The building was opened in 1991 and has a total floor area of 11,583 m2 (124,680 sq ft). It is built of red brick and is connected to the
Senedd debating chamber in
Cardiff Bay. Tŷ Hywel houses staff of the
Senedd Commission,
MSes,
the First Minister and other ministers.[7][3] Crickhowell House was used as a temporary debating chamber for the National Assembly for Wales from 1999 until its new building, also originally known as the Senedd, was opened in 2006. On 25 June 2008 the
Prince of Wales officially opened Siambr Hywel, the National Assembly's youth
debating chamber and education centre, based on the former debating chamber in Tŷ Hywel.[8]
Tŷ Hywel is part of the Senedd estate in Cardiff Bay, along with the
Senedd building and the
Grade 1 listedPierhead Building.[7][9] Two covered link bridges connect the Senedd building to Tŷ Hywel. Construction of the link bridges began in September 2004 and they were completed by December 2005.[10][11][12]
^"The National Assembly for Wales"(PDF). University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2009.