There is a new concept being implemented in the new Parliament building. It does not form part of Renzo Piano’s vision of what the entrance to City Gate should look like but concerns the seating arrangements inside the Plenary Hall.

We will reserve our comments about what the whole project looks like for when it comes to fruition, but it is certainly taking shape as the bastions on one side of the open air entrance have been uncovered, and the cladding continues to be added to the building.

But to return to what we pointed out earlier, the traditional British style benches facing each other will be a thing of the past. Malta’s parliament, even before the current room was built, was always a system where one set of representatives sat directly opposite each other. It is taken from the UK House of Parliament which was so designed to fit two swords being held at arm’s length, pointed at each other.

In the current building, if looked at from above, the government and opposition bench sit opposite each other, two parallel lines – or put more simply, like a number - 11. The new design has changed that concept and moved to a more Continental one, with the two benches facing each other in an ellipse – rather, looking like two brackets – ().

The new seating arrangement might also reflect the intention to defuse the image of Malta’s confrontational politics – even in the House. It could reflect the growing centralisation of political ideologies in the political parties. Though both political parties are trying to depict each other as throwbacks to the past – the truth is that both are moving to more common priorities, especially given the current economic situation around the world. Perhaps, the planner thought it just looked nice. Whatever the case may have been, everyone is looking forward to seeing the end result. Let us hope that this House includes the citizens more than the incumbent one. And by that, we mean physical and digital access. Oh, and a press centre would be nice too.