‘Monovolume’, the new face of the university campus of Gent
Gent University organised a competition in 2000 for the renovation of the university buildings that can be found on Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat in Gent. This renovation is now being executed through a master plan developed by the Beel and De Geyter architects.

Glazing
The main commitment of this master plan is the Monovolume building. This large-scale, polyvalent new building has a 100 metre long wall along Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat. Since the street ascends, the height of the building varies between 16 and 22 metres. The wall of the building will be clad with both glass and modern concrete wall units. The company De Witte-Aluminiumconstructies from Wetteren has been called in to take charge of the curtain wall structure. “The external wall of the building will be clad with 2000 m² of specifically designed glazing,” says Mr Ph. Vandaele, delegated director of the De Witte company.

Mounting
The glass panels will be mounted by using HEK mast climbing work platforms. One HEK MSHF single mast, one HEK MSHF double mast and one HEK MCM double mast, a machine type from the new HEK Modular System product line of Alimak Hek. “We always use mast climbing work platforms for this type of work, they are safe but they are also the best solution for the vertical lifting of heavy materials,” says Mr Vandaele. The MSHF mast climbing work platforms will be rented from Alimak Hek. The HEK MCM machine is the property of the De Witte company.