A metal dress 700 tons. On Monday, October 24, scaffolding began to be erected around the Saint-Michel spire in Bordeaux
. This step, prior to restoration work estimated at 11.6 million euros, is due to end in June 2023. The monument is closed to the public since November 2021
because of a risk of collapse.
If the installation of the metal frame will take several months, it is firstly because of its size: the third highest bell tower in France culminates at 114 meters high. “We go around the arrow by level of 12 meters”explains Aurélien Daudet, operations manager of France Montage. “The cranes move every week. We do a first round of 12 meters, then 24, 36, 48 and up to 78 meters.”
The eight employees of the company mobilized on the site are three months old to reach this final stage. “What is extraordinary for us is the height”emphasizes Aurélien Daudet. “That’s why we use specific equipment” including three different cranes. “For specific points, we call on rope access technicians.”
A challenge comparable to Notre-Dame-de-Paris
But arrived at 78 meters high, there will still be work. The specialized company LVTec will therefore install a second scaffolding, from 63 meters, to the top of the building. “It’s really Lego, with elements that do not exceed ten kilos, and which will completely fit the shape of the arrow”, explains Guillaume Piffeteau, in charge of assembling the structure. With another technical feat to achieve: installing scaffolding “self-stabilizing, i.e. it will stand on its own”. **The monument, which is too fragile, **could not support a conventional metal frame. “With the Pantheon and Notre-Dame-de-Paris”, the Saint-Michel spire
is “one of the largest construction sites in France in terms of scaffolding”emphasizes Guillaume Piffeteau.
Once its complete installation has been completed, in June 2023, the first restoration work at the top of the monument will last ten months. The construction must be completely finished between the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.