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Noise is an issue at many airports, including Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Source: Getty Images

TWO years ago, Dutch land artist Paul de Kort was given a tough brief.

Administrators at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) had long been looking to address the levels of aircraft noise that affected those living near the airport.

So, taking inspiration from the ground, de Kort created a landscape that has had a significant effect on dampening the roar of planes for those living near one of the world’s busiest airports.

But long before de Kort broke ground, researchers from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) had already been studying the noise level at AMS. They noticed that in the fall, after the fields surrounding the airport had been ploughed, noise levels decreased significantly.

It turns out that the furrows created by ploughing helped to absorb, deflect and mute aircraft noise.

The labyrinth design. Picture: Schiphol Group Source: Supplied

Working off these findings, de Kort collaborated with architectural firm H+N+S Lanscapearchitects and scientists from the TNO to create Buitenschot Land Art Park.

Located to the southwest of AMS, just off the edge of the runway, this huge green space is laid out in an interlocking system of ditches and trenches.

While its primary purpose is to dampen the ground noise created by passing aircraft, the park also features bike paths, sports fields and even sculpture to create a space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

To create this mazelike park, de Kort also drew heavily on the past and was particularly inspired by the work of Ernst Chladni, a 17th century German physicist. The scientist’s Chladni patterns served as the inspiration for the furrows and ridges now seen at AMS.

Completed in October 2013, this collaborative project has since been viewed as a renowned success. The creation of Buitenschot had an immediate effect, cutting the decibel level of aircraft noise down by half, the Smithsonian reported. And it has continued being a success since then.

De Kort, however, has one regret. Speaking to Hansman, he explained that, “The ground sound spreads behind the plane that’s taking off, so in fact you fly away in the other directions. You won’t be able to actually see the area from the air.”

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is one of the world’s busiest. Source: Getty Images

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Source…www.news.com.au

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There’s a road running straight through the runway in Gibraltar. Source: Getty Images

SPACE is at a premium in tiny Gibraltar — so much so that the British territory’s only airport runway intersects with its busiest road. Cars travelling along Winston Churchill Avenue must stop for planes several times a day. For about 10 minutes, traffic stays at a standstill to allow a flight to depart for — or arrive from — London, Birmingham, or Manchester.

In 2007 the government released plans for a new four-lane road that would divert traffic through a tunnel under the runway, although cars would not be required to use it. The road, scheduled to open in 2009, has still not been completed.

Drivers in this country have to watch out for unusual traffic. Source: Getty Images

The airport is, by necessity, small. The Spain-Gibraltar border lies just north of the runway. South of the runway, in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar, is North Front cemetery, the only graveyard in the territory where burials are still conducted.

Pedestrians and vehicles cross the airport while planes wait. Picture: Lancastrian. Source: Flickr

It’s an intersection on an airport. Picture: D-Stanley. Source: Flickr

Plane enthusiasts will love this road. Picture: Lancastrian Source: Flickr

SOURCE:::: news.com.au

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