EDEN PROJECT
The Eden Project, as a landscape scheme, created a unique set of topsoil challenges as it required the ability to house plants normally found in Tropical and Mediterranean climates within the UK.
Eden is now the home to many foreign plants, ranging from small to very large and generally they would not survive the UK climate or our soils.
In order to create an environment representative to the type of climatic conditions required by some of these specialist plants, the key would be to construct very large green houses designed in such a way as to be an architectural work of art.
“QUOTE FROM GEORGE”
Freeland became responsible for the design of a number of soil specifications that would ensure that the foreign plants used for the project would take hold and thrive. This involved selecting waste mica sand from the adjacent English china clay works and combining varying organic sources at different rates to recreate the media which would be representative to the soils in countries the plants originated from.
It took over nine months to assess the soils and conduct basic grower trials. The different blends of soil were selected in conjunction with Reading University. It was then the project moved from research to full production of the soil blends.
Freeland moved production staff, screening plant and equipment to Cornwall to blend and create 100,000m3 of soil in the adjacent quarry. This was then moved and placed within the domes.
