thumb|upright=1.5|Left to right: Bowen House, the Beehive (Executive Wing), Parliament House and the Parliamentary Library

The New Zealand Parliament Buildings house the New Zealand Parliament and are on a 45,000 square metre site at the northern end of Lambton Quay, Wellington. From north to south, they are the Parliamentary Library building (1899); the Edwardian neoclassical-style Parliament House (1922); the executive wing, called "The Beehive" (1977); and Bowen House (in use since 1991). Currently, an additional building for housing Members of Parliament is under construction, which is expected to be completed in 2027. Whilst most of the individual buildings are outstanding for different reasons, the overall setting that has been achieved "has little aesthetic or architectural coherence".

Parliament House

thumb|The former building (the left wing) in 1906

The main building of the complex is Parliament House, containing the debating chamber, speaker's office, visitors' centre, and committee rooms.

Predecessor building

The first Parliament (then called the "General Assembly") was housed in the wooden two storey Provincial Council Building (1870s addition by William Clayton). It was replaced by the 1880s three-storey Gothic Revival building by Thomas Turnbull) and containing many indigenous timbers but was destroyed by fire in 1907 along with all other parliament buildings except the library. The library had an iron fire-door that saved its collections. Following the destruction of the building the Parliament occupied the adjacent Government House<!--Not the present Government House--> (where the Beehive now sits) for ten years.

Replacement building

thumb|Parliament House, completed 1922

After the old building burnt down, a contest was created for the new parliament building, which was won by Government Architect John Campbell. His design was divided into two stages. The first half, a Neoclassical building, contained both chambers and the second half Bellamy's (the parliamentary dining facility) and a new Gothic Revival library to replace the existing one.

Despite cost concerns, Prime Minister William Massey let construction of the first stage begin in 1914, but without much of the roof ornamentation or the roof domes. The protestors set fires and caused damage to the lawns, and vandalised Parliament Buildings.

Additional Parliament building

In 2022, then-Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard announced a new six-storey building complex behind Parliament House on Museum Street. It takes the place of what was formerly Parliament's carpark, and is designed to house MPs that can no longer be accommodated in the main building.

The complex is constructed out of wood to allow high earthquake resilience in combination with base isolation technology.

The Beehive

thumb|The Beehive, officially opened in 1977

The land intended for the second stage of Parliament House is occupied by the Executive Wing. This building conceived by Scottish architect Sir Basil Spence in 1964, largely designed by the Ministry of Works, was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. The first parliamentary offices moved into the building in 1979. Due to its distinctive shape, it is referred to colloquially as "The Beehive".

Parliamentary Library

thumb|Parliamentary Library building

Completed in 1899, the Parliamentary Library is the oldest of the buildings. It stands to the north of Parliament House (to its right, looking from the front).

The library was designed in Gothic Revival style and was fire resistant, being constructed of masonry. The third storey of the design was not built, to save money. It had an iron fire-door separating the library from the main entrance section. This saved the library from the fire of 1907, which destroyed the rest of the timber parliament buildings. It still houses Parliament's library.

Bowen House

thumb|upright|Bowen House, behind the [[Wellington Cenotaph]]

A 22-storey office building across Bowen Street from the Beehive, Bowen House formerly housed MPs' offices and support staff, and was leased by Parliamentary Services from 1991 to 2020. It is connected to the rest of the parliamentary complex by a tunnel under Bowen Street which contains a travelator.

Old Government Buildings

Not part of the current parliamentary complex and on the other side of Lambton Quay, this four-storey building was designed by William Clayton and built in 1876. The former Government Buildings currently house Victoria University of Wellington's Law School as part of Victoria's Pipitea campus. Several rooms featuring displays of the building's history have been set up for public viewing.

References

  • Buildings and grounds at New Zealand Parliament website