With the decision to move the German Bundestag to Berlin, the present building in Bonn lost its prospective occupants and function. The design for the parliamentary buildings in Bonn was the outcome of a competition held in 1983, which Joachim Schürmann won. Construction work began seven years later. In December 1993, the carcass structure suffered serious damage as a result of flooding, and the “Schürmann building” became a political issue. Extensive refurbishment was necessary to save it, and the continuation of the work was in doubt.