A Streamlined Cockpit: The brief was to combine an acoustic barrier with an industrial building · we decided to design with a speed of 120 km/h to streamline the concept by looking at our design in a telescopic perspective · we have studied the splines of cars, powerboats and jetplanes which are streamlined to diminish drag · along the A2 highway the acoustic barrier and the industrial buildings themselves do not move but they are placed aside a continuous stream of cars passing by · the stream of cars flows at a speed of 120 km/h along the acoustic barrier · as a consequence we decided that the proportions of the built volumes immersed in the acoustic dike should be boldly stretched along the length of the dike · the building, as a body fused with the solid mass of earth of the dike, is experienced as a streamlined cockpit · animation studies indicate that a cockpit described by one powerful spline on top of the acoustic barrier provokes the strongest impact · the cockpit functions as a 3d logo for other industrial facilities hidden behind the acoustic barrier · the most striking design principle is the use of long continuous lines · supple splines which do not have an explicit beginning and not an abrupt end · reaching the actual volume of the cockpit the lines divide into a top and a bottom line · between these smoothly curved lines the cockpit building is inserted with the precision of a plastic surgeon · the overall impact must be confirmed by a strong detail: an extra barrier at the top of the body of the acoustic barrier - shaped as a standard guard-rail - cuts into the top of the cockpit and sinks gradually into a deep gutter · the main design rule determines that the length of the cockpit has to measure at least 10 times its height · this rule guarantees that the cockpit keeps its smooth appearance when passed by at a speed of 120 km/h ·

2003

2005