Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Journey to
the Core
Text by Dr Jo Elworthy.
Design: Gendall.
Contents
Introduction
The beginning of the journey to the Core
02
Core build
Evolution of the architecture
Nature, sculpture and the architect
Teamwork and sunflowers
Sustainability taken to the Core
The Core use of timber
The copper roof
Watery windows
Seed
Seeds journey
04
08
10
14
18
20
22
24
28
52
54
56
57
60
62
64
66
68
30
32
34
36
38
40
44
46
48
50
Evolution
of the
architecture
The design of the Core was led by the architects,
Grimshaw. This is a summary of the evolution of the
process from Grimshaw Partner Jolyon Brewis and
Project Architect Jerry Tate. In reality it was much,
much more complicated, but this gives the gist of it.
March 2003
Concept design of
the education centre
March 2003
March 2003
2
We then wrapped the linear building
into a spiral to generate a central hub.
March 2003
5
Three floor plates also enabled the
functions of each floor to be separated
whilst allowing views into all areas.
Beyond the functional brief, we wanted
the building to be as resourceful as a tree.
Our roof would be designed to provide
shelter, filter sunlight, and generate power.
March 2003
We were aware
of spiral growth
patterns in plants,
and wanted to see
whether we could
use them to inform
the roof geometry,
so Jerry made a
series of study
models to work
out how.
March 2003
March 2003
June 2003
June 2003
Mike Purvis of SKMAHA (the structural engineers) came to the rescue
with his Phyllotactic calculator after spending the weekend studying a
scientific paper on the mathematical geometry of a sunflower.
June 2003
10
9
7
14
July 2003
June 2003
12
The new timber structure worked with 0.8 metre beam depth!
We chose a grid of 21 and 34 for the new building grid.
12
11
13
the interior
October 2003
We looked at the best ways to
divide the
space into rooms, following the
geometry of
spiral phyllotaxis.
Nature, sculpture
and the architect
The Core structure is based on Fibonacci
numbers. Why? To pay homage to nature
and collaboration.
2 3
5
The Core:
We decided that the structure of the
building itself should be derived from
the double spiral, and we looked to the
mathematics behind these spirals in nature
to generate the design. We were delighted
to discover that this produced an efficient
and elegant network of timber beams.
1 Golden
rectangles and
spirals.
1/1 = 1
2/1 = 2
3/2 = 1.5
5/3 = 1.666
8/5 = 1.6
13/8 = 1.625
21/13 = 1.61538
13
150 years ago the big dig for china clay began
11
10
12
13
15
17
14
16
18
19
21
23
Timber roof up
20
22
24
10
11
Caron Thompson
Dominic Cole
Ben Luxton
Ability to negotiate.
Va Va Voom.
Eugene Sellors
Mike Purvis
Gaynor Coley
Janet Downes
Georgina Pearman
12
Justine Quinn
10
11
12
Tamsyn Williams
Tim Williams
13
Dr Jo Elworthy
Patience.
Jolyon Brewis
11
14
Jagmel Grewal
Teamwork
and sunflowers
The Core was built by many people: architects, engineers, artists, scientists, dreamers, contractors,
writers, researchers, craftsmen, philosophers ... a testament to collaboration showing what can be
accomplished when people work together to create something greater than the sum of their parts.
Youll find their handprints in the Core and some of their reflections here. A sunflower is not a
single bloom but is made of many flowers that together create a landing pad for bees. Another
result of collaboration and why the Core roof was based on the structure of a sunflower.
12
13
15
Peter Randall-Page
Seed Sculptor
I have always admired the art
of Ancient Egypt, in particular
Egyptian sculpture; the sense of
internalized energy they evoke is
very moving to me. My admiration
for them has increased: they had no
cranes or power tools yet made
things even larger than my piece
for Eden.
16
Peter Sandover
Will Jackson
18
Alan Jones
Jane Knight
Luke Greysmith
17
21
14
18
22
19
23
Peter Hampel
13
19
Jerry Tate
Rebecca Adams
15
Lead artists
16
20
24
14
15
Sustainability
taken to the Core
We wanted the Core to be a sustainable building and wanted to share the
lessons we learnt whilst building it. Sustainable construction looks at
sustainability in design, in the construction process and in the buildings use.
Waste issues
We explored waste both in the construction process
and in the use of the building.
