As a Unesco World Heritage site and the only baroque belfry in Belgium, the belfry of Mons commands respect. During the restoration of this monument, an enormous stair structure inside the building was constructed from more than 300 Staco perforated spiral stair treads.
Proudly residing in the park of the counts of Hainaut since the 1660s, it keeps a watchful eye over the city. Since time immemorial the belfry has warned the inhabitants of fire, invasions and bombings. Today the rhythm of life in Mons still rocks to the tones of the 49-bell carillon, four times every hour.
In recent years, quite a lot of money has been invested into restoring this monument These funds have not only restored its 17th century splendor, but also included the installation of a unique interpretation Centre in order to turn the belfry into a veritable museum! A panorama lift was installed at the Centre of the 87-metre high tower, offering a view of the architecture of its time. Staco’s help was requested for the indoor stair structures and platforms.
The enormous stair structure inside the building was constructed from more than 300 perforated galvanised steel spiral stair treads. For reasons of stability, type AP 3-40 MAW, doubly folded, of 1200mm wide was selected. This stair structure runs all around the glass lift shaft to the viewing platform at the top of the tower.
The stair structure is interrupted by several intermediate floors, all of which have been constructed using stainless steel Staco gratings. They serve as a mezzanine and were built up using grating type RR 30-2 with a mesh width of 33×33, and a welded-on bumper edge of 70×3 mm. As a fall arrest facility, these intermediate floors have been demarcated by vertically installed full gratings, type RK 30-2 mesh width 33×33, that serve as balustrades.
In the context of ‘Mons Cultural Capital’, this project was delivered on time, resulting in a beautiful restoration project.
