Richard Rogers, an architect who had won the Pritzker Prize, won the international competition to design the building. It was designed to be sustainable, with renewable technologies, and to be energy efficient. The building was awarded an "Excellent" certification by the" Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method", the highest ever certification to be awarded in Wales, and was nominated for the 2006 Stirling Prize. The Senedd is now a symbol of Cardiff, and Wales.