SIR Nicholas Grimshaw, the visionary British architect best known for designing Cornwall’s iconic Eden Project, has died aged 85, his practice announced.

Mr Grimshaw, who founded his London-based firm in 1980, was celebrated for his inventive approach to architecture, combining engineering brilliance with environmental responsibility.

His most famous work, the Eden Project, opened in 2001 and transformed a disused clay pit into a global symbol of sustainable design. The project’s distinctive geodesic biomes – vast, bubble-like structures housing plants from around the world – remain one of the UK’s most visited attractions and a benchmark in climate-responsive architecture.

“Nick was a man of invention and ideas and will be remembered for his endless curiosity about how things are made,” Grimshaw’s partners said in a statement. “With this pragmatic creativity, Nick had an extraordinary ability to convince others that daring ideas were possible.”

The Eden Project epitomised his lifelong commitment to sustainability. His other landmark works included the International Terminal at London’s Waterloo Station and the British Pavilion for Expo 1992 in Seville. Each blended structure and function in ways that challenged traditional notions of architecture.

Andrew Whalley, Chairman of Grimshaw, recalled his late colleague’s generosity and vision: “From the very first day I arrived at the practice in 1986, I felt the warmth and generosity of Nick’s leadership. The lack of hierarchy in the studio, shaped by his amiable and open personality, was its true strength.

“His architecture was never about surface or fashion, but always about structure, craft and purpose – about creating buildings that endure because they are both useful and uplifting.’”

Knighted in 2002, Mr Grimshaw later served as President of the Royal Academy and received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2019. In recent years he founded the Grimshaw Foundation, supporting under-represented young people to pursue creative careers.

He is survived by his wife, Lady Lavinia, and daughters, Chloe and Isabel.