China embracing Eden Project template
Construction of a Beijing Eden Project is expected to start at the beginning of next year, with a further five projects in the offing, Sir Tim Smit, creator of the UK Eden Project, told Attractions Management.
The Beijing project is being built with Chinese property developer Vanke and, according to the company’s chairman Wang Shi, it could be the largest botanical garden in the world. Feasibility studies are ongoing and central government approval has been given.
Details of another two projects in China are still under wraps, while proposals for a New Zealand Eden-style project, Ki Uta Ki Tai in Christchurch, were recently revealed. The other two projects will be in Canada and Central Europe.
In an exclusive interview, Smit said that none of the upcoming projects would be carbon copies of the Eden Project in Cornwall, southwest England, which opened in 2003. Each will have its own culturally and geographically relevant perspective, and they won’t necessarily be all about plants. Each campaign will be run in close association with local partners, Smit said.
“We have two ambitions: to create a global chain of major Eden-type projects which share a culture, but also transfer different cultural perspectives of each of the others. And, we want to influence as many people as possible that there is another way to run the planet.”
The environmentalist and entrepreneur, who opened the Lost Gardens of Heligan as a visitor attraction in the 1990s, is certain the Eden brand will be a good match for China.
“The reason we’re going to China is unequivocally because it’s the biggest country in the world, with the biggest environmental problems, and they are about to confront their environmental problems with a force which no other industrial nation could muster,” Smit said. “We want to be part of that journey.”
Kath Hudson contributed to this story
Read the full story and interview with Sir Tim Smit in the next issue of Attractions Management magazine.


Architects chosen to design Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games village

Berlin's new Exile Museum set for 2025 opening

Iconic Radio City Music Hall to get rooftop garden and 'skybridge'

Lagula Arquitectes designs new wellness centre for PGA Catalunya golf resort in Spain

Vietnam: Noor Design completes Adrian Zecha's first Azerai beach resort

Christian Lachel appointed chief creative officer at BRC Imagination Arts

Work completed on iconic M+ museum designed by Herzog & de Meuron’s in Hong Kong

Alta Capital Real Estate launches new fund targeting hospitality developments focused on sustainability and wellness

Langham to open beachfront hotel and TCM spa inside Chad Oppenheim's glimmering crystalline towers

Sordo Madaleno and Alejandro Escudero create Sha Wellness Clinic and residences in Mexico

'Oscars Museum' to host programme of virtual events ahead of September 2021 opening

Kerzner unveils new fitness-focused hospitality brand dedicated to health and wellbeing

Design Museum Everywhere launches diversity training programme

Snøhetta reveals reinvented Kon-Tiki Museum – due to open in 2025

Bjarke Ingels-designed Oakland baseball stadium a step closer

London's Battersea Power Station prepares for major launch

Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hilderbrand reveal US$250m redevelopment for Longwood Gardens, Philadelphia

Baca Architects submits scheme for floating eco-wellness resort

MVRDV reveal ambitious plans to create Marble Arch visitor attraction for London

Coventry's former IKEA building slated to become arts and cultural centre of international importance

World's first entirely wooden stadium approved for use by EFL

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter and ASP Architecture create hidden nature retreat inspired by hygge and Nordic hospitality

Zaha Hadid’s Opus building houses spa designed by The Wellness

Meow Wolf creates mind-blowing Las Vegas attraction – Omega Mart

BRC selected to design new World Food Center – will explore sustainability and global food supply

Ritz-Carlton Reserve opens with luxury spa at Japanese alpine ski resort

Scott Brownrigg-designed Museum of Military Medicine in Cardiff given planning approval

Work starts on US$898m e-sports arena in Shanghai

Gyms added to the mix for new super-luxe retail roll-out
