Geda lifts for Belgium hospital hub

An ambitious project is underway in the northwest of Belgium that aims to unite four regional hospitals and medical centers in a single central building in the city of Tournai.

The Geda 2500 Z/ZP transport platform at the new Centre Hospitalier de Wallonie picarde. (Image: Geda).

It is scheduled for completion by 2026 and will serve as a central and forward-looking hub for healthcare in the region within the new Centre Hospitalier de Wallonie picarde (CHwapi).

The scale of the project, with an estimated cost of €416 million, is impressive: on more than 150,000 square meters, over 800 beds and 1,000 parking spaces are to be created in two massive triangular building blocks.

Just outside the city walls of the picturesque old town of Tournai, Doornik, the building complex is taking shape that is designed not only to meet the needs of the 330,000 residents of the surrounding region. It sits less than 30km away lies the Lille metropolitan area on the French side of the border.

High demands 

(Image: Geda).

To ensure fast and efficient material transport, such sites have a high demand for specialized solutions, said Geda. The tower cranes in use need to be supported in lifting and installing the façade elements, and there is a demand across the modern industry to provide a proper solution for transporting personnel.

To address this, Verhelst, from Ostend in Flanders, positioned two Geda 2500 Z/ZP transport platforms at different points on the construction site.

The machine’s 2.5 tonne high load capacity and its ability to be loaded sideways across its full width using a forklift were decisive advantages. This was especially the case during the interior construction of the hospital, which involved a large amount of palletized building material.

Verhelst is providing the Geda lifting equipment in site. (Image: Geda).

Since the special façade design did not allow for direct anchoring of the machines, they were anchored inside the building using a steel structure that extended through the window openings.

Geda introduced the 2500 Z/ZP at Bauma 2022. Featuring a spacious platform measuring 1.45m x 3.55m and side loading, it can transport up to 2,500kg of construction materials or up to 7 people quickly and safely up and down.

Thanks to its extra-high platform of 2.60m, bulky items, such as those used in façade construction, can be transported with ease. For truck loading, the roof can be quickly and easily lowered to 2.10m.

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