Students from Mendip Studio School and Writhlington Orchid Project are working with industry partners, The Eden Project, to provide design solutions for their Rainforest Biome, the world’s largest indoor rainforest.
The project involves growing and designing exciting new plant displays and devising innovative technologies to enhance visitor experiences.
Students began work in 2015 with Hettie Ninnis, Team Leader for the Rainforest Biome, to grow and supply the plants for a prestigious new area at Eden which will tell the stories of charismatic tropical orchid species.
Mendip Studio School student, Chloe McGiveron explained:
“We have used our experience of working in tropical forests in Rwanda and Sikkim together with our specialism in biotechnology and laboratory propagation to design and supply a display which will tell visitors about tropical ecosystems and conservation.”
Eighty orchid species for the display were collected and taken to the Eden Project where students will also be applying their electronics specialism to develop interaction with the display.
Students will work with Mendip Studio School’s electronics partner ScienceScope to combine data logging technology with portable digital communication which will allow visitors to explore data for the environment they are experiencing.
