Rainforest in the North

Grimshaw, the international architectural practice responsible for the highly-acclaimed Eden project, is investigating the potential of using a brownfield site in the North of England on which to develop an eco-friendly botanical visitor attraction that will display a ‘slice’ of rainforest.

The focal point of the proposed landscaped park would be a greenhouse, cutting slightly into the landscape. This enclosure would house plant and animal life, recreating the ecosystems of the tropical regions of the world. Aerial walkways would cross the enclosure at varying heights and pathways and wind around the perimeter, drawing the visitor from the canopy down through the different strata to the forest floor. The entrance to the enclosure would be at canopy level, opening on to a crashing waterfall and views across the treetops.

The Inspiration for the new design came from the pineapple sheds at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which are heated by a mixture of decomposing bark and horse manure. Using the principle of deriving heat energy from the decomposition of domestic waste, the new attraction would sport fifty-metre-high gabion walls around the enclosure that would contain composting tubes.