Visiting Eden

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.