Water issues
What is sustainability?
The ability to sustain the environment, the people in
it and the economy in order to work towards a positive
future. And who decides how to balance
environmental, social and economic issues? We all do.
Its all down to common sense really.
CO2 issues
Material issues
The building has a timber structure and the roof is clad
in copper. Both were sustainably sourced (more on
pages 18-21). The entrance lobby floor is made from
recycled rubber tyres, the ground floor is recycled
concrete with granite insets and beautiful green tiles
made from recycled Heineken bottles. The first floor is
Marmoleum (kindly supplied by Forbo), made from
linseed oil, wood flour and jute and the Film Room has
carpets made from plant plastic (thanks to Interface)
made from corn starch from sweetcorn. In Jos Caf
upstairs there is a reused wooden floor.
In 1994 as much as 5% of global greenhouse gas
production from human activity originated from cement
production so we used as little as possible. Where we
had to, we used 50% GGBS (ground granulated blast
furnace slag), a waste product permitted as a
replacement for Portland cement in concrete mixes.
16
Social issues
Ventilation strategies
Buro Happold
Acoustics
In the planning stages we visited many big buildings:
some you could hear well in, some you couldnt. We
needed something to absorb the sound and millions of
little holes in the ceiling provided the answer. In the
centre of the building we have created a super sensory
sound experience: an anechoic chamber (without echo)
using padded, slatted walls and a rubber floor. This
leads to the Inner Core where the Seed sculpture
residesthe echo effect in there is an experience
not to be missed!
Educational issues
Eden engaged all those working on the build in the
ethos of the project. Site inductions, posters, toolbox
talks and training of sub-contractors as well as our
Sustainability Award Scheme for subcontractors
helped get everyone involved. The whole Core team
took part in the Construction Skills Certification
Scheme (CSCS).
Eden signed an Ambassador Level Pledge with
Future Foundations: My organisation has reviewed
its activities in sustainable construction and will
report publicly on its progress. We will champion
Sustainable Construction practices and share our
experiences with others.
17
20,000 kwh
Photovoltaic energy production
per year in the Core.
Construction flip-book
Cut along the dotted lines, and staple to create your own
visual record of the Cores construction history.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
10
19
20
Staple here!
Core build
Flip-book
Staple here!
18
19
20
21
Blasting
Flotation
Crushing
Smelting
Transporting
Anode casting
Transport of cathodes
Rolling
Our Roof
22
23
Watery
windows
Susan Derges created a beautiful array of
photograms representing the water cycle
for the windows around the Inner Core.
24
25
Seed
When Jolyon Brewis, from the architects
Grimshaw, was commissioned to design
a new education building for Eden, the
idea arose of a collaboration between him
and me at the start of the design process.
Peter Randall-Page, Seed Sculptor, explains.
Many thanks
Many people have been involved in the realisation of
this project, bringing skills ranging from the ancient
art of the quarrymen to the latest 21st-century 3D
computer modelling.
The challenge with this building, and any associated
artwork, was how to incorporate botanical imagery
in a genuinely contemporary and meaningful way.
Architecture of almost all periods and all cultures is
redolent of plant allusion and imagery. The lotus flower
in the far East, the Acanthus in Greece, European
medieval stiff leaf carving, the list goes on. One of the
major areas of inquiry in my own work has been the
Fibonacci sequence and the golden proportion, and
the way in which plant growth is determined by these
fundamental mathematical principles.
Jolyons and I talked about how natures love of economy
results in the kind of patterns one finds in flowers, cones
and seed pods and how these patterns can be
rationalised mathematically in terms of the golden angle
and the Fibonacci sequence. It is only in recent decades
that its relevance to phyllotaxis (the study of the
geometry of plant growth) has been fully appreciated.
The design that Jolyon produced had a genuine
connection with plant growth: light and elegant and,
unlike the Biomes, with a definite centre, in botanical
terms the apex from which the primordia emanate.
I had long wanted to make a massive, volumetric
sculpture to be contained within a chamber with
carefully controlled lighting. We began to think of
this central space as a chamber to house a massive
symbolic seed at the kernel of the building; a
distillation of the structural principles of the roof.
Jolyon designed the central core with a double skin
incorporating a circular passageway with low light
and dampened sound to increase the dramatic effect
of moving from the hustle and bustle of the main
exhibits hall to the tranquility of the central space.
