In particular Chris was concerned with the management of surface water run off, both in terms of protection of the Seedbank and the impact of rainwater flowing from the new building into an adjacent site of Special Scientific Interest. Open stone filled channels replaced conventional gullies and pipework, achieving the drainage requirements while adding to the visual richness of the external spaces.

A series of display parterres provided a celebration of living plant communities, extending the expression of plant archive from a purely seed based collection to a living gallery of plants. Detailed in Yorkstone they extend the rhythm of the architecture out from the facades, shadows shifting across the stone faces emphasising the relief and modulation of these structures.