Strong bollards keep Schiphol mortuary safe

Due to the expansion of Schiphol Airport, the mortuary was transferred from the terminal to a new building located on a busy road. Schiphol was looking for a solution to preventively secure the building against drivers who might potentially lose control over their vehicle. Heras recommended and provided a strong and secure solution through which the morturary can guarantee the safety of its employees and visitors.

The Schiphol mortuary annually offers more than 2,500 deceased a dignified final journey. Bodies entering and leaving the country all pass through the mortuary first, and in rare cases the facility is used to temporarily keep the bodies of people who have died at the airport. The building is located right on the boundary between the restricted-access, secure airside section of the airport and the publicly accessible landside section. This enables the mortuary’s employees to transport human remains across the border safely and in accordance with laws and regulations.

New location creates challenge

Due to the construction of a new terminal, Schiphol moved the mortuary to a new location at the airport. The new building is located on a bend at a busy junction, with numerous service vehicles passing by every day. In addition, the road also serves as an emergency access road for the fire brigade, police and ambulances. Martijn Horsman, Circular Economy Ambassador at Schiphol Airport: “Vehicles drive through this bend at a speed of between 50 and 60 kilometres an hour. The new mortuary was constructed based on the cradle-to-cradle principle. The building consists of parts which can be disassembled and are made of relatively lightweight and sustainable materials. We wanted to prevent cars and commercial vehicles that miss the bend from driving into the building. We therefore asked Heras, our dedicated provider of perimeter protection solutions, to create a strong solution that would be in keeping with Schiphol’s design aeshetic – a solution that would truly offer safety to the mortuary’s employees and visitors.”

“A strong solution that blends in well with Schiphol’s overall design”.

Special setting calls for unique construction

Heras collaborated with the services of its partner Bavak Security to install special, crash-rated bollards together. The challenge was to securely anchor the bollards without the need for deep excavations (an intricate network of pipes and cables runs beneath the airport). The piles were therefore set in an iron structure at a depth of 11 centimetres and secured in concrete. The certified bollards are equipped to stop loaded vehicles weighing a maximum of 7,500 kilos and driving at a maximum speed of 64 kilometres an hour. The bollards absorb the shock and will immediately bring a vehicle to a standstill, both frontally and laterally.

“Employees and visitors of the mortuary now feel safe throughout the building”.

Security, Schiphol style

The Schiphol mortuary is currently equipped with a securely protected façade. Horsman: “We were not looking for a false sense of safety, but rather for a strong, preventive solution. The piles recommended by Heras fully meet that requirement. In addition, the heavy steel piles are fitted with special sleeves that blend in well with Schiphol’s overall design. But the most important thing is that the mortuary’s employees and visitors now feel safe throughout the building.”

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