Research: The Eden Project + Hamilton Gardens

The Eden Project is one of the world's largest indoor rainforest. Located in Cornwall, England, the Eden Project is made up of two biomes that house a collection of flora from different climates and environments. The biomes are made of inflated plastic cells and steel frames, one stimulates a rainforest while the other stimulates a mediterranean environment. The park also has a botanical garden, a vegetable garden and several sculptures. 

The Eden Project also provides an education facility called 'The Core'. This aims to teach the importance of having a relationship between people and plants. The plants throughout the gardens are all labelled with their medicinal uses. The projects ethos as a whole is mainly centred around sustainability and a sustainable and ethical lifecycle. The gardens try to use recycled sanitised rainwater and green tariff electricity supplied from Cornwall's many wind turbines. This allows the project to conserve water and save money. The Eden Project has deep roots within the community, hosting events for awareness surrounding sustainability and conservation, local walking groups, neighbourhood get-togethers and even art classes. Community involvement is encouraged with memberships, volunteering and opportunity to make donations offered. 

Community involvement looks to be important to both the Botanic Gardens and the Eden Project. The Children's Garden is centred around community involvement, this needs to be a priority for this project. The Eden Project also looks at educating the community on really important issues such as sustainability, it would be really beneficial if we could try and figure out a way to add this into our project.

Information and image found: http://www.edenproject.com


Hamilton Gardens

"Today, more than 40 years later, these humble beginnings have been overshadowed by the development of the Gardens’ internationally unique concept: The History, Context and Meaning of Gardens. Hamilton Gardens is not a botanical garden. Instead, its concept acknowledges there is a story to tell about gardens, their development over time and across cultures, and their use.  This concept was conceived in the early 1980s by Hamilton Gardens director Dr Peter Sergel and met with significant enthusiasm from city councillors. Some of its inspiration came from the Bundesgartenschau of Germany and other international garden shows, where many differing approaches to gardening and garden design are brought together on one site. The concept has also been compared to a museum, where each garden collection has historic integrity and provides a window into the story of civilisations, their arts, beliefs and lifestyles. More than 30 years later, Sergel’s sketchbook designs are almost identical to the themed gardens existing today. "

Hamilton gardens - different gardens based on eras of history and countries. Really cool and different experience. A good example of an educational experience with plants. 

the english flower garden

japanese garden

italian rennaisance garden