At the heart of the building is a steel exoskeleton, but the steel beams and concrete pillars are disguised beneath timber cladding. In terms of carpentry, this was a particularly technical build, with the internal timber panels needing to align precisely ;to create the desired traditional pattern.

The dome-shaped roof posed a tiling conundrum. In the end, bespoke scaffolding was made to allow the tilers easy access to lay the shingles.

As the building neared completion, a group of Samoan craftsmen was brought over to do the sennit lashings on the columns and beams, with Haydn & Rollett providing onsite assistance.

Compared with the fale, the building that houses the Consulate-General offices was largely straightforward, involving typical contemporary elements such as glazed curtain walls, GRC panels and exposed timber work. Where it departed from script was in some of the detailing, with the architects referencing Samoan tapa’s triangle motifs in the patterning of the concrete panels. Meanwhile, the side facing the fale is clad in timber, making an explicit connection between the two buildings.