The Eden team quite rightly insisted that the granite for
The Eden team quite rightly insisted that the granite for
the sculpture should be Cornish. There are thousands
of granite quarries in Cornwall, most of them disused.
I visited dozens, many of them abandoned, in search
of the right stone, large enough for the work to be
carved from a single piece.
Eventually Delank Quarry, near St Breward on Bodmin
Moor, took on the challenge. The quarrymen identified
an area of the quarry where they thought a large
sound block might be found. Drilling, splitting and
blasting, they removed hundreds of tonnes of granite,
eventually leaving a massive megalith five metres
high. A small charge of gunpowder released the
167-tonne block from the bed of the quarry.
The largest crane in Europe, fresh from its exploits
during the building of Arsenals new stadium, was
then assembled on site, arriving in pieces on 30 low
loader lorries and assembled by two mobile cranes.
27
28
28
29
Seeds
journey
Can there ever have been such a convoy
through Cornwall?
Many thanks
Over three weeks, 15 artists worked with 500 children
(aged 4 to 16) and their teachers from ten schools in
the Restormel Borough Council area to produce a
brilliant array of large-scale Earthlings (if you
depend on this planet to live youre an Earthling).
They joined the procession with their whale, lobster,
tiger, daisies and even some frogspawn.
Saturday June 9
The great
Great lift
Lift
Seed was lifted by a giant crane on to a low-loader
lorry and fixed with straps.
When
When the
the crane
crane took
took the
the weight
weight Seed
Seed was
was transformed
transformed
from shape into
from
substance.
shape intoWere
substance.
used toWere
things
used
being
to
bigthings
because
being
of their
big because
size rather
of their
thansize
theirrather
weight.
than
their
Whenweight.
the crane
When
tookthe
thecrane
strain
took
I suddenly
the strain
saw
I it
suddenly
in a completely
saw it different
in a completely
way: thats
different
the gravitas,
way: thats
the gravitas,
substancethe
of substance
it. It reminded
of it.me
It reminded
somehow me
of
somehow
a middleweight
of a middleweight
boxer, size being
boxer,
augmented
size beingby
augmented
presence: a by
force
presence:
around athem
forcewhich
around
even
them
belies
which
even
their belies
physical
their
structure.
physicalTim
structure.
Smit. Tim Smit.
Sunday June 10
The journey
Journeyto
toEden
Eden
At 7.30am, Seed leaves the spectacular canyon at the
entrance to the quarry to make the 20-mile journey
to Eden.
Can
Can there
there ever
ever have
have been
been such
such aa convoy
convoy through
through
Cornwall? A giant sculpture lashed to a lorry with
yellow straps. Trundling over the River Camel on an
ancient bridge with inches to spare. Flashing lights on
the
on the
support
support
cars.
cars.
Photographers
Photographers
andand
film-makers
film-makers
craning their necks through sunroofs. Cyclists doing
double takes. Astonished children waving from the
roadside. An overturned caravan blocking the A30.
Scorching sunshine. And finally, the epic sweep of St
Austell
St Austell
BayBay
as as
Seed
Seed
goes
goes
down
down
thethe
hillhill
to Eden.
to Eden.
Eight
unforgettable
Eight unforgettable
hours hours
in a 300-million-year
in a 300-million-year
story and
Seed
storyisand
home
Seed
at islast.
home
Well,
at last.
nearly
Well,
home.
nearly
David
home.
Rowe,
Head
Davidof
Rowe,
PressHead
and PR,
of Press
Eden.and PR, Eden.
Monday June 11
Monday June 11
Wednesday June 20
Thursday June 21
Journey to
to the
the Core
Core
Journey
A solstice celebration
30
Up and running
The Core is at the core of our site physically and philosophically and is
an exhibit in its own right, based on the structure of a tree and natures
fundamental growth blueprint, the Fibonacci opposing spiral. It is an
exemplar of sustainable design and construction. So, what goes on inside?
31
32
33
The Plant
Engine
At Eden we look at the crops that provide our
foods, fuels, medicines and materials in order
to reconnect with our world. We also look at
the natural environments: rainforests, prairies,
wild Cornwalland the need to conserve these
wild places too. Theres many reasons for doing
this but one of the good ones to keep in mind
is that these wild places keep us alive.
