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Helidrome Architecture

Helidrome Architecture

By Alex de Voogt
Photography by Alex de Voogt
Designed by Piet Gerards Ontwerpers
010 Publishers

160 pp / 240 x 170 mm /
paperback
ISBN 978 90 6450 625 3
published 2007

The helidrome is a cleared space, an absence of obstacles that could
hinder the landing and take-off of a helicopter. It is designed for
safe contact, ranging from a green pasture to a flat roof. The
construction of a helidrome is the concern of governments and
engineers, passengers and pilots, owners and neighbours as well as
architects. Helicopter platforms are linked to helicopter operations
which connect hospitals, lighthouses, oil platforms and icebreakers.
The design lifts the platform above the surrounding buildings, seeking
a free approach path and a prominent place on top. Architects began
integrating the helicopter platform in high-rise and private building
designs. The supporting buildings allow the many particularities of the
helidrome to come into view. Its prominence and variety have given the
platform attention and prestige. Introduced by the imagery of
helicopters in the arts, this book shows safe and remote landing sites
alongside prestigious and ostentatious designs. It describes the
development of the platform from a topic of engineering to a topic of architecture.