Works on the new Parliament building in Valletta are in their final stages and MPs can move in next month, according to the man responsible for the project in Renzo Piano’s office.

Architect Antonio Belvedere described the issue of larger-than-needed desks – the latest hiccup in a string of delays – as “a storm in a teacup created by politicians”.

Speaking to Times of Malta from their workshop in Paris, Mr Belvedere said he could not believe his eyes when he read about the latest “hullaballoo” connected to the new Parliament’s desks.

“We have constructed a building Malta has never seen before.

“It was so complicated and we dedicated a lot of our time to see that all was done in the best possible way despite many obstacles. Instead of seeing stories about how the building is transforming Valletta’s entrance, we read in newspapers about oversized desks,” the irate Mr Belvedere said.

Asked whether it was true that the desks were too big and if this was a result of a design problem, he said there was “absolutely no problem” with the design and this was just an issue of MPs wanting to be more comfortable.

‘This is a first for Malta and we only read about desks’

To him this was a trivial matter, which was already being resolved by adapting the wooden furniture.

Mr Belvedere has worked on world-class projects, such as converting the Lingotto Factory in Turin and Colombia University’s Manhattenville in New York.

“Next time, if I build a second new Parliament in Malta, I will probably need a whole piazza,” he said sarcastically.

Architect Antonio Belvedere.

“We designed the desks in a way that MPs simply need to move slightly laterally when addressing the plenary. However, over the past weeks we have been told MPs want to be able to speak when they stand up from their seat without having to move laterally. We immediately accepted their request and have already taken measures to satisfy their wishes. That’s what all this controversy is about,” he said.

Mock tests were conducted in November 2013 but Mr Belvedere said he was only informed about the problem a few weeks ago.

The issue was first raised in Parliament last week by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil who lambasted the government for failing to address the matter when the mock tests were made.

On its part, the government blamed Mr Piano’s office, saying it was responsible for the design. But Mr Belvedere insisted there was no design problem.

Asked when the project would be completed, Mr Belvedere said that although he was hesitant to speak about new deadlines ,the project was nearing its end.

“In our view, the building can start being used from January,” he said, adding that every new building would have its teething problems in its first few months.

The Parliament building is part of a new entrance project designed by the world-renowned Mr Piano.

It was originally set to be inaugurated in November 2012. However, the project’s deadline was repeatedly missed, including the latest target date – October 2014.

The government has not yet set a fresh date for when Parliament will start convening in the new building.

Meanwhile, the Speaker’s office yesterday said none of Parliament’s officials had given the go-ahead for the new desks and chairs of the chamber.