34
35
<<
Volcano
e>
>
<C
O
2
Fire
Carbon store
Fossil fuels (underground)
nti
on
or
>
Carbon store
Humus in soil
e
w
>
Cement
to >> recy
d
e
e
n
cl
Carbon store
Calcium carbonate cliffs
<C
CO2 < O2 <
Carbon store
Rain forests
> more re
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
<<
Coccoliths
le
c
Cy
& reuse to
o
uce
>
>
red
m
o
>>
O2
2
CO
4) >> CO
H
C
(
2 >
>
>C
>
2
O
CO
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Rotting
<<
an interv
m
u
h
e
of
e>
opl
pe
re
>>
arbon cycl
c
e
e
Th
Our Cycles Tree shows the carbon, nitrogen, water and sulphur cycles.
It then takes a look at how weve disrupted these cycles. Essentially we
live on a ball in space: the only thing that enters it is sunlight and the only
thing that leaves is heat. Everything else stays right here, cycling round
and round, so theoretically we cant run out. The trouble is, our escalating
population consumes more every day. Then we throw things away, much
of which doesnt rot, and our waste builds up. And of course we put more
CO2 into the air, contributing to climate change (see pages 4043).
In nature it all goes round and round. Years ago a friend and I used to teach natures
cycles to the (generally) uninterested. Her cartoons provided a major breakthrough in
understanding particularly the defecating cow. So here they are in all their glory for all
to share. A huge thanks to Jane Foster for 20 years down the line going through it all again!
As part of our Waste Neutral strategy (page 15) we aim to reduce, reuse,
repair, recycle and reinvest. Efficiency is important too. Take a look at
the Biomes, which use minimum materials to get maximum strength by
copying the honeycomb. Effective cycles, waste reduction, efficient
designs: nature often has the answer!
36
37
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity loss
The Sixth Extinction? 95% of life that has ever
existed is already extinct. There have been five mass
extinctions from the Ordovician (about 438 million
years ago) to the most recent Cretaceous (about 65
million years ago) when the dinosaurs disappeared.
Human population is rapidly increasing, leaving less
room and resources for other species. As a result many
are becoming extinct at between 1000 and 10,000 times
1
greater
than the normal predicted rate (IUCN, Species
Survival Programme). We rely on many of these species
for survival. Ensuring they have space and resources is
not sentimental. It is the only way we shall survive.
Essential websites
4
www.barcodinglife.org
www.biodiv.org
www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/itpgr
Saving biodiversity
The code of life. All animal and plant species are to be
given a genetic barcode in an ambitious attempt to help
us identify and understand the bewildering biodiversity
of life before we lose it. Currently less than a fifth of the
estimated ten million species have been formally named
and classified.
1 The Diversity
Cabinet.
2 Biodiversity, life
in all its richness.
3 The Sixth
Extinction, Man
and his pets?
4 The Code of life.
5 Flies in the
ointment.
38
39
Essential websites
WaterAid
www.wateraid.org
Playpumps
www.playpumps.org
World Health Organisation
www.who.org
1
The
Water
Tank
Water is essential for life but its a limited
resource. Just 0.01% of earths water is
available to meet the needs of life on earth.
Water facts
How many cups? It takes 140 cups of water to grow,
process and bring the tea to your cup.
Blue planet? Of the 1,400,000,000 km3 on earth 97.5%
is salty seawater. If all the worlds water could be fitted
into a bucket, then the amount we could use would fill
a teaspoon.
How much for drinking, washing and cooking?
The World Health Organisation recommends 50 litres a
day. In the UK on average we use three times as much.
In the Gambia the average use is half a bucketful (less
than we use to flush the loo).
Fancy a glass of water? On average a glass of water
has been through seven people before it gets to you
(after being cleaned, of course).
The trouble with water is that theyre not making any
more of it. Mark de Villiers, Water Wars, 2004
Water access
Access to water reduces ill health, increases incomes
and school enrolments and saves time spent carrying
water (in Africa this adds up to 40 billion working hours
a year!). An innovative South African project provides
the community with water while children play. Their
roundabout is linked to a pump and a tap.
Water technologies
The sea water greenhouse. The camels nose is a
convoluted heat exchanger which cools desert air as it
breathes in and condenses out the moisture when it
breathes out. Adapt the design, and voil a
greenhouse that converts sea water into fresh water.
