Discussion: Civil engineering heritage: country profile – Belgium

Abstract

). Each bay has four beams of 165 ft (50 m) span at 33 ft (10 m) centres of 8 ft (2·4 m) depth. Each beam is of box-girder shape with internal Magnel-Blaton prestressing cables. The front beam over the doors is rectangular and the other three are trapezoidal. Each beam was constructed on the ground and jacked into place using temporary ladders fixed to the sides of the columns. Caston-site reinforced-concrete roof slabs span front to back on the main beams. Grimbergen mushroom hangarsThe two circular aircraft hangars were originally described in La Technique des Travaux for January-February 1952, as in UK (Anon., 1953a(Anon., , 1953b. The roof is a circular concrete shell of 164 ft (48·7 m) dia. and maximum height of 23 ft (7 m). It comprises a central dome of 72 ft (22 m) dia. supported on four double columns around the perimeter, with an outer cantilevered 46 ft (14 m) beyond the columns. Roof thickness varies between 3 inches (76 mm) in the central dome to 4·75 inches (120 mm) in the outer cantilever. The hangar is closed by sliding doors covering the 490 ft (149 m) circumference. The design was by M. Hardy of Quievrain, the engineers were Blaton-Aubert of Brussels. Other early post-WW2 prestressed-concrete structures in BelgiumProfessor Gustave Magnel lists various applications of prestressed concrete in his 1949 paper (Magnel, 1949). These include a railway bridge in Brussels, road bridges at Eecloo and Ghent, a footbridge at Malheyre, textile factories in Brussels and Ghent, cement silos at Tournai, spun-concrete pressure pipes and underpinning works as well as hangars at Rotterdam and Melsbroek, as above.

Integrating Life Cycle Cost Analysis for Sustainable Maintenance of Historic Buildings

“…Furthermore, planning the financing of cultural heritage site restoration involves more than immediate cost calculations; it includes strategizing for long-term financial sustainability covering future operating, maintenance, and partial restoration costs. This ensures the building remains preserved and functional over its extended lifespan [19]. Each monument, due to its unique characteristics, demands a bespoke approach to cost estimation involving a detailed analysis of each structural element to accurately determine both restoration and ongoing maintenance costs.…”