The Other Side of Eden
All that was hidden, revealed
Publisher: Footsteps Press
ISBN: 9781908867247
Number of pages: 214
Dimensions: 178 x 254 x 11 mm
Language: English
Jonathan Ball was born in Bude, Cornwall, in June 1947. After qualifying at the Architectural Association, London, he set up practice in his home town in 1974. In 1992 he was appointed MBE for Services to Architecture.
In 1994 he was approached by Tim Smit with an idea to create the largest greenhouses on planet Earth to tell the story of the great plant hunters. Smit and Ball took huge personal risks as co-founders of the innovative architectural and environmental vision that became the internationally acclaimed Eden Project. Ball was removed from Eden against his will.
Without due recompense he lost his architectural practice. Three high profile appearances in the Royal Courts of Justice over four years followed to save his name, his family home and his professional reputation. This is the story of one man's unflinching resolve and success in righting a public wrong, of a Cornishman looking to the glory of his nation and finding that enthusiasm, brilliant ideas and promises are not always enough.
Reviews
Inspiring and terrifying. A must read for Architects and those wanting to protect their ideas...
This really should be required reading for all Architecture Part III courses. It follows the genesis of the Eden Project and the energy and dedication needed to take an extraordinary idea and make it the “eight wonder of the world”.It was compulsive reading. I couldn’t put it down.
It’s a story of hope and overcoming great odds. But it’s also a cautionary tale of what happens when trust is assumed by one party and is cast aside by the other. It charts the break down of a relationship between the founders and a fight to reassert intellectual property rights, culminating in a lengthy court battle. It is a modern fable that deserves to be widely read. It doesn’t diminish the Eden Project at all, quite the reverse, it reinforces what an incredible collective achievement it is.ercare ... This book is probably the most valuable investment I have ever made in myself.
L Tozer
in order to retrieve his good name, be re-installed as co-founder of the Eden ...
This book recounts the trials and tribulations of the co-founder of the Eden Project, Jonathan Ball, in procuring the Eden Project for his native Cornwall. The reader cannot but be in awe of the dedication, enthusiasm and total commitment of the author only to be ousted against his will from the Project. Speaking from the heart Jonathan Ball tells of the personal cost and hardship he and his family endured, including three Court cases, in order to retrieve his good name, be re-installed as co-founder of the Eden Project and recoup his financial losses. For all who seek truth and justice this is an incredible and compelling book - read it and be inspired.
Majella O'Callaghan
Honorable agreement - a handshake
The Other Side of Eden is one hell of a read.
I coasted through your orchestration of Eden events whilst intrigued but horrified by the levels of complicity hidden within the project’s political, economic, social and technical domains. The power of your lawyers’ unfailing belief that your Tim Smit agreement was between equals was spectacularly reinforced by Evelyn Thurlby’s honesty bullet being fired at and hitting the crumbling court defense. Her boldness must have brought her peace of mind. Tim Smit and Druces and Atlee probably remain unforgiving.
Anthony Downing
The Author
Jonathan Macartney Ball, MBE (born 1947) is the co-founder of the Eden Porject in Cornwall, UK. He sits on the RIBA National Council
He was awarded the MBE for 'services to architecture' in 1992[5] and is a public speaker.
