You are Here: Blog Home | Doors Play an Essential Role at Cornwall's Eden Project
Call us on: 01603 410304
or: 0800 0180304
Call us on: 01603 410304
or: 0800 0180304
If you want to see a spectacular show this Christmas and you don’t mind a bit of a trip to get there, the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall is putting on a Festival of Light and Sound throughout the festive season. The Eden Project is a triumph of ecology and an ongoing experiment in artificial habitats. The doors to its iconic domes serve an essential function - allowing people in and out without losing too much of the carefully curated atmospheres within.
From Big Dreams to Big Domes
The Eden Project was designed by palindromic engineer Tim Smit to be a unique showcase for interesting and exotic plants. The two enormous domes - called “biomes†because of their life-sustaining properties - that comprise the most memorable architecture of the project are constructed from glass and steel. Within the domes, temperature and humidity are controlled to make the atmosphere suitable for non-native plants. The larger tropical biome has plants and trees from the rainforests. The temperate biome has plants that grow in a mediterranean type climate.
Amazing and Sustainable
Smit spent the latter half of the 1990s raising enthusiasm and funds for his brainchild. He chose a disused china clay pit (that had previously provided the backdrop to a few alien planets in BBC science fiction serials such as Doctor Who and the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) as the location for the Eden Project. He wanted to show that human damaged land could be turned into something amazing and sustainable.
The Problem with Doors
Doors let visitors in, but they also let the atmosphere out. The giant glass and steel biomes contain within them atmospheres that are engineered to keep non-native plants alive. The danger (to the plants) is that the atmosphere will seep away. The smallest change could cause many of the plants to die. The main areas of seepage are the doors that allow humans to access the biomes. Loading bay doors, visitor access doors and fire exits all let the atmosphere leak to some extent.
A Possible Solution
It has even been suggested (in the journal Proceedings of the UK Controlled Environment Users Group vol 16) that the next generation of biomes should have airlock type doors. Two sets of fully sealable doors would prevent the carefully controlled atmosphere from seeping away. Cornwall’s not our usual patch, but we would be happy to consult.
If you have a project (big or small) that you think could benefit from some industrial door expertise then please get in touch with Cooks Industrial Doors. We can send an engineer round to discuss your best options with you. Call us on 0800 0180304 or send an email to sales@cooksdoors.co.uk to book a site survey.
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Check out the Eden Project’s Festival of Light and Sound.
