A second attempt to put back the spire that adorns the roof of the highest residential building in the Flemish Brabant city of Leuven has proved successful. A first attempt to put the spire back onto the roof of the Sint-Maartendal building on Thursday had to be called off as there was too much wind. However, on Friday morning a contractor was able to start the task of hoisting the spire up to the roof at around 7 am. 15 minutes later the spire was back up where it belongs.
Leuven
Video: Spire on Sint-Maartensdal building in Leuven is back in place after second attempt
Published:
The Leuven skyline has been returned to its former glory now that the spire of the city’s highest residential tower at the Sint-Maartensdal has been put back in place. The 40-metre-high spire was removed from the social housing block a year and a half ago for renovation work.
At 6am on Friday morning contractors started the preparation to hoist the spire back up to the building’s roof in what was their second attempt to do so. A previous attempt on Thursday had to be called off due to too much wind.
However, on Friday morning conditions were perfect. The Chairman of the Dijledal social housing association Christophe Stockman told VRT News that "This morning there was no wind, so the work was able to be carried out smoothly. The first section was up after just a quarter of an hour. The spire was put back in place in two sections, first the steel mast and then the structure’s pointed section.
The architect in charge of the renovation work says that it should be another 50 years before work on this scale will be required on the spire.