Spotterplekken Polderbaan Airport Schiphol
Design study, Municipality of Haarlemmermeer, 2004 (ARCADIS)
Plane spotters set few requirements to a viewing spot along the runway. They focus their gaze on the horizon and not on the place itself. However, based on their location along the runway, the spotters themselves are also part of the spectacle and one of the first and last impressions passengers get from the Netherlands on departure or arrival. The ‘spotersplekken’ are therefore ambiguous: it is about watching and being watched. This duality is asking for a special design that does justice to their unique nature.
The realisation of two new ‘spotterplekken’ along the new Polder runway at Schiphol airport establishes a direct relationship with the activities on the runway itself. Each spotters place consists of three basic elements that are organized differently for each location: a parking lot, a ' catwalk ' and a grass garden.
The core of the spotters place consists of an elongated ' catwalk ' where the spotters can view the planes and visa versa. The design refers to the stretched and artificial character of the Polderbaan itself and the concept of watching and being watched in a playful way. The parking and the ' catwalk ' lie in a grass garden that seamlessly fits into the surrounding agricultural plots. A four meter high airplane staircase forms a landmark and logo for the new spots.
The realisation of two new ‘spotterplekken’ along the new Polder runway at Schiphol airport establishes a direct relationship with the activities on the runway itself. Each spotters place consists of three basic elements that are organized differently for each location: a parking lot, a ' catwalk ' and a grass garden.
The core of the spotters place consists of an elongated ' catwalk ' where the spotters can view the planes and visa versa. The design refers to the stretched and artificial character of the Polderbaan itself and the concept of watching and being watched in a playful way. The parking and the ' catwalk ' lie in a grass garden that seamlessly fits into the surrounding agricultural plots. A four meter high airplane staircase forms a landmark and logo for the new spots.
