Major construction is now well underway behind the Beehive as the Future Accommodation Strategy (FAS) enters its busiest phase, transforming what has been a carpark into a modern, resilient, and distinctly New Zealand extension of the parliamentary precinct.
With LT McGuiness leading the build, and reinforcing steel supplied by ReoFab, they have successfully delivered the structural foundations. Parliamentary Service Future Accommodation Strategy project director, David Wills, says the scale and significance of the activity unfolding onsite marks a once-in-a-generation redevelopment for Parliament.
After an earlier design phase paused in 2016, the project restarted with a complete rethink. When David inherited the programme, he says it was clear the design needed to evolve to better reflect New Zealand’s identity, sustainability expectations, and long-term operational requirements.
“What we see today is vastly improved from the original concept,” he says.
“It has a much stronger New Zealand focus, it’s more sustainable, and we’ve prioritised local suppliers wherever possible. New Zealand wool, New Zealand timber, New Zealand fabrication — that has been important to us from the start.”
That commitment is visible throughout the Museum Street building, the flagship structure of the development.
The six-storey mass-timber building is one of Wellington’s most ambitious timber engineering projects, designed to meet the city’s demanding seismic conditions while significantly reducing embodied carbon. All timber has been sourced domestically, with Red Stag/TimberLab, and Nelson Pine supplying fully certified, delamination-resistant products straight out of Rotorua, Auckland, and Nelson.
Supporting the timber superstructure is a substantial concrete base delivered by LT McGuiness and their team of suppliers and subcontractors working closely together to sequence the project’s complex structural stages.
“There is a fair amount of concrete in the lower structure before the timber goes on top,” David says. “All suppliers and contractors involved in constructing the complex foundations have been outstanding, set up to succeed by ReoFab’s precise detailing and supply of reinforcing steel. LT McGuiness is leading the whole project with the kind of attention to detail this precinct deserves.”
The project also champions New Zealand’s strong wool sector, with wool insulation used throughout the building and further wool-based products under assessment. For David, who watches the structure rise each day from his office window near Parliament House, the progress feels deeply meaningful.
“This building speaks to who we are,” he says. “It’s very modern, but it’s grounded in New Zealand materials and New Zealand stories.”
The redevelopment addresses long-standing accommodation pressures across Parliament, where ministers, MPs, and staff have been spread across multiple offices since Bowen House was vacated for earthquake strengthening.
A defining feature of the project is its seismic performance. Engineered to Importance Level 4, the building incorporates base isolators and viscous dampers — the only imported element in the structure — to limit movement during a major event.
“The Beehive was excellent for its time, but engineering has moved on,” David says.
“In a big Wellington earthquake, the new building will keep operating. It’s essentially an island, with generators, water storage, and wastewater holding tanks. People could shelter there for weeks while emergency operations get underway.”
The internal layout is designed for flexibility, using modular Xframe New Zealand partition systems that allow spaces to be reconfigured quickly following each election.
Cultural design has been a central component from the beginning, with mana whenua working alongside the project team to embed Te Ara Tupua — the narrative of Ngake and Whātaitai and the formation of Wellington Harbour — into the building’s exterior.
A protective metal screen, niho taniwha motifs, and other symbolic elements give architectural expression to the history and identity of the site.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is the co-design approach,” David says.
“The building reflects the whenua and the stories that belong to this place.”
© Waterford Press Ltd 2026 – Independent Print Media New Zealand.
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