Media
Press Releases
- Solardome and 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' Take Flight at Butterfly World
1 June 2009 - Solardome Launches its Biggest Dome to Light Up Outdoor Lessons
20 November 2008 - New Website and Brochure for Growing Schools
November 2008
- New Management Team
July 2008
Articles
Mini case studies
Felmore Primary School, Basildon, Essex
The Solardome Capella is used for housing tropical plants and learning about the environment. While the larger Solardome Vega is used for multi-functional educational activities encompassing art, english, design & technology, maths, science, geography and history.
| Type | Primary |
|---|---|
| Domes | 1 x Capella, 1x Vega |
| Funding | Creative Partnerships in Thames Gateway and Veolia Cleanaway |
Neston Primary School, Wiltshire
Pupils, known as ‘Nestonauts’ use the dome as a mini 'space station'.
"The children love to use the Solardome 'moonbase', and it has fired their enthusiasm for science."
Linda Davies, Head Teacher, Neston Primary School
| Type | Primary |
|---|---|
| Domes | SD 3A (Capella) |
| Funding | £35,000 grant from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts |
Battlefield Primary, Glasgow
The Solardome Agena is used for science, environmental studies and as a school greenhouse. Pupils are also rewarded for good behaviour with "Golden star" activity time.
"We all love our dome… Bruce Cowan was fabulous when he arranged speedy delivery and construction within our short timeframe. We have held a flower show (all the children planted flowers) and a market the following year (all the children planted veg). It has been well used."
Mrs Catriona Brown, Principal Teacher, Battlefield Primary
| Type | Primary |
|---|---|
| Domes | 2A (Agena) |
| Funding | Grant from Glasgow City Council Education Department |
Newquay Tretherras School, Cornwall
The dome has already housed a wide range of experiments, ranging from exploring the effects of different coloured light on rates of photosynthesis to studying the acoustic properties of the dome itself. Flowers grown within the dome by club members and fed with their home-made fertilizer took first prize at the Royal Cornwall Show.
"Installing a 'mini-Eden' has created significant new learning opportunities and a huge sense of achievement. It has also generated great enthusiasm for additional environmental projects."
Jenny Ellis-Davies, Science Teacher, Newquay Tretherras School
| Type | Secondary Technology College |
|---|---|
| Domes | 4B (Vega) |
| Funding | Part funded by a £10,000 grant from Awards for All |
Stormont House School, Hackney, East London
The Solardome Agena is the focal point for a combined Science and Art project called 'Interdependence'. The pupils host their own eco-system which they have recently adapted to host plants which thrive in an arid environment.
"By creating a unique, outdoor learning environment for our students we can engage them in a much more creative and hands-on way and enhance the teaching of a whole range of subjects."
Chris Elford, Arts Coordinator, Stormont House School
| Type | Special school for pupils aged 11-16 with a complex range of needs |
|---|---|
| Domes | 2B (Agena) |
| Funding | Creative Partnerships, the Government’s flagship creativity programme for schools and young people. |
Sabhal Mor Ostaig Gaelic College, Isle of Skye
The Solardomes host the College's revolutionary catering waste recycling and food production project. They enable the College kitchens to prepare meals which are supplemented with organic produce. The Domes even welcomed HRH the Prince of Wales, who visited to give his royal seal of approval to the recycling project.
| Type | Further Education |
|---|---|
| Domes | 2 x 4B (Vega), 1x 3B (Capella) |
| Funding | By the college as part of their ongoing building project. |
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor, Wales
The Centre is using up to 20 Solardomes as a climate change facility which is funded by the NERC. The site features a state-of-the-art exposure facility in which to study the impacts ozone on a range of plant species, including the traits which enhance their sensitivity.
| Type | Natural Environment Research Council partnership with Bangor University |
|---|---|
| Domes | 8 x SD 1, 8 x SD 2 |
| Funding | By the NERC |
