The Senedd, National Assembly for Wales

The Senedd building is in the former Cardiff Docks, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Cardiff Castle. Cardiff Docks had been the largest coal-exporting port in the world, but by the 1980s with the decline of thesouth Wales coalfield, the area had gradually become derelict. By the 1990s the area was being transformed with the construction of the Cardiff Bay Barrage and had been renamed Cardiff Bay.

The building faces south west over Cardiff Bay, it has a glass façade around the entire building and is dominated by a steel roof and wood ceiling. It has three floors, the first and second floors are accessible is to the public and the ground floor is a private area for officials. The building was designed to be as open and accessible as possible, the architects,
the Richard Rogers Partnership (RRP) said "The building was not to be an insular, closed edifice. Rather it would be a transparent envelope, looking outwards to Cardiff Bay and beyond, making visible the inner workings of the Assembly and encouraging public participation in the democratic process. "The main area in the building is the debating chamber, called the Siambr, including a public viewing gallery. Other areas of the building are the Neuadd, which is the main reception area on the first floor and the Oriel on the second floor. The three committee rooms and the Cwrt are on the ground floor.

Environmental features

The design criteria required sustainability, including a design life of 100 years, the use of local Welsh materials, minimal energy consumption and waste, the use of renewable technologies and for it to be exemplar in terms of sustainability.

In total, 36% of all materials and labour costs were spent in Wales, with approximately 1,000 tonnes (157,500 stone) of Welsh slate used. The environmental features of the building have allowed energy savings of between 30% and 50% compared to buildings without these features. The features include 27 pipes that were drilled 100m below ground, so that during cold spells, water is pumped through the pipes and heated to 14°C by geothermal energy. The hot water is then pumped back up to the slate floor to warm the building to a constant temperature. In warm spells, the same system helps to keep the building cool. A biomass boiler was installed to use wood chips from recycled waste wood to heat the building,  and rainwater is collected from the roof to flush the toilets in the building.

Interior and contents

The Siambr (English: Chamber) is a 610 m² (6,600 sq ft) debating chamber, which holds all 60 AMs in a circular configuration under the cowl. The Siambr can be increased to accommodate 80 AMs in the future, by removing temporary walls.  On the level above, is the public viewing gallery, which looks down on the debating chamber and is separated by security glass.  The public gallery holds 128 people on two rows of seats. The AMs desks and public gallery seating are made of Welsh oakin a circular configuration so that all AMs can see each other, which makes debating less confrontational.

In front of the Presiding Officer's desk is the 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) ceremonial mace. Melbourne goldsmith Fortunato Rocca was commissioned by theParliament of New South Wales in 2002 to design it. The mace took 300 hours to craft and is made from gold, silver and brass. In 2006, it was worth around £10,500 and was handed over to the National Assembly during the opening ceremony.

All committee meetings are held in the three committee rooms, each can accommodate 24 people. Committee rooms 1 and 2 can be fully opened when they would hold 34 people. Members of the public can access the committee room viewing galleries from the Neuadd and holds 31 people.

The Neuadd (English: Hall) is an area that the public enter the building. This first floor level houses the public reception and information area. The reception desk features a large slate and glass desk and a canopy above it. Stairs to the left of the reception desk leads to the Oriel on the second floor.

Neuadd and Oriel

The Oriel (English: Gallery from Old French) is a public sitting and exhibition area, with views of the Siambr and committee rooms from above. The glass flooring, which surrounds the funnel, enables visitors to look down into the Siambr two floors below. The furnishings selected for the Neuadd and Oriel areas were from the Danish company, Fritz Hansen. The chairs used were Swan chairs, which were originally design by Arne Jacobsen in 1958.

The Cwrt (English: Courtyard) is an area on the ground floor including a members' tea room, a media briefing room, and provides access to the Siambr and committee rooms. It is a security controlled area and is accessible only to AMs, officials of the National Assembly and members of the press^.

The undulating timber ceiling that spans across the various sections of the building was manufactured and installed by BCL Timber Projects (sub-contracted by Taylor Woodrow) and is made from Canadian sourced Western Redcedar.