Moving five tonnes of glass into place at Antwerp Zoo
For the renovation of the aquarium at Antwerp Zoo, Transpico installed a curved, five-tonne glass panel. Built in the US, it had to pass through an existing opening in the building, with barely two centimetres of clearance.
The weight, shape and fragility of the glass made this a technically demanding installation. But the conditions around it mattered just as much: an active city location, limited access and tight coordination between every party involved.
The success of the lift was decided before the lift began. Weight, centre of gravity, glass deflection, available space and lifting angles were all assessed in advance. With no standard lifting points available, Transpico engineered a project-specific lifting setup to move the panel under full control and without stress on the glass.
Using two cranes, the glass panel was lifted into a vertical position outside and carefully balanced, ready to pass through the opening.
The panel had to pass through the façade opening with minimal clearance and no margin for correction once the move had started.
Once inside, the move was taken over by a hydraulic gantry system, keeping the weight evenly distributed and enabling a controlled horizontal transfer.
Every movement was deliberate, measured and adapted to the tight space and fragile glass.
For the final positioning, a second gantry was placed perpendicular to the first. This setup allowed the panel to be adjusted in multiple directions at the same time.
Millimetre by millimetre, the panel was guided into position and fitted exactly into the frame, without stress on the glass and within the required tolerances.
The result: a precisely installed glass panel, ready for final finishing and the aquarium’s return to operation.