diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp
index 5f61f6cccf0..2b363bf1a58 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/c1/shenandoahBarrierSetC1.cpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 #include "gc/shared/satbMarkQueue.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSet.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahBarrierSetAssembler.hpp"
-#include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.hpp"
+#include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.inline.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeapRegion.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahRuntime.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahThreadLocalData.hpp"
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahAsserts.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahAsserts.cpp
index e9fb8d97cb0..b63e8da7a1b 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahAsserts.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahAsserts.cpp
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::print_failure(SafeLevel level, oop obj, void* interior_l
 }
 
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_in_heap(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char *file, int line) {
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
 
   if (!heap->is_in(obj)) {
     print_failure(_safe_unknown, obj, interior_loc, NULL, "Shenandoah assert_in_heap failed",
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_in_heap(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char *
 }
 
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_correct(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char* file, int line) {
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
 
   // Step 1. Check that obj is correct.
   // After this step, it is safe to call heap_region_containing().
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_correct(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char*
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_in_correct_region(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char* file, int line) {
   assert_correct(interior_loc, obj, file, line);
 
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
   ShenandoahHeapRegion* r = heap->heap_region_containing(obj);
   if (!r->is_active()) {
     print_failure(_safe_unknown, obj, interior_loc, NULL, "Shenandoah assert_in_correct_region failed",
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_not_forwarded(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_marked(void *interior_loc, oop obj, const char *file, int line) {
   assert_correct(interior_loc, obj, file, line);
 
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
   if (!heap->marking_context()->is_marked(obj)) {
     print_failure(_safe_all, obj, interior_loc, NULL, "Shenandoah assert_marked failed",
                   "Object should be marked",
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_marked(void *interior_loc, oop obj, const char *f
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_in_cset(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char* file, int line) {
   assert_correct(interior_loc, obj, file, line);
 
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
   if (!heap->in_collection_set(obj)) {
     print_failure(_safe_all, obj, interior_loc, NULL, "Shenandoah assert_in_cset failed",
                   "Object should be in collection set",
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_in_cset(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char*
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_not_in_cset(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const char* file, int line) {
   assert_correct(interior_loc, obj, file, line);
 
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
   if (heap->in_collection_set(obj)) {
     print_failure(_safe_all, obj, interior_loc, NULL, "Shenandoah assert_not_in_cset failed",
                   "Object should not be in collection set",
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_not_in_cset(void* interior_loc, oop obj, const ch
 }
 
 void ShenandoahAsserts::assert_not_in_cset_loc(void* interior_loc, const char* file, int line) {
-  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+  ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
   if (heap->in_collection_set_loc(interior_loc)) {
     print_failure(_safe_unknown, NULL, interior_loc, NULL, "Shenandoah assert_not_in_cset_loc failed",
                   "Interior location should not be in collection set",
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.cpp
index 9e27fa56560..8c7fb2db9f1 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.cpp
@@ -82,6 +82,8 @@
 #include "services/mallocTracker.hpp"
 #include "utilities/powerOfTwo.hpp"
 
+ShenandoahHeap* ShenandoahHeap::_heap = NULL;
+
 #ifdef ASSERT
 template <class T>
 void ShenandoahAssertToSpaceClosure::do_oop_work(T* p) {
@@ -461,6 +463,8 @@ ShenandoahHeap::ShenandoahHeap(ShenandoahCollectorPolicy* policy) :
   _liveness_cache(NULL),
   _collection_set(NULL)
 {
+  _heap = this;
+
   log_info(gc, init)("GC threads: " UINT32_FORMAT " parallel, " UINT32_FORMAT " concurrent", ParallelGCThreads, ConcGCThreads);
   log_info(gc, init)("Reference processing: %s", ParallelRefProcEnabled ? "parallel" : "serial");
 
@@ -777,18 +781,6 @@ HeapWord* ShenandoahHeap::allocate_new_gclab(size_t min_size,
   return res;
 }
 
-ShenandoahHeap* ShenandoahHeap::heap() {
-  CollectedHeap* heap = Universe::heap();
-  assert(heap != NULL, "Unitialized access to ShenandoahHeap::heap()");
-  assert(heap->kind() == CollectedHeap::Shenandoah, "not a shenandoah heap");
-  return (ShenandoahHeap*) heap;
-}
-
-ShenandoahHeap* ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check() {
-  CollectedHeap* heap = Universe::heap();
-  return (ShenandoahHeap*) heap;
-}
-
 HeapWord* ShenandoahHeap::allocate_memory(ShenandoahAllocRequest& req) {
   intptr_t pacer_epoch = 0;
   bool in_new_region = false;
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.hpp
index 8cd853e0a5a..5072d99c938 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.hpp
@@ -132,9 +132,11 @@ class ShenandoahHeap : public CollectedHeap {
 
 // ---------- Initialization, termination, identification, printing routines
 //
+private:
+  static ShenandoahHeap* _heap;
+
 public:
   static ShenandoahHeap* heap();
-  static ShenandoahHeap* heap_no_check();
 
   const char* name()          const { return "Shenandoah"; }
   ShenandoahHeap::Name kind() const { return CollectedHeap::Shenandoah; }
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.inline.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.inline.hpp
index 03a67fb9195..a857d006f80 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.inline.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.inline.hpp
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@
 #include "utilities/copy.hpp"
 #include "utilities/globalDefinitions.hpp"
 
+inline ShenandoahHeap* ShenandoahHeap::heap() {
+  assert(_heap != NULL, "Heap is not initialized yet");
+  return _heap;
+}
 
 inline ShenandoahHeapRegion* ShenandoahRegionIterator::next() {
   size_t new_index = Atomic::add(&_index, (size_t) 1);
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahMonitoringSupport.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahMonitoringSupport.cpp
index 14f673ebde8..8d290817132 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahMonitoringSupport.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahMonitoringSupport.cpp
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 #include "gc/shared/generationCounters.hpp"
 #include "gc/shared/hSpaceCounters.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahMonitoringSupport.hpp"
-#include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.hpp"
+#include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeap.inline.hpp"
 #include "gc/shenandoah/shenandoahHeapRegionCounters.hpp"
 #include "memory/metaspaceCounters.hpp"
 #include "services/memoryService.hpp"
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp
index b52e83505b4..188bf4852a8 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp
@@ -982,7 +982,7 @@ class ShenandoahVerifyInToSpaceClosure : public OopClosure {
     T o = RawAccess<>::oop_load(p);
     if (!CompressedOops::is_null(o)) {
       oop obj = CompressedOops::decode_not_null(o);
-      ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap_no_check();
+      ShenandoahHeap* heap = ShenandoahHeap::heap();
 
       if (!heap->marking_context()->is_marked(obj)) {
         ShenandoahAsserts::print_failure(ShenandoahAsserts::_safe_all, obj, p, NULL,