The new four-storey Taumoepeau Building that is towering over central Nuku'alofa and expected to be opened in August is the first to rise out of the ashes of the riot of November 11 2006, that destroyed a large area of the central Nuku'alofa Business District.

Paula Taumoepeau for the Taumoepeau family, the owner of the property on the corner of Hala Fatafehi and Hala Salote, said that they lost two buildings during the riot, a three-storey concrete building, that was Nuku'alofa's first multi-story concrete office block built in the 1970's, and a historic single-storey wooden building.

Paula was happy that the new four-storey Taumoepeau Building is the first to be completed among a central Nuku'alofa reconstruction scheme funded with a $118 million pa'anga soft loan from China. He estimated the cost for the construction of the new building to be about $5 million pa'anga.

Construction started on May 7 last year, by the China Construction Engineering Corporation Company CCECC. The building has 3000 square meters of floor space and will be offered to rent for retail outlets, offices and luxury apartments. Retail outlets will occupy the ground floor while the second and third floors are office spaces and the top floor is designed for luxury apartments. The building will also have its own back-up generator, an elevator, hot water, and fire sprinklers. A parking space at the back of the building has room for 21 vehicles.

Meanwhile, three other buildings currently under construction funded with the soft loan from China, are the Royco Building, the Sanft Building and the Royal Palace. They are all expected to be completed before the end of the year.