Client: Stowe Electrical + Melbourne Airport
Solutions discussed: SlowStop® Bollard – 168mm Dia
Challenge
Melbourne Airport needed a more effective way to protect critical airside infrastructure from vehicle impacts.
Existing concrete and steel barriers were regularly being struck, resulting in ongoing damage and costly repairs. Because maintenance work had to be carried out within the airport’s secure airside environment, every repair required specialised access permits and careful coordination, making what should have been routine maintenance both disruptive and time-consuming.
Melbourne Airport needed a solution that would provide proven impact protection while reducing future maintenance requirements and installation disruption.
Assessment
Working alongside the teams at Stowe Electrical and Melbourne Airport, we followed our 5-step safety design process to understand the operational environment, vehicle movements and the level of protection required.
By assessing the location, likely impact risks and installation constraints, it became clear that a traditional cast-in bollard system would involve unnecessary civil works and extended disruption. A surface-mounted, impact-rated solution would deliver the required level of protection while significantly simplifying installation.
Solution
SlowStop surface-mounted bollards were selected to protect the airport’s critical infrastructure.
Certified to withstand impacts from vehicles weighing up to 33 tonnes, the bollards provide a tested and verified level of protection, removing the uncertainty often associated with conventional barrier systems.
Because the bollards are surface mounted, installation was completed in hours rather than days, eliminating the need for extensive excavation or underground civil works and minimising disruption to airport operations.
Outcome
Melbourne Airport now has a certified infrastructure protection system designed for the demands of its airside environment.
The new bollards provide greater confidence that critical assets are protected from vehicle impacts while significantly reducing the likelihood of ongoing maintenance and repair costs.
With faster installation and fewer future interventions required, the solution delivers a safer, more efficient outcome with less disruption to airport operations.
