New Zealand Parliament – Museum Street Building

The new six-storey, base-isolated Museum Street Building is currently under construction behind Parliament House. Designed to be contemporary and distinctive, it also respects its heritage context.

The building is modern, flexible, and resilient—capable of adapting to Parliament’s evolving needs. Simple in its planning, it is designed for maximum long-term flexibility and will provide office accommodation for over 600 parliamentary staff.

A standout feature of the Museum Street Building is its use of mass timber, a renewable material that significantly reduces the building’s carbon footprint. This is part of a broader strategy to achieve a 6-Star Green Star rating, making it one of the most sustainable buildings in the precinct. The design also incorporates energy-efficient systems, rainwater harvesting, and vertical fins for shading, all while ensuring the structure remains functional and secure for decades to come. 

Incorporating cultural narratives has also been central to the project. The external metal screen with vertical fins, developed in collaboration with mana whenua, wraps around most of the building. The screen acts as a ‘cloak’ symbolising the important role of members of Parliament and Parliamentary staff, while also providing practical solar shading to reduce glare and heat gain. Patterns inspired by niho taniwha, tukutuku panels and connections to the Wai-piro stream–which once ran through the site–are seamlessly integrated into the architecture.

Construction works are programmed to be completed end of 2026.