Collapse and Reconstruction of the Tower of the St Willibrordus Church at Meldert Lummen (B)

Abstract

The collapse of the tower of the St Willibrordus church at Meldert/Lummen on July 7, 2006 was a traumatic experience for many members of the village community. This paper deals with the multi-disciplinary investigation of the causes of the tower collapse. The correct understanding of the damage phenomena as well as of the collapse mechanism enables to develop the appropriate concepts and technologies for the renovation of the tower and for the restoration of the damaged parts of the church nave. The important phases of the restoration project are described. The restoration was executed in the period 2011-2013.