Sir David Attenborough, the Eden Project's Tim Smit and science writer Mike Hanlon are supporting plans for Jurassica, a proposed £85m fossil attraction in Portland, Dorset.
The attraction would be created by putting a glass roof over the disused Yeolands quarry and would house thousands of fossils which are currently being stored by the Natural History Museum. The attraction is likely to include animatronic dinosaurs and immerse experiences which enable visitors to experience the earth as it was in the Mesozoic period when Dorset was home to spectacular marine dinosaurs.
Preliminary sketches for the project have been completed by Renzo Piano, whose architectural practice, RPBW, designed London’s Shard of Glass.
The plans show a 340ft (103.6m) long glass roof.
The project would focus on sustainability and incorporate solar panels, which would generate enough electricity for the entire site. The building has been designed to be 'more or less invisible'.
Once complete, the attraction could create up to 200 permanent jobs, 300 contributory jobs and attract 800,000 to 950,000 visitors a year.
Jurassica is soon to become a charity and could be open by 2019.
