Workers have completed the steel structure which will support the first floor of the new Parliament House and have started assembling the frame of the second floor.
The new Parliament is being built on the site of the former Freedom Square in Valletta as part of an €80m project which includes the new City 'gate' and an open theatre on the site of the Royal Opera House ruins. It is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
The sub-structure of Parliament House, which includes the car park, was completed last month.
Parliament House will consist of two interconnected buildings, one housing the Chamber and the other having offices for the Speaker, the administration and MPs. The buildings are separate in order to allow those walking into the City to catch a glimpse of St James Cavalier behind the structure.
A central courtyard will form the entrance.
There will be a sunken garden between the two sides, linked to the old railway tunnel.
The ground floor will house an interactive Museum of Maltese history and political development.