This is a single glasshouse one hundred or so metres in length and 18 metres high, divided into different environments with uniform temperature and humidity settings and containing 1300 species. The tour path, which simulates a journey across the planet, always conscious of the age-old relationship between humankind and the plant world, starts from the tropics, passes through the sub-humid zones, then the temperate zones, and ends with the arid. The guiding theme on this adventure of discovery is the availability of water.

The very latest technologies ensure that the environmental impact of these new greenhouses is reduced to a minimum: the building systems exploit solar power, whilst the various waterfalls and tanks are kept flowing and filled by capturing and storing rainwater.