The Eden Project Cornwall

With its distinctive white domes, the Eden Project is Cornwall's best-known tourist attraction. But it's much more than just a big green theme park and visitors can expect to come away with a better understanding of the environment and their interaction with it. As they say at the Eden Project, 'we aim to reconnect people with their environments locally and globally'.

Dubbed 'the Eighth Wonder of the World', The Eden Project is primarily the idea of Tim Smit, the man behind the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Eden was funded by a £55.3 million grant from the Millennium Commission and is run by a charitable trust. It opened its doors on 17th March 2001, since when it has had more than 8 million visitors.

The Eden Project is sited in a former china clay pit at Bodelva, near St Austell, Cornwall. It consists of three biomes (a biome is a large naturally occuring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat), the Outdoor Biome, Rainforest Biome and Mediterranean Biome. The Eden Project's award-winning £15 million education Centre, The Core, was opened by the Queen in June 2006.

If you're planning a visit to the Eden Project, allow around four hours to fully enjoy the site.

The Eden Project in numbers

The Eden Project has had more than 8 million visitors since it opened in 2001

Eden's Rainforest Biome is 50 metres high, 110 metres wide and 240 metres long

The Eden Project's Biomes contain more than a million plants representing 5,000 species from around the World.

Around 250 schoolchildren visit the Eden Project every day.

The Eden Project - Outdoor Biome

This is the view of the Eden Project you get on arrival, having passed through the Visitor Centre at the entrance. In front of you to the left is the Rainforest Biome and to its right, the Mediterannean Biome. Surrounding both indoor biomes is the Outdoor Biome which represents the temperate world including Europe, America, parts of Asia and, of course, Cornwall.

You can also see the lake (currently covered, to the left in front of the Rainforest Biome) which is used as a stage area in summer for the Eden Sessions, the Eden Project's outdoor summer concert programme. In winter the lake is transformed into a covered ice rink, part of the Eden Project's 'time of Gifts' season.

To the right you can see the Core, the Eden Project's Education Centre, with its copper-clad roof and behind you the Visitor Centre building. If you look down you can see that the Eden Project's smaller visitors are catered for so there's something for people of all sizes to see. We're particularly keen on the one that encourages you to 'look all around'.

The Eden Project - Rainforest Biome

The Rainforest Biome is the larger of Eden's two covered biomes. 100 meters wide, 200 metres long and 55 metres high, with an area of 15,590 square metres, it is the world's biggest greenhouse. The Rainforest Biome contains tropical plants such as banana trees, coffee, rubber and giant bamboo. The other biomes are the smaller Mediterranean Biome and the Outdoor Biome.

The biomes are constructed from a tubular steel frame with transparent panels manufactured from a plastic called EFTE (Ethylene TetrafluoroEthylene). The panels are transparent to UV light and have a triple-membrane structure which provides them with excellent heat insulation properties.

The temperature in the Rainforest Biome ranges from 18 to 35Â°C, humidity is maintained by a network of misting sprays and a waterfall. The climate is regulated using computerised systems, but relies on the natural properties of the environment such as the rear cliff wall which absorbs heat from the sun during the day and releases it at night. The plants themselves also help control the environment, releasing moisture to cool the air when it gets too warm.

The Eden Project - Mediterranean Biome

Eden's Mediterranean Biome is 65 metres wide, 135 metres long and 35 metres high, with an area of 6,540 square metres. This biome emulates the natural landscapes of the Mediterranean, South Africa and California.

Plants growing here in the Mediterranean Biome include aubergines, citrus fruits, grape vines, olives and peppers.

The arts are fundamental to the Eden Project which says 'we aim to blur the perceived line between the creative and the scientific and use art to illustrate the vital link between plants and people'. In this panorama you can see 'The Rites of Dionysus ' by Falmouth-based sculptor Tim Shaw.

The Eden Project - The Core

The Core, opened in September 2005, is The Eden Project's new education centre. The design of the building is based on rules governing plant growth - incorporating a central trunk and canopy roof. The roof (look up!) is formed from an intricate web of curved timber beams based on Fibonacci spirals, a pattern found in many natural forms including pine cones and snail shells.

The giant glass sphere directly ahead is the Plant Engine, created by artist Will Jackson. The Plant Engine illustrates the inter-relationship between people and plants. The sphere contains a fast-growing tobacco plant warmed by the 'sun' (a 4,000-watt lamp). Oxygen created by the plant is fed via flexible pipes to bell jars containing automata (press shift to zoom in for a closer look, then press Ctrl to zoom back out) - mechanically animated puppets, which are brought to life. Sensors in the exhibit record the plant's levels of Oxygen production and Carbon Dioxide absorption.