The Welsh Assembly

• Who designed the building?

It was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership and built by Taylor Woodrow, with environmental and MEP design by BDSP Partnership.

• When was it opened and by whom?

It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on St. David's

Day, 1 March 2006.

• What materials were used?

It uses traditional Welsh materials such as slate and Welsh Oak in its construction and the wood is made from Canadian sourced Western Red Cedar.

• What is particulary special about the building?

The Senedd is designed to be environmentally friendly: it uses an Earth Heat Exchange system for heating; rainwater is collected from the roof and used for flushing toilets and cleaning windows, and the roof features a wind cowl which funnels natural light and air into the debating chamber below.

Houses of Parliament

          United Kingdom has the most famous parliament in the world. Its also known as the “Mother of all Parliaments”. “Parliament” is an old French word, which means a talk.

       United Kingdom has three separate parts of parliament, the House of Commons (lower house), the House of Lord (the upper house) and the Monarch. Most of the parliament’s dictions are concentrated in the lower house. The commons house is made up of more than 630 members. Further more, these members are selected by the people of UK to represent them in the parliament. The House of Lord has the ability to refuse any decision and bills, except tax bills. In addition, the upper house can give orders to the lower house to reconsider the decision again. Queen Elizabeth II is the Monarch. She is the head of all powers in the United Kingdom. Bills and decision must receive the Queen before becoming Act of the British parliament.