Construction volume decreased more than a tenth in the previous year

The production value of building construction was 740 million and the production of civil engineering totalled 542 million euros (12 and 8 billion kroons, respectively). Compared to 2009, the volume of building construction decreased 17% and the volume of civil engineering 6%. The decline in construction was mainly caused by the decreased volumes in dwelling construction on domestic construction market.

On the contrary to the domestic construction market which is on a decline stage, in 2010 the construction volume in foreign countries increased 12% compared to the previous year. The growth was caused by the building construction. The construction in foreign countries has increased during the previous years, accounting for 11% of the total volume of construction.

According to the data of the Construction Works Register, the number of dwelling completions in 2010 was 2,324 – 702 dwellings less than in 2009. Also in 2010, the largest share of completed dwellings was situated in blocks of flats and every second dwelling had two or three rooms. Since 2008, the share of dwellings situated in blocks of flats has continually decreased, which has increased the average floor area per dwelling. In 2010, the average floor area of a completed dwelling was 102 square metres, which is the biggest during the last nine years. The majority of completed dwellings were situated in Tallinn, followed by the neighbouring rural municipalities of Tallinn and Tartu county.

The increasing demand for the new dwellings brings positive expectations on the construction market. In 2010, the building permits were granted for the construction of 2,600 dwellings, which is about a fourth more than a year earlier.

In 2010, the number of completed non-residential buildings was 815 with the useful floor area of 425,000 square metres. The useful area of commercial, office and industrial buildings increased the most. Compared to 2009, the useful floor area and the cubic capacity of completed non-residential buildings decreased.

The construction market, which had showed a small growth in the 3rd quarter of 2010, turned to the decline again in the 4th quarter. In the 4th quarter of 2010, the production value of construction amounted to 344 million euros (5.4 billion kroons), by 5% less compared to the 4th quarter of 2009, of which the construction of buildings decreased 4% and the construction of civil engineering 5%.