Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A construction accident at Ghent University severely damaged architectural plans and archives. Archivist Isabel Rotthier warns drying may distort scales, and usability will depend on ongoing freeze-drying and restoration efforts.
As VRT News reported, Ghent University is facing a serious challenge after an accident damaged its historical archives. Experts will use a freeze-drying process to protect the papers and stop further decay. After this, restoration teams will try to repair the documents. The process is complicated and will take time. Archivists are waiting to see if the documents can be saved.
“If water gets on documents, bubbles will form when that water dries,”
Explains Isabel Rotthier of the archives.
“That will also be the case with our historical building plans.”
What will happen to Ghent University’s flood-damaged plans?
According to officials, the main concern is the condition of the original documents. Ghent University has already scanned many of its historic building plans, which provides some backup. But digital copies cannot replace the originals.
Architects, construction specialists, and researchers often need the original plans. They contain details that scans cannot capture.
“The building plans have a scale. And it’s questionable whether that scale will still be accurate once the plans have dried. They might be distorted, and the scale will no longer be usable,”
Explains Isabel Rotthier of the archives.
Experts say it will not be clear until the end of this year whether Ghent University can rely on the restored plans for construction or research work. The result will indicate whether the university can access important historical information necessary to maintain, renovate, and study its buildings.
At the end of August 2025, construction workers were building a new bicycle parking facility on campus. During the work, a drill accidentally went through the walls of the archive. Mud and water then flowed into the storage area, causing heavy damage to the documents inside. Among the affected materials were the historic building plans of Ghent University.
University staff and archivists are concerned that the documents will never be used again, bumping heads against the fact that the documentation of the accident is still being evaluated and unknown. The damaged documents were sent to a specialised agent in the Netherlands.
