6544x
000079
2002-05-28

Rainforest Biome of Eden Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom

The Eden Project is a complex of two biomes and outdoor gardens with plants from many diverse climates and environments.

The biome is a steel frame structure with cladding panels consisting of triple-layered membrane cushions made of ETFE foil.

The original vision for the project belonged to anthropologist and archaeologist Tim Smit.

The architectural design was done by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners from London, after preliminary structural design by MERO.

Structure

The biome structure is a hex‑tri‑hex space frame with two layers. The frame structure consists of steel tube segments that were connected using bolted joints.

The external cladding panels are hexagonal and pentagonal in shape and consist of inflated membrane cushions made of three layers of ETFE foil, which maximize the ultraviolet light from the sunlight needed by the plants. Thus, it is possible to simulate the environment for the tropical plants very well.

Structural Design

The structure was created in CAD and imported into structural engineering software RSTAB.

The load cases and result combinations comply with the British standard BS 5950. A calculation according to the second-order analysis was carried out.

Structural Engineering MERO-TSK International GmbH & Co. KG, Würzburg, Germany
www.mero.de
Architect Grimshaw Architects
London, United Kingdom
grimshaw.global
Construction Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
www.srm.com
Investor Eden Project Ltd
Cornwall, UK
www.edenproject.com


Project Specifications

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