The
main structures in the Eden Project are a
number of interconnected geodesic domes
built in an abandoned Kaolin pit.
The domes are made up of a tubular steel
frame with a thermoplastic cover The
cladding is composed of several layers of
film that have been sealed and inflated to
creae a thermal blanket around each
dome. Within the domes pathways and
bridges provide access to visitors who
wander through tropical and mediterranean
biomes.
Rick Stein, the chef and Cornwall
resident, writing in the Guardian in 2007,
said of the Eden Centre that, "The hexagonal cells of the
geodesic domes are each nine metres
across, triple glazed in some amazing
plastic, recyclable, self-cleaning,
anti-static and likely to last for 30
years. At Eden they call it cling film
with attitude.
Inside
the rainforest biome it smells of
Malaysia, a damp musty tropical smell,
it's sensually warm and misty but
cheerful with the sound of birdcall,
white eyes from Sulawesi, Indonesia
backed up by local robins and wrens who
somehow managed to get in and probably
can't believe their luck. Imagine flying
out of a rainy Cornish day in mid-winter
through a door into another planet.
Last time I went
into the Mediterranean biome it was a
sunny early morning and the scent of
thyme, rosemary and citrus blossom took
me right back to Sicily. In the early
days all the plants were a bit small,
but now it is mature and the robins seem
to be particularly sweet and joyful in
there." |
