EDEN PROJECT

The 'Eden Project' is a large-scale environmental complex in England. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located from the town of St Blazey and from the larger town of St Austell.^[1]
The complex comprises a number of domes that house plant species from around the world, with each emulating a natural biome. The domes are made out of hundreds of hexagons plus a few pentagons that interconnect the whole construction together; each of these is a transparent cushion made of tough plastic. The first dome emulates a tropical environment, the second a warm temperate, Mediterranean environment.
The project was conceived by Tim Smit and designed by the architect Nicholas Grimshaw and engineering firm Anthony Hunt and Associates, with Davis Langdon carrying out the project management, Sir Robert McAlpine and Alfred McAlpine undertaking the construction and MERO to design and build the biomes. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public on 17 March 2001.

Contents

Site

Layout

Biomes

The Core

Environmental aspects

Events

References

In literature

In the media

See also

Gallery

References

External links

Site

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, planted landscapes, including vegetable gardens, and sculptures that include a giant bee and towering robot-themed creature created from old electrical appliances.

Biomes

At the bottom of the pit are two covered biomes:

★ The Humid Tropics Biome, which is the largest greenhouse in the world, covers and measures high, wide and long. It is used for tropical plants, such as fruiting banana trees, coffee, rubber and giant bamboo, and is kept at a tropical temperature.

★ The Warm Temperate Biome covers and measures high, wide and long. It houses familiar warm temperate and arid plants such as olives and grape vines and various pieces of sculpture. The Outdoor Biome represents the temperate regions of the world with plants such as tea, lavender, hops and hemp. A third covered biome representing the dry tropics is planned for the future.
The biomes are constructed from a tubular steel space-frame (hex-tri-hex) with mostly hexagonal external cladding panels made from the thermoplastic ETFE. At the outset, glass was proscribed due to its weight and potential dangers. The cladding panels themselves are created from several layers of thin UV-transparent ETFE film, which are sealed around their perimeter and inflated to create a large cushion. The resulting cushion acts like a thermal blanket to the structure. The ETFE material is resistant to most stains, which simply wash off in the rain. If required, cleaning can be performed by abseilers. Although the ETFE is susceptible to punctures, these can be easily fixed with ETFE tape. The structure is completely self-supporting, with no internal supports, and takes the form of a geodesic structure. The panels vary in size up to across, with the largest at the top of the structure.
The ETFE technology was supplied and installed by Vector Foiltec who are also responsible for ongoing maintenance of the cladding. The steel spaceframe and cladding package (with Vector Foiltec as ETFE subcontractor) was designed, supplied and installed by MERO (UK) PLC, who also jointly developed the overall scheme geometry with the architect, Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners. The entire project was managed by McAlpine Joint Venture.

The Core

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. Accordingly the building has taken its inspiration from plants, most noticeably in the form of the soaring timber roof, which gives the building its distinctive shape.
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. It is derived from phyllotaxis, which is the mathematical basis for nearly all plant growth; the "opposing spirals" found in many plants such as the seeds in a sunflower's head, pine cones and pineapples. 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. The services and acoustic design was carried out by Buro Happold.

Environmental aspects

The domes provide diverse growing conditions with many plants on display.
The Eden Project includes environmental education focusing on the interdependence of plants and people; plants are labelled with their medicinal uses. The massive amounts of water required to create the humid conditions of the Tropical Biome, as well as to serve the toilet facilities, are all sanitized rain water that would otherwise collect at the bottom of the quarry. In fact the only mains water used is for hand washing and for cooking. The complex also uses Green Tariff Electricity — the energy comes from one of the many wind turbines in Cornwall, which were amongst the first in Europe. Somewhat controversially one of the companies the Eden Project currently has a partnership with is the British mining company Rio Tinto Group. Rio Tinto is set to commence mining in Madagascar for titanium dioxide. This will involve the removal of a large section of costal forest with the possibly of extensive damage to the unique biodiversity of the Madagascan flora and fauna.

Events

The Eden Project hosted the "Africa Calling" concert of the Live 8 concert series on 2 July 2005. It was also used as a filming location for the 2002 James Bond film, ''Die Another Day''. It also provided some plants for the British Museum's Africa garden.
In 2005 the Eden Project launched "A Time Of Gifts" for during the winter months, November to February. This features an ice rink covering the lake, with a small café/bar attached, as well as a Christmas market. Adding to atmosphere Cornish choirs regularly perform in the biomes.
In 2006 and 2007, the Eden Project hosted a series of musical performances, called the 'Eden Sessions'. Artists have included Amy Winehouse, James Morrison, Muse, Lily Allen, Snow Patrol and The Magic Numbers.

References

In literature

★ Richard Mabey: ''Fencing Paradise: Exploring the Gardens of Eden'' London 2005: Eden Project. ISBN 1-903919-31-2

★ Hugh Pearman, Andrew Whalley: ''The Architecture of Eden. With a foreword by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw.'' London 2003: Eden Project Books. ISBN 1-903919-15-0

★ Tim Smit: ''Eden.'' London 2001: Bantam Press.

★ Eden Team (Ed.): ''Eden Project: The Guide 2005/6.'' St Austell 2005: Eden Books.

★ Paul Spooner: ''The Revenge of the Green Planet: The Eden Project Book of Amazing Facts About Plants.'' St Austell 2003: Eden Books.

★ Philip McMillan Browse, Louise Frost, Alistair Griffiths: ''Plants of Eden (Eden Project).'' London 2001: Alison Hodge.

In the media

★ Robin Kewell (Ed.): ''Eden. The inside story.'' St Austell n.d.: The Eden Project. (DVD)

★ Alan Titchmarsh: ''The Eden Project.'' w/o location 2006. (DVD)

See also

★ BIOS-3

★ Biosphere 2

★ Closed ecological system

★ Montreal Biodome

★ Montreal Biosphère

★ Ecosystem

★ Vivarium

★ The Lost Gardens of Heligan

★ List of topics related to Cornwall

★ Bio-dome

★ Sir Richard Carew Pole

Gallery

References

1. Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS Explorer Map 107 - Fowey, Looe & Lostwithiel''. ISBN 0-319-23708-3.

External links

★ EdenProject.com — The project's official website

★ 2007 Eden sessions 2007 Eden sessions line up

★ Eden Project photos from Cornwall 365 Eden Project Photos

★ Photographs of Eden Project photos from Views Of Cornwall

★ Cornwall Council to give a £360,000 grant to the Eden Project (Jan 2006). News article from Cornwall Council

★ Hotels near the Eden Project Accommodation assistance for visitors

★ Campsite and Caravan park close to the Eden Project

★ photographs taken at the Eden Project Eden Project photos

★ Webcam of the Eden Project BBC Webcam link

★ Grimshaw Architects website

★ Article about the Eden Domes (PDF file 5.1 MB)

★ Webpage about the construction of the Eden Project Biomes

★ Eden Project fullscreen QTVR panoramas

★ Photographs and Description