Eden Project Morecambe has received a further £2.5m from Pears Foundation, which secures delivery of its Habitations Zone as the £100m visitor attraction moves into construction. The money will pay for four theatrical spaces called High Street, Market, Farm and Town Square, all located within the attraction’s Realm of the Sun. Funding for the construction phase has now been secured, so future fundraising will focus on enriching the horticulture, exhibitions, learning spaces and visitor experiences.
The Habitations are designed to explore how changes to everyday life could help people and nature thrive, and they will combine immersive and participatory experiences with ideas around place, food, lifestyle and innovation. Pears Foundation chair Sir Trevor Pears said the foundation is “particularly pleased that our support will help create the Habitations, spaces designed to encourage conversation, participation and exploration of some of the challenges we face.” He added: “We’ve seen through our long partnership with Eden what can happen when people are given opportunities to get involved, and we’re proud to be supporting this remarkable next chapter for Eden and Morecambe.”
£2.5m boost unlocks Habitations Zone as Eden Project Morecambe moves forward
The attraction is being developed on Morecambe’s seafront as a year-round destination exploring humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Grimshaw designed the shell-inspired building, which will be dominated by two contrasting environments, Realm of the Sun and Realm of the Moon, linked by a central structure called the Metronome. Eden Project is delivering the scheme in partnership with Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University, with UK government and philanthropic support.
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The two realms will feel very different once visitors step inside. Realm of the Sun will be a bright, horticulturally rich environment centred around an 18m Elder Tree, while Realm of the Moon will use technology, theatre and storytelling to explore Morecambe Bay, its tides, ecology and human stories. Eden Project CEO Andy Jasper described Realm of the Sun as “a beautiful biome dripping with plants”. Of the second realm he said: “The Realm of the Moon will offer a very different experience. It’s a darker, theatrical space, which will mix incredible technology with traditional theatrical and puppetry experiences.”
Construction and opening dates follow a staged programme. VINCI Building is leading construction of the main attraction, and work on its interiors and visitor experiences is expected to begin in spring 2028. The main attraction opens in winter 2028, and Eden expects the development to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and to support more than 1,000 jobs across construction and the wider regional economy.
Eden Project Morecambe has received £2.5m from the Pears Foundation / Eden Project Morecambe
Before that opening, Eden will create a free-to-enter 1.6-acre garden called Bring Me Sunshine, scheduled to open in spring 2027. The name honours the song made famous by comedians Morecambe and Wise, and Morecambe took his stage name from the town of his birth. The garden was originally created for Eden’s 25th anniversary at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where it won a Silver-Gilt medal and the RHS Environmental Innovation Award. Harry Holding designed it with architect Alex Michaelis and young adults from Morecambe.
For more background, see our guide to sustainable landscape architecture.
Mireille Chevalier is a projects editor and architectural writer from Lyon. With a dual background in architecture and history, she brings a contextual lens to design criticism and theory