Assembly of New Zealand’s New Mass Timber Parliamentary Building is Underway

The construction of the new six-story New Zealand Parliamentary Building has reached a milestone, The Post reported (6-10-25). Contractors have begun installing a mass timber frame, the building’s main structure, which is arriving and being assembled in a manner similar to flat-pack furniture.

Over the coming months, sections of the frame will arrive partially assembled and be installed three stories at a time. Full installation is expected to take about a year. Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero described the initial installation as a key milestone in the project, which is now 40% complete. Members of Parliament are expected to move into the new building in 2027, along with 600 staff.

The frame is made in New Zealand, using glue-laminated timber, cross-laminated timber, and laminated veneer lumber sourced from Auckland and Nelson.

Studio Pacific Architecture, the project’s designer, highlighted the building’s planned 6-star Green Star rating. This would make it one of the most sustainable buildings in the parliament precinct, thanks in part to the use of mass timber, as well as energy-efficient systems, rainwater harvesting, and vertical fins for shading.

When completed, the roughly 7,000 square meter building will be New Zealand’s largest mass timber structure and the first of its kind built to the country’s highest seismic design standard.