This isn’t rice field artistry—Amsterdam Airport uses this to cut noise amid thousands of daily takeoffs and landings

▲Schiphol Airport’s special noise-reduction design. (Photo/HNS Landscape Architects fan page)

By Rita

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest in the world and the third busiest in Europe, located just 9 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam, with over a thousand flights taking off and landing daily. The heavy traffic brings noise pollution, a long-standing issue the airport has addressed with a very interesting design. It may look like rice field art, but it’s actually aimed at reducing noise occurrence.

According to Fun Planet website, Schiphol Airport has an extremely high flight density, with an average of one takeoff or landing every minute. The noise problem is so severe that it has become an old issue locals no longer bother to complain about. Moreover, what many might not realize is that the sound is louder than at most airports because Schiphol is situated in low-lying terrain, without hills or valleys to disrupt sound waves. In 2003, after the airport’s longest runway became operational, residents up to 28 kilometers away could hear the noise.

▲Schiphol Airport’s special noise-reduction design. (Photo/hnsland.nl)

Schiphol commissioned architectural firms for an improvement plan. H+N+S Landscape Architects studio collaborated with artists to redesign parts of the surrounding land with varying elevations. The concept was inspired by observations at the airport itself—they noticed significantly less noise near cultivated fields.As part of this plan, a total of 150 noise-reducing blocks shaped like field ridges were constructed. Passengers flying overhead might mistake them for rice field art, but they’re actually noise barriers.

So far, the project has been quite successful. Officials report that noise levels have been reduced by half.