Motorway A4 Delft, Schiedam

In order to reduce the visual impact of the motorway, and also reduce noise pollution, the motorway is concealed by recessing the motorway in the landscape.
This is either half or fully – up to 6 meters below ground level – or by having the motorway run partially through a tunnel. “Hear nothing, see nothing, smell nothing” is the motto for the routing for the A4DS

The plan is characterized by a strong geographical division between north and south: the first part of the motorway proceeds on ground level through a recreational area at the perimeter of the Municipality of Delft. The second and recessed part transects a cultural-historic polder landscape with a bird nesting area, intersecting ecological structures, an extensive recreational programme, a complex water management system, and intersecting small-scale infrastructure. The third part proceeds through an urban area via a tunnel. Above the tunnel, a sports park with trees and cycle paths is built.

The Honey Highway
The 7 kilometre A4DS between Delft and Schiedam is a paradise for bees and the first Honey Highway in the world. Organic flower seeds were planted along the A4 to benefit the bee population and counteract possible extinction. This Honey Highway gives bees a new chance to settle on chemically untreated land, typically found adjacent to motorways. The Honey Higway is a collaborative project of initiator Deborah Post, together with Rijkswaterstaat, the Province, the municipality of Midden-Delfland, A4ALL Consortium, businesses, sponsors and citizens, and is likely to see repetition throughout the Netherlands.

For the design of the A4DS highway, ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects worked in close cooperation with Bosch Slabbers Landscape Architects and the various departments of the construction consortium A4ALL, consisting of Boskalis, Heijmans en VolkerWessels.

Nomination WAN Infrastructure Awards