Parliament House (Malta)

Parliament House
Il-Parlament il-Ġdid
View of the Parliament House
Parliament House Location within Malta
Alternative names	New Parliament Building
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Legislative building
Town or city	Valletta
Country	Malta
Coordinates	35°53′46.3″N 14°30′35.1″E / 35.896194°N 14.509750°E / 35.896194; 14.509750
Construction started	2011
Inaugurated	4 May 2015
Cost	€90 million
Client	Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation
Owner	Government of Malta
Technical details
Material	Limestone, concrete and steel
Floor count	3
Floor area	23,000 m2 (250,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Renzo Piano
Architecture firm	Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The Parliament House (Maltese: Il-Parlament il-Ġdid, meaning "The New Parliament") is the meeting place of the Parliament of Malta located in Valletta, Malta. The building was constructed between 2011 and 2015 to designs by Renzo Piano as part of the City Gate Project, which also included building a new City Gate and converting the ruins of the Royal Opera House into an open-air theatre. Construction of the Parliament House generated considerable controversy, mainly due to the modern design of the building and the cost of construction, which amounted to around €90 million.

From 1921 to 1976, the meeting place of the Parliament of Malta had been the Tapestry Chamber of the Grandmaster's Palace, also in Valletta. In 1976, the former armoury of the same palace was converted into a new parliament, and meetings were held there until the opening of the purpose-built Parliament House on 4 May 2015.

Parliament House is located in Republic Street near City Gate, the entrance to Valletta. The building is located adjacent to Saint James Cavalier and the ruins of the Royal Opera House, and opposite the City Gate Shopping Arcade and Palazzo Ferreria.

The site presently occupied by the Parliament House was originally built up with houses, and later the Valletta Station of the Malta Railway. The area was bombarded during World War II, and the station and surrounding buildings were demolished in the 1960s as part of a project to redevelop the entrance to Valletta. The area was converted into an open space known as Freedom Square (Maltese: Misraħ il-Ħelsien), which was surrounded by a shopping arcade. The square was rather plain, and was commonly used as a car park.