Public Servant Lifestyle

A garden with a difference on a grand scale: spherical ‘bio domes’, waterfalls and tropical flora from across the world...in a quarry?

Built on a disused clay pit, with a 45-acre 'global garden', and the world's largest geodesic domes, the Eden Project in Cornwall is a great place to visit.

Here are some interesting facts about the project:

1: The depth of the crater on which the biomes are built is 60m, the size of 35 football pitches.

2: A total of 85,000 tonnes of soil has been made for the project, the equivalent in weight of 616 blue whales.

3: The foundations for the biomes are 2m wide, 1.5m thick and 858m long. Concrete in the foundations is 2480m3 and the reinforcements weigh 284 tonnes.

4: Putting up the bio domes required the largest 'birdcage' scaffolding in the world - 12 levels, 25m across, containing 46,000 poles. In all, 230 miles of scaffolding was erected and it is in the Guinness Book of World Records.

5: The largest biome, the Humid Tropics, is 240m long, 55m high and 110m wide - with no internal supports. It's large enough to house the Tower of London, tall enough for a tower of 11 double decker buses and long enough for a nose-to-nose traffic jam of 24 buses.

6: The largest hexagon is 10.98m across, big enough to contain a London taxi.

7: The water collection system at the Eden Project on average collects 22litres/sec, the equivalent of 20 thousand bathtubs a day.

The Eden Project was crowned 'Project of the Decade' in the 2006 Quality in Construction Awards - widely recognised as the highest accolade in the construction industry. They highlight excellence and recognise the ambition, skill and management of construction teams.

Mike O’ Connor CBE, Director of the (now disbanded) Millennium Commission - which part-funded the Eden Project - said: “I am delighted that the Eden Project has won 'Project of the Decade' in the 2006 Quality in Construction Awards. The Millennium Commission is proud to have supported Eden’s construction with grants totalling £56 million of National Lottery funds.

"It is a ground breaking project that exceeds the expectations of all who visit; it is truly a magical place. Indeed, I am also very proud of our other projects - the Falkirk Wheel, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, and the Millennium Dome that have received such prestigious recognition in these awards for their exciting and innovative construction designs.

"The Millennium Commission has always ensured that Lottery money has gone towards building projects of high architectural design and construction quality which would have immediate impact and would also stand the test of time.”

For more things to do and places to visit across the country why not visit our Travel section?

The Eden Project is at Bodelva, St. Austell, follow this link for more details.

The Eden Project is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 10am-6pm (Last entry 5pm) - Admission £9.50 for adults, £4 for children (under fives free) and £7.50 for senior citizens.

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