' 'Kids are really good at assessing risk and they do it better and are more careful, when you are not around.' 'Nope. I was at the park yesterday and my nephew just ran right into someone on the swings ... They need to be watched.' 'That can be nerve wrecking, I will do some hovering at a new park when they're young around these spots, but once they show me they are good, then I go sit down.' 'Agree, however if your kid is struggling to play well/nicely with other kids you do need to take some form of action.' 'Those of us who are SAHMs go right to the playground for a mother freakin' BREAK.' 'As a former preschool teacher, THANK YOU! If you can see them from where you're sitting, you're close enough.' Teixeira tells that she is her sons' primary caregiver, therefore, 'Getting out of the house is just as much for me, as it is for them.' While Teixeira says she helps her youngest child climb the steps on play structures, she doesn't hover so he can play on his own — and she can rest. 'My kids don't say, 'Mommy, play with me' or 'Mommy follow me,'' she adds. Teixeira notes an unfair 'perceived judgment' from moms, both on and off the bench: parents may shadow their kids to keep them safe or sit down to work or catch a breath. Teixeira acknowledges that raising three children has made her loosen control in certain situations, though at larger parks, she is much more vigilant. 'It's been a journey to figure out what allows freedom for my kids — and me — so we're all having fun,' says Teixeira. 'They are in their element and ... I'm enjoying that. I don't need to make everything a teachable moment, but if I see them in trouble, of course I will intervene.' This article was originally published on