Eden Project's Geodesic Dome

EDEN PROJECT

The Eden Project, situated in Cornwall, England is an attraction made up of two biomes of plants that are collected from many diverse climates and environments. A biome is basically a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they live in. The complex is dominated two large domes which serve as the home of thousands of species of plants. How do these plants survive? Because they live in specialized domes. And how are these domes specialized? Because of their unique shape.

Architecture of the Eden Project

The architect of the Eden Project, Nicholas Grimshaw, was inspired by the Pillow Dome made by J. Baldwin. The structure of the domes is geodesic, so it falls under the category of domes known as ‘geodesic domes’. Geodesic domes are thin shelled and are generally Hemispherical in shape. A few other famous examples of geodesic domes are The Climatron greenhouse and the Kaiser Aluminum domes.

The dome is made of tubular steel and is covered with hexagonal panels made of thermoplastic. The domes have no internal support. This was made so that the domes do not carry much weight and thus reduces the danger of collapsing.

Why domes? Dome shaped structures commonly used for building biomes, greenhouses and botanical gardens as the hemispherical structure allows the maximum amount of sunlight to enter. Also, geodesic domes are spacious and temperatures inside can be easily moderated.

The Eden project is surely one of the most amazing places to visit, because not only is there science about plants but also how maths can help science be more effective. The Eden is truly a great example of the interdependence of maths and science.