ABSTRACT
In an abandoned china-clay pit in the midst ofthe green hills and valleys of Cornwall is the Eden Project, a complex that includes a showcase for global biodiversity and humans' dependence on plants in the form of the largest greenhouse in the world. A winding path from the visitor center on the edge ofthe site reveals an amazing scene as one walks down toward a series of overlapping, soap-bubblelike domes of various sizes that are elegantly fitted into the craggy landscape of the excavations. The very large and transparent domes encapsulate various climatic regions of the earth and, in keeping with the project's programmatic objectives, were designed by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners with ecological and sustainability issues foremost in mind. The overall structural form of the steel geodesic domes is exceedingly light and efficient in terms of material usage, and the innovative foil enclosure system builds even further upon this attribute.
