The Cockpit: Cool Architecture, New Technology, Rubbernecking at Freeway Speeds

"Cockpit and Acoustic Barrier, Leidsche Rijn Utrecht, Netherlands"
designbuild-network.com (undated, after November 2005)

"...The design of the Cockpit and barrier construction consists of a building integrated into an acoustic barrier. The barrier runs alongside the A2 highway in the centre of Holland. The aim is to separate industrial and residential districts by muffling sound, while also producing an architectural construction that people can enjoy.

"The acoustic barrier and the Cockpit are designed with drivers in mind, allowing for a car to pass at a speed of 120km/h and guaranteeing a smooth appearance of the structure.

"The Cockpit houses a showroom and garage for luxury cars for Hessing Holding BV. It is positioned 15m from the side of the A2 highway. Drivers can view the cars as they pass by.

"The highway side is composed of a triangular system of glass elements..."


(from designbuild-network.com, used w/o permission)
"The Cockpit houses a showroom and garage for luxury cars for Hessing Holding BV."


(from designbuild-network.com, used w/o permission)
"The acoustic barrier runs alongside the A2 highway in Holland."


(from designbuild-network.com, used w/o permission)
"Complex structures can be built and managed using simple engineering methods."

This is 'way beyond the sound-reflecting walls we see along urban Interstate in America. The Cockpit's design is, apparently, something really new: "...Non-Standard Architecture (NSA) realised on a large scale. The basic principle of NSA is that all compiled components are different...." The designbuild-network.com article mentions the new technology and programming that went into designing and building The Cockpit.

Manufacture of the structure involved something called a "point cloud system." If this catches on, it could be as faddish - and useful in some cases - as Fuller's geodesic domes. As the article said:

"...This shows that within a regular budget large complex structures can be built and managed using simple engineering methods."

The Cockpit was finished in November of 2005.

One thing that bothers me about the design is this sentence: "Drivers can view the cars as they pass by." They're going 120 kph. That's about 75 miles an hour - a sensible freeway speed in my part of the world. Provided that the drivers are watching the road and traffic.

I'm not entirely convinced that it's a good idea to encourage rubbernecking on a high-speed road.

Still, it's been almost five years since the thing was finished - and I haven't heard of any major accidents in central Holland.