The Eden Project (Cornwall, UK) is home to the world’s largest greenhouse and its world famous architecture draws inspiration from nature and houses plant species from around the world, each dome emulating a natural biome. The first dome emulates a tropical environment, the second a warm temperate, Mediterranean environment. The first manifestation of the Eden Project was to transform a derelict china clay pit in Cornwall and in just 7 years it has attracted over 11 million visitors, raised £120m and is thought to have pumped £800m into the local economy.

Now employing over 600 people, in a job starved area it has turned what most people believed was a worthless, unusable, polluted site into Britain’s fifth largest tourist attraction and one of Britain’s most successful regeneration projects. The project conceived by Tim Smit, was designed by architect Nicholas Grimshaw and built by Sir Robert McAlpine and Alfred McAlpine. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public on 17 March 2001.