40
41
Edens viewpoint
Are you a climate sceptic? The scientific consensus
about climate change is remarkable, but there are still
people who are not convinced. But whatever you
believe about the main causes, no one can disagree
that the climate is changing it always has. The
problem is that our society is not flexible and adaptable
enough to deal with the challenges that are coming
from the changing weather, and we need to address
those issues anyway. Politicians and insurance
companies are also convinced, and we will see new
policies and new legislation appearing around us.
They just arent going to take the risk and assume that
everything will turn out okay if we do nothing. And
then there are the new markets which are going to be
built around energy efficiency and renewable energies.
1 The Climate
Greenhouse.
2 Detail of one of
the exhibits from
the Greenhouse.
3 Inquisitive
visitors study the
exhibits.
4 The Greenhouse
exhibit shows fuels
that dont produce
added C02.
42
43
E
S L
IE AB
TR AIL
EN AV
R S
FO IZE
LL PR
CA OF
0
00
6
18/1/06 11:56:28 am
1 Calcareous
phytoplankton.
Coloured scanning
electron micrograph
of Emiliana huxleyi
(coccolithophore).
Steve Gschmeissner
Science Photo
Library.
2 The competition
launched by Eden
and BT for 16-25
year olds to come
up with potential
climate change
solutions.
Climate Revolution
The Edge
EDN1046 A3 Poster.indd 1
Edens exhibits
44
45
46
47
Essential websites
*Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the
United Nations
www.fao.org
Oxfam
www.oxfam.org.uk
New Economics
www.neweconomics.org
Peace Direct
www.peacedirect.org
Future Harvest
www.futureharvest.org
Harvest Plus
www.harvestplus.org
48
Locker
Room
Lives
We share views and we have our own.
Eden asked four people from very
different backgrounds to share a little
of their lives with you. We asked them
for a portrait of themselves, some items
of clothing, a photo of their home and
their mode of transport, an excerpt from
their diary, a typical fuel they used
(and for what), a typical food, drink and
medicine, their favourite food or drink,
what gift they would give a loved one
and their most treasured possession.
We also asked them some questions.
Victoriano Duarte
Ian Lobb
Farmer, Cornwall.
Richard Sandbrook,
OBE
Environmentalist, founding
member of Friends of the Earth,
champion of sustainable
development, non executive
director at Eden Project. Died
December 11th 2005, fondly
remembered by all.
49
50
51
Essential websites
Forest Restoration Research Unit
www.forru.org
Darwin Initiative
www.edenproject.com/darwinargentina
Wild Cornwall
www.theheathproject.org.uk
Edens projects
Your support helps us to deliver projects like these
1
Forest Restoration
Research Unit
(FORRU) NW Thailand
Initiated by Chiang Mai University
to help restore biodiversity-rich
forest ecosystems. Scientists work
with local communities to develop
tree nurseries, plant trees and help
accelerate natural regeneration in
denuded sites in rainforest
conservation areas. FORRU runs
training programmes to share what
theyve learnt. We exchange staff
and help with training and exhibits.
PLANTS
A three-year EU-funded
research project; devised a new
technology which aimed to optimise
efficiency and productivity of plant
growth. The PLANTS system is
based on the principle of the
communicating plant; plant signals
are monitored to detect early signs
of plant stress and diagnose the
plants needs.
In PLANTS, sophisticated
microelectronics and software
systems sense and analyse a range
of plant signals and then activate
appropriate treatment. We built an
exhibit in the Core so visitors can
try out the plant controls.
1 Yaboti Biosphere
Reserve.
4 Wild Cornwall!
2 FORRU tree
nursery.
3 Green Futures
College Students.
5 The PLANTS
exhibit.
52
53
A new way
of learning
The first floor. Which you can see from the ground
floor and the second floor is home to the Mezzanine
workshop/temporary exhibition space, the Circular
Gallery housing the Biomimicry exhibition, the
Film room showing a range of films and our workshop
rooms: Discovery, Expedition, Seed and Pod and the
Gathering Space which are used by schools and for
public events and exhibitions. The loos (generally for
schools use) contain some fantastic art from local
schools (see page 57) and these are also occasionally
open to the public.
