Senate House
Purpose / Function
The building is mainly used to accommodate the legislative apparatus of the Republic and to allow the thousands of senators to sit during the sessions. It also includes several rooms that are used for press conferences of party leaders or the President after a vote of the Senate. Several wings of the building are also dedicated to the history of the Republic which are accessible to the public, they contain several historical artefacts or photos with texts describing the history of it.
Alterations
The main change that the building has experienced is the multiple enlargement of the hemicycle which is the part of the building that welcomes senators. These expansions were made necessary due to the natural increase in the population of the Republic which necessitated an increase in the number of senators.
Architecture
The Senate House was divided into two parts whose main material is galvanized steel generally having very fluid and organic forms, which had been painted white to match the colors of the Republic flag. The first part was perpendicular to the street and looked like a rounded parallelogram on the ends. Exterior surfaces happened to be a mix of glazed, vegetated, some decorative wood or the primary material, but the former are more numerous, as on most buildings within the Republic. The interior of the first part included, on its ground floor, the main hall reserved for employees as well as senators, a press room and a museum which was open to the public.
The rest of the floors were made up of administrative premises, the Senate archives and meeting rooms. The second part was connected to the first by a junction which followed the curves of the circle of the second part to give a trapezium shape seen from the sky. Again, the sides had large glass panels. The second section, which overlooked the promenade along the East River, was actually a huge dome containing within it a large hemicycle designed to accommodate the thousands of senators who make up the Senate.
The cupola had a height of about seventy meters and was covered with the same material as on the front of the building. Glazed openings were present in the upper part as well as at the base of the dome to let natural light enter the hemicycle and the corridor going around it. A rod started from the meeting of the first part with the junction to go above the middle of the second part. A flag of the Republic as well as another of the Senate floated there at its end. Another row of poles topped by Republic flags had been installed along the street perpendicular to the Senate House.
History
After the founding of the Federal Republic, it was then decided to destroy, in part, the old UN headquarters although it had been renovated several times, especially during the creation of the Solar Confederation. However, its design no longer met the use that the Republic wanted to make of it. The demolition plan was therefore decided and the new Senate rose from the ground four years after the start of work. Throughout the history of the Republic, the Senate was a major decision-making place and several of these votes marked a historical change. For example, during the vote to bury the charter of the Alliance, founding text of the Alliance of the Alpha Quadrant.
Founding Date
2204
Type
Government complex
Parent Location
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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