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Schiphol cuts noise with a green maze

 

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.

 

 

The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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