About 30 international non-stop destinations, flown by twelve airlines, more than 2.5 million passengers per annum: Hans Koschnick Airport in Bremen with its 40,000 or so annual take-offs and landings is popular and well utilised. One reason: Bremen Airport is regarded as Europe's fastest take-off airport. No other airport in Germany is so close to the city centre and reachable so quickly. For example, Bremen Airport is only ten minutes away from the old town of Bremen by car, or 15 from the football stadium. Anyone who prefers to leave the car at home can travel to the airport by tram, which stops right in front of the terminal.

Renovated visitor magnet

It's therefore hardly surprising that the airport is a visitor magnet. And the operators of the airport have helped with this. At the end of the 1980s they started the "Airport 2000" investment programme. By 1999 the airport had been completely renovated, together with a new freight centre, departure terminal and the public visitor terrace. Curious people cannot only watch take-offs and landings from here, but they can also access the "Bremen Hall", which contains an aerospace museum.

The public visitor terrace was not to be neglected during the "Reinvention" of the airport: its entrance has also been redesigned. The terrace has two revolving doors through which the visitors can access the viewing platform. However, puddles, dirt or even water damage would not have fitted in with the inviting impression of the new airport. A reliable and permanently hard-wearing drainage system was needed for the heavily frequented entrance area – the decision was made to use Gutjahr drain grates.

Reliable drainage

The two downwards-opening drain grates drain up to six times faster than box gullies, for example. An integrated dirt trap also prevents fouling. This prevents dirt from blocking the substructure – and the drainage performance is permanently guaranteed. The clients can also choose between a large number of material and design combinations.

Special constructions in the entrance area

Made-to-measure drain grates were installed in the vicinity of the revolving doors and along the façade at Bremen Airport. The AquaDrain drain grates made from electro-polished stainless steel directly in front of the revolving doors were fitted with anti-slip tops. This was continued along the façade as a line, also as a special measure, since it was intended to containing the gratings of the window elements.

The area beneath the revolving doors was particularly critical. This also had to be drained and protected from dirt and fouling. This was only possible using a made-to-measure construction. "It required real millimetre accuracy to incorporate the additionally manufactured round drain grates into the drum of the door", explains Gutjahr managing Director Ralph Johann. "In order to do this, the drain grates must be exactly adapted to the existing recess. There were also no usable plans, meaning that we had to measure on site." There was also a very narrow time window: three weeks from measuring to installing the finished grates.

Quality still evident after 20 years

The installation of the special constructions went smoothly in spite of the difficult conditions in the entrance area of the visitor terrace. The result: drain grates perfectly integrated beneath the revolving door and along the façade. And you can still see it today: "You can recognise quality, even after more than 20 years. The drain grates still look great at Bremen Airport. However, a property development can expect that from high-quality products", summarises Ralph Johann, delighted with the reliability and longevity of the Gutjahr products. The many young and old visitors are also delighted, since they can enjoy a special panorama on the visitor terrace in an untroubled way – not least thanks to the Gutjahr drain grates.

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