SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable Aluminium Helidecks

Sustainability is not simply a material attribute; it is a design philosophy. A truly sustainable helideck must be evaluated across its entire lifecycle, balancing environmental impact, operational efficiency, durability, maintenance demands, and end-of-life recoverability to maximise long-term value.

THE APPROACH

Safety as a foundation. Sustainability as a responsibility. Engineering as the enabler

Aluminium helidecks offer several potential sustainability advantages, particularly for offshore platforms, vessels and rooftop applications where weight, corrosion resistance and long-term maintenance are important considerations.

The actual environmental impact of aluminium depends on several factors, including: the source of the aluminium, the proportion of recycled content, the energy used during production, manufacturing efficiency, transportation distances, the service life of the structure, end-of-life recovery and recycling.

For this reason, our approach is to consider aluminium as part of a broader lifecycle strategy rather than treating recyclability alone as proof of sustainability.

LOWER STRUCTURAL WEIGHT

Lower Structural Weight

Aluminium has a significantly lower density than steel. An aluminium helideck can therefore reduce the overall weight imposed on the supporting structure.

Depending on the project, this may contribute to: reduced supporting steelwork and foundation requirements, lower transportation and lifting loads, easier modularisation and installation, reduced weight on offshore platforms and vessels, greater flexibility when retrofitting existing structures.

The sustainability benefit should be assessed as part of the complete structural design, as reductions in helideck weight may also reduce the materials and resources required elsewhere in the project.

LIFECYCLE PERFORMANCE

Lifecycle Performance

Corrosion Resistance

Aluminium naturally forms a protective oxide layer that provides resistance to atmospheric corrosion. This makes it particularly suitable for marine and offshore environments.

Unlike conventional carbon-steel structures, aluminium helidecks generally do not require extensive protective coating systems for the primary deck structure. This can reduce the need for recurring surface preparation, repainting and coating repairs throughout the service life of the helideck.

Reduced coating requirements may help to minimise: paint and coating consumption, abrasive blasting activities, solvent and chemical use, maintenance-related waste, offshore maintenance hours, operational disruption.

Less frequent maintenance can also reduce the transportation, equipment and manpower associated with long-term inspection and repair activities.

Long Service Life

A sustainable structure should remain functional, safe and maintainable for as long as reasonably possible.

Aluminium’s corrosion resistance and durability can support a long operational life, particularly where the helideck is correctly designed to address fatigue, drainage, material compatibility and galvanic corrosion.

Recyclability

Aluminium can be recycled repeatedly without losing its fundamental material properties. At the end of a helideck’s service life, a substantial proportion of the aluminium structure may be recovered and returned to the material supply chain.

Transport & Installation

The lower weight of aluminium structures may allow larger sections of the helideck to be prefabricated before delivery to site.

Greater prefabrication can help reduce: site assembly work, offshore installation duration, heavy lifting requirements, hot work at the final installation location, construction waste, rework and material handling.

Where project conditions allow, modular fabrication can improve quality control while reducing the resources required during installation.

PASSIVE FIRE SAFETY

Zero dependency on foam

Our aluminium helidecks can be integrated with passive fire-retarding deck technology designed to rapidly drain burning fuel away from the landing surface.

Combined with an appropriately designed water-based DIFFS, this approach eliminates the need for foam-based firefighting agents. That removes storage, testing and replacement requirements for firefighting foam, lowers the risk of foam discharge into the environment, and reduces maintenance cost over the life of the system.

All firefighting arrangements must be designed and approved in accordance with the relevant aviation standards, authority requirements and project-specific risk assessment.

A WHOLE-LIFE APPROACH

A Whole-Life Approach

We believe sustainable helideck design should balance: aviation safety, structural efficiency, fire performance, material durability, maintenance requirements, operational reliability, environmental impact, end-of-life recoverability.

The most sustainable solution is not necessarily the one with the lowest initial material footprint. It is the solution that provides the required safety and performance while minimising resource use, maintenance and waste throughout its complete service life.

Good design practices—including the isolation of dissimilar metals, appropriate fastening systems and effective water drainage—are essential to achieving the intended lifecycle performance.

PROJECT SUPPORT

Supporting Project Sustainability Objectives

Material & Origin

Material origin and recycled-content information

Structural Options

Weight comparisons between structural options, modularisation and installation planning.

Lifecycle & Maintenance

Coating and maintenance assessments, lifecycle considerations, end-of-life recyclability.

Working With Your Team

We work with clients, consultants and contractors to support project-specific sustainability requirements.

Depending on the project, this may include: alignment with project environmental objectives.

Enquiries

Working to a project sustainability target?

Speak with our team to explore how an aluminium helideck can support the safety, operational and sustainability objectives of your project.