1 The Mezzanine.
54
55
Credits:
Partnerships for Public Awareness (PPA)
grant from Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
School of Engineering, Computer Science
and Maths at Exeter University,
Simpleware Ltd., Skyscan and Exeter
Advanced Technologies (X-AT), The
Centre for Medical Engineering and
Technology (CMET), University of Hull.
www.keithnewsteadautomata.com
Patterns in Nature
Biomimicry:
Patterns
in Nature
In the middle of the first floor is a little circular gallery.
It was going to be for back of house services but the Project
Manager decided that it would make a great exhibition space.
56
57
Discovery
Growing up
We also host up to 10,000 students annually in our
expanding Further and Higher Education programmes
and our Continuing Professional Development for
Teachers. Topics include sustainable construction, food
and agriculture, leisure and tourism, climate change
and sustainable futures.
For more details of all our education programmes contact
shusband@edenproject.com or check out the website.
Learning
in the loo
Art in the loos. A series of stunning
ceramic mosaics can be found in the
loos on the first floor of the Core.
1 Doubletrees
School.
2 Mosaic detail.
Mosaic masterpieces
Artists, scientists, architects, designers, constructors, seven Cornish schools and the
Eden Team, with the help of Creative Partnerships Cornwall and Plymouth, created these Mosaics.
58
59
Edens international educational project, Gardens for Life, started off working
with 19,000 children and young people, in 74 schools, on three continents creating
gardens, growing food crops and developing international learning resources.
Kenya, India, UK
Mud Between
Your Toes
The world is changing. Children are spending less
time outside: their experience of the natural world is
increasingly virtual. The situation is getting serious.
1 Mwenja Primary
School, Laikipia
district, Kenya.
2 Khanidivili
Childrens Academy,
India.
3 Penrice School,
St Austell,
Cornwall.
Thanks to:
UK Department for International Development and Education and Skills (Growing Schools),
Syngenta Foundation, Future Harvest UK, Creative Partnerships (Cornwall). Science across
the World, Global Dimension Trust (Gloucestershire and Birmingham), University of
Mumbai, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Royal Horticultural Society, Kenya Youth Education
and Community Development Programme, Centre for Development Education (Mumbai and
Pune), University of Exeter (Monitoring and Evaluation) and Cisco Systems.
60
61
62
63
The great
outdoors
1 Discover new
garden ideas.
2 Run through
the spiral.
3 Flowers all year
round.
4 What its all
about.
5 Find the
ammonites.
A place:
For people of all ages and abilities
That can accommodate groups
of up to 35
That can cater for ages 5 to 11
To encourage imaginative play
and interaction
That above all is beautiful,
inspiring and magical.
64
A grand
opening
65
The Core
Our future is built on the choices we make today.
Learning to Live with the Grain of Nature.
Opened on 1st June 2006 by HM Queen Elizabeth II
and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
(From the plaque shown below)
66
Over to you
The last word
Were keen to know what you think: about the Core, about Eden, about your
ideas for the future. Thanks to all of you who have added your comments to
the wall charts, visitor book, Core comments sheets and IDea cards, many of
which are now stuck on our fridge walls with magnetic letters: heres a few of
them. Take a look and send in your ideas to coreviews@edenproject.com
67
68
An educational charity
Your support helps us deliver our public and schools
education programmes and projects. Thank you.
Eden is an educational charity. Eden is a project: a work
in progress, a symbol of what individuals can achieve
working together and with the grain of nature. Eden is
inspired by the belief that the future could be rosy.
Core n The central part of certain fleshy fruits, such as the apple
or pear, consisting of the seeds and supporting parts. / The central,
innermost, or most essential part of something (e.g. the core
meaning). / A piece of magnetic material, such as soft iron, placed
inside the windings of an electromagnet or transformer to intensify
and direct the magnetic field. / Geology: The central part of the
earth, beneath the mantle, consisting mainly of iron and nickel. /
A cylindrical sample of rock, soil etc. obtained by the use of a
hollow drill. / Shaped body of material (in metal casting usually of
sand) supported inside a mould to form a cavity of predetermined
shape in the finished casting. / Computing: A ferrite ring formerly
used in a computer memory to store one bit of information, core
memory. / Archaeol. A lump of stone or flint from which flakes or
blades have been removed. / Physics. The nucleus together with all
complete electron shells of an atom.
Reproduced from The Collins Concise English Dictionary with the permission
of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1995
Journey to
the Core
Text by Dr Jo Elworthy.
Design: Gendall.