The Senedd is a building in Cardiff that was built as the new Welsh National Assembly - the Welsh parliament. 'Senedd' means parliament in Welsh. It was designed by Richard Rogers
and opened in February 2006. It won an award from the Building Research Establishment for sustainability, because it was built with energy efficiency in mind.
It consists of a wide wooden plane, covering a glass box. The roof provides shelter and a sense of communion. It is very primeval and seems to allude to Welsh mythology. The glass walls make the building transparent, so it communicates the democratic values of openness and participation.
The Senedd was designed to be sustainable. The plane of the roof curves into a funnel that runs down into the debating chamber, allowing ventilation and natural light to penetrate the building. On top of the funnel is a cowl, which is one of the most common features of green buildings. Changes in wind direction cause the cowl to rotate, and the wind passing over it draws warm air out of the debating chamber, keeping it cool without the need for air-conditioning. So natural ventilation is used in nearly all areas of the building.
Rainwater is collected on the roof and used to supply the toilets. This is called a grey water system. To reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, the Senedd uses a biomass boiler fuelled by wood chips, which are sourced locally.
