Selecting the Right Bollard for Your Needs


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Bollards are most often recognized as rigid posts used to direct pedestrians & vehicles, protect buildings, provide architectural or landscape perimeter definition, or to highlight a pathway. 

The most common type of bollard is a fixed metal bollard - typical painted steel posts that you see around many stores and in parking garages, installed into the ground and filled with concrete.  Some bollards are square, but most are cylindrical with a domed, angled, or flat cap - or too often left with bare conrete smoothed over at the top.  Architectural or decorative Bollards provide an option to these ordinary posts - and are available in a great variety of sizes, colors, materials, shapes and capabilities.  Mountings of Bollards can be accomplished in a variety of ways; models can be fixed, retractable, or removable - or they can act as decorative post covers over existing steel security Bollards.  A full range of Bollard appearances - from ornate to modern - can be utilized around many buildings, parks, schools and public spaces today.

While many bollards provide decorative benefits, metal bollards are often used to protect pedestrians and buildings from vehicles; metal bollards provide one of the simplest means of controlling access and providing perimeter defense.  Bollards can be mounted near enough to each other so that they block ordinary cars, for instance, but wide enough to permit special-purpose vehicles through.  Bollards can be used to enclose car-free zones: removable bollards allow access for service and emergency vehicles. 

Bollards generally fall into three types of applications - architectural (decorative), security (impact resistant) or landscaping bollards (perimeter highlights).  All Bollards can be used for architectural and landscaping applications, and differ in style, shape, and production material.  For security applications, the available Bollard selection may be limited by what is needed to be stopped by the Bollard; that is, whether they are to be used to deter traffic, or whether they are being employed to address a security (impact) issue.   

Reliance Foundry has Bollards and post covers available in steel, iron and aluminum; our varying styles and large number of Bollard models is sure to satisfy all design tastes & construction needs. 

For full details on our entire Bollard product line, please see our Bollard product line web site at www.bollards.ca.