The ACT Legislative Assembly has appointed Cox Architects to redesign the parliamentary building and its sister building in London Circuit to fit in eight extra politicians after the 2016 election.
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Last week, $122,000 was approved for preliminary design work. Up to $10 million will be needed in the coming budget to pay for the building work.
Parts of the first and second floors of the London Circuit parliament building will be reconfigured to make room for the extra members, who will increase the assembly from 17 to 25.
About 30 staff will move out; shifting across the square to the sister "North Building", which houses the Canberra Museum and Gallery. Assembly staff will be housed on the first floor. The gallery will remain, as will Craft ACT and the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs.
However, staff from the ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate will be moved from the building. Some Commonwealth staff are also on the floor.
Work will start on the North Building this year. The reconfiguration of the main "South Building" will get under way next year and be completed before the October election.
Only chamber support, committee and security staff will remain in the South Building. Hansard, the parliamentary library, business support, governance, finance, education and communications staff will move to the North Building.
The government considered moving ministers into a new ministerial wing but opted for the lowest-cost option with fewer security headaches.
It has left open the possibility of a new ministerial wing in the office block to be built on the London Circuit car park between the assembly and Constitution Avenue.
The government sought expressions of interest for developing the public service hub last year and received 11 registrations by the August 2014 closing date.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the government was preparing the tender process.
It will provide 42,000 square metres of office space for 3400 ACT public servants within 10 minutes' walk of the assembly.
The government has said it is open to the refurbishment of old buildings as an alternative to the long-held ambition for a new building on the car park.
