Following a two year-long bidding process, British-based international practice BDP (Building Design Partnership) have been chosen to restore and safeguard the future of the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the United Kingdom's parliament. Outbidding Foster + Partners, Allies and Morrison, and HOK the project is expected to run into billions of pounds and could see the two chambers?the House of Commons and the House of Lords, plus all ancillary support staff?move out of the iconic building for to a decade.

Palace of Westminster, London. Image Courtesy of BDP

Following a two year-long bidding process, British-based international practice BDP (Building Design Partnership) have been chosen to restore and safeguard the future of the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the United Kingdom's parliament. Outbidding Foster + Partners, Allies and Morrison, and HOK the project is expected to run into billions of pounds and could see the two chambers?the House of Commons and the House of Lords, plus all ancillary support staff?move out of the iconic building for to a decade.The commission comes after an appraisal commissioned in 2013 argued that without large-scale works, the building would not be able to continue to be used in the near future. Since its construction in the 1800s, many of the systems "have never undergone a major renovation," according to BDP, "and the heating, ventilation, water, drainage and electrical systems are extremely antiqu...