Hitting the right note

The medium-sized construction and industrial lift manufacturer GEDA GmbH aims for perfection while performing restoration work on a church organ in Verona.

The Cathedral of Cologna Veneta, dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary, is a church in the municipality of Cologna Veneta and was built in the neoclassical style in 1821. From the outside, this cathedral draws the eye with its imposing façade, but the real work of art is inside. This is where one of the largest and most complex musical instruments of the 19th century stands – a beautiful church organ. To ensure that visitors to the cathedral can continue to enjoy the unique sounds of the organ, it was necessary to restore the historical instrument. This task must be carried out with the utmost care and the necessary expertise, so it was clear that it could only be done by a professional. The organ builder Pietro Corna from Bergamo was commissioned.

As a first step, this work of art has to be completely disassembled in order to refurbish all mechanical parts and restore the function of the stops. Another mammoth task is that of dismantling and rearranging the organ pipes one by one. And we’re not talking 100 or 200 pieces, but an incredible 2,013 organ pipes. It was thus clear that further support was needed, because the organ is situated on a high gallery. It is almost impossible to bring the delicate individual parts and the numerous pipes down safely. Doing so would also take a lot of time, and access by means of a narrow stairway further complicates the project. A professional was also consulted in this area. Following an on-site visit, our long-term customer CI.ERRE SRL offered an efficient and safe solution. This equipment rental company offers a great variety of solutions for access to heights, including the perfect solution for this extraordinary project – from GEDA, of course.

The GEDA moving lift makes it possible to transport the over 2,000 organ pipes and the delicate components safely down to the ground without putting any additional strain on the workers. The lift is actually designed for the transport of bulky pieces of furniture and heavy moving boxes, but this project once again demonstrates the great versatility of GEDA lifts. GEDA offers three different lift variants, which can be used individually depending on the conditions on site. The expert lift solution is available in the versions ‘GEDA Lift 200 Standard’, ‘GEDA Lift 250 Comfort’ and ‘GEDA Lift 250 Perfect’. Since the cathedral project involves transporting extraordinarily delicate goods, the ‘GEDA Lift 250 Perfect’ was the obvious choice. This offers the enormous advantage of a soft start, which guarantees that transport is particularly gentle. The round organ pipes do not roll against each other and are not damaged during transport. This device can transport up to 250 kg at a speed of 30 m/min and reach a height of 18.3 meters. The gallery of the church is in this case only 8 meters high and so the maximum height was not required. GEDA moving lifts are made of aluminium and therefore very easy to transport. They can be disassembled quickly and easily and usually fit into any van or truck. Once at the church, the individual elements could be assembled without tools within a very short time. Optionally, it is also possible to install a rotating platform to transport goods out of windows, for example. GEDA also offers a wide range of accessories for the furniture lifts – whether they’re moving wide glass panes, buckets filled with material or whole bathtubs and toilet bowls. Customers who have chosen, for example, a height-adjustable foot section or an articulated piece for the parapet can confirm the efficient and particularly economical operation of the furniture lift and accessories. With the use of well-designed lifts, lugging heavy furniture around and dangerous climbing are a thing of the past. The organ can be transported quickly and the delicate parts of the organ are not damaged. Restoration can start quickly and the workload of the employees is considerably reduced. Especially with the current shortage of skilled workers, such aids are a true must. GEDA offers suitable solutions not only for building sites but in many other contexts as well.