A sustainable garden development created as a tourist attraction near St Austell, Cornwall, SW England, UK. Opened in 2001, the project's aim is to ‘promote the understanding and responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people and resources, leading towards a sustainable future for all’. Sited in the crater of a disused clay pit are two bubble shaped geodesic domes known as biomes. One biome is designed to recreate a tropical rainforest climate, while the other controls a warm temperate climate. They house a spectacular and diverse collection of plants from around the world as well as locally-grown specimens. Future developments include a dry-tropics biome. An education centre, named the Core, opened in 2005.
The Eden Project is a large-scale environmental complex near St Austell, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The project was conceived by Tim Smit and designed by the architects Grimshaw, with Davis Langdon carrying out the project management.
The Core is the latest addition to the site and opened in September 2005. It provides the Eden Project with an education facility, incorporating classrooms and exhibition spaces designed to help communicate Eden's central message about the relationship between people and plants.
Grimshaw developed the geometry of the copper-clad roof in collaboration with a sculptor, Peter Randall-Page, and Mike Purvis of structural engineers SKM Anthony Hunts. The copper was obtained from traceable sources, and the Eden Project is working with Rio Tinto to explore the possibility of encouraging further traceable supply routes for metals, which would enable users to avoid metals mined unethically.
Views of the Eden Project
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Brook in the tropical dome |
The imperative of Water |
Nature vs. artifice - nature |
Nature vs. artifice - artifice |
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Banana bike |
Old olive tree at the entrance of the subtropical dome |
Tim Shaw's artwork Rites of Dionysus (2004) |
Prairie flowers |
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Pretty Flowers |
The hexangle structure looking from the inside |
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The sugar lorry |
A pineapple |
The Biomes |
Layout
The project is constructed in a disused china clay pit.
Once into the attraction, there is a meandering path with views of the two biomes and of interesting planted landscapes (including, for example, colourful patterned areas which upon inspection prove to be vegetable gardens) and sculptures, such as a giant bee and towering robot-themed creature created from old electrical appliances.
The steel and plastic biomes
At the bottom are the two covered Biomes.
The biomes are constructed from a tubular steel frame with mostly hexagonal transparent panels (there are a few pentagonal ones) made from a complex plastic known as ETFE (it was decided very early on that glass was out of the question, being too heavy and potentially dangerous).
Environmental issues
The domes provide for a very wide range of growing conditions;
Known medicinal uses for the plants are listed alongside them. Part of the Eden Project is serious environmental and educational study, aiming to safeguard our planet and prevent mankind destroying benefits provided by nature by showcasing the interdependence of plants and people.
The Eden Project is an extremely environmentally aware project. The Eden Project recycles as much as possible, with all litter areas split into five or more compartments for plastic, food, paper and other general waste, which is all recycled.
The "Eden Shop" also boasts a huge array of recycled waste, such as pencils made of plastic vending machine cups, and mouse mats made of old tyres or circuit boards, as well as "grow your own" kits.
In 2006 Eden announced that it was introducing mobile ticketing in order to save on paper and printing.
Mr. Smit states that if the project becomes, or is merely seen to be, a theme park, then it has failed.
Recent events
The Eden Project hosted the "Africa Calling" concert of the Live 8 concert series on July 2, 2005.
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