Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, Europe’s 4th busiest, has often been the target of noise complaints from neighbors as 1600 flights a day take off and land. With a new and longer runway just going into service, they’ve found a way to mute the complaints…and the noise.
Engineers and landscape architects collaborated to build a green maze that deflects and reflects the noise, bringing it even below required standards. In addition to breaking up the sound, it also provides a landscaped area for walking and bike-riding.
They got the clue to how to break up the low-frequency ground noise from nearby farmers; it was noticed that when the farmers had recently plowed their fields, the noise decreased because of the furrows. In effect, the airport has now created a giant field with giant furrows.
For more detail and diagrams and explanation of how it works, see Jelisa Castrodale’s article in USA Today.
