Visiting Eden
John Hill
12. april 2017
All images courtesy of Tate Harmer
Planning authorities have approved Tate Harmer's design for a new hotel at the famous Eden Project in Cornwall, England, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw.
The Eden Project, which opened to the public on Easter Sunday in 2001, is known for its biomes with ETFE foil pillows covering the hexagonal frames. By comparison, Tate Harmer's design, made from locally sourced materials (stone and wood), appears backwards – a vernacular foil to Grimshaw's technological optimism. Nevertheless, both projects offer, in the words of Tate Harmer, "high standards of accessibility, energy-efficiency and sustainability" in the Cornish landscape.
The £8.5million hotel at The Eden Project will consist of 109 rooms, a restaurant, and educational facilities in three- and four-story volumes. The project responds to the more than one million annual visitors to The Eden Project. Construction is expected to start later this year with completion due in 2018.
Model
Lower level plan
Upper level plan
Elevation
PROJECT DETAILS
Architects
Tate Harmer
Contractor
TBC
Client
The Eden Project
Interiors
Devon Interiors
Structural engineer
Airey and Coles
M&E engineer
Hoare Lea
Landscape architect
Greysmith Associates