Construction volumes increased in the 1st quarter

In the 1st quarter of 2016, the production value of construction enterprises amounted to 374 million euros, of which the production value of building construction was 289 million euros and the production value of civil engineering was 85 million euros. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2015, the volume of building construction increased 12% and the volume of civil engineering decreased about a fifth.

The domestic construction market was still influenced the most by a fall in civil engineering volumes. There was also a decrease in repair and reconstruction work in building construction. At the same time, new building construction continued to grow.

The construction volume of Estonian construction enterprises in foreign countries decreased 8% compared to the 1st quarter of 2015, influenced mainly by the construction of buildings. Construction volumes in foreign countries accounted for 9% of the total volume of construction in the 1st quarter of 2016.

According to the Register of Construction Works, in the 1st quarter of 2016, the number of dwelling completions was 990. The same number of new dwellings was also completed in the same period a year ago. More than a half of the completed dwellings were situated in blocks of flats. The majority of completed dwellings were situated in Tallinn.

There is still a demand for new high-quality dwellings in a good location. In the 1st quarter of 2016, building permits were granted for the construction of 1,347 dwellings, which is more than a half more than in the 1st quarter a year ago. The most popular type of building was a block of flats.

The number of completed non-residential buildings was 304 with a useful floor area of 118,000 square metres – this consisted primarily of new commercial and storage premises. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2015, both the useful floor area and the volume of completed non-residential buildings decreased.