Constructions Are On The Rise In Romania, Exhibition Shows

At the exhibition opened this week in Bucharest for construction companies one may see on show houses made entirely out of wood. Their prices may reach 225 to 350 euros per square meter, VAT excluded. The price of the foundation ranges between 3,000 to 4,000 euros and the plumbing and finishing touches may cost another 5,000 to 6,000 euros.

"The houses built with unconventional techniques on display here are as good as those built using the usual techniques, so the ministry of public works will organize a contest for such projects, so that people will be informed about them," said Laszlo Borbely, minister for public works.

One such house showed at the exhibition spanned over 225 square meters on three floors and cost 105,000 euros except VAT. "The house was built with expanded polystyrene to secure the temperature isolation," explained Marin Popa, manager with the construction company Gest.

A house built on wooden structure and isolated with mineral cotton spanning over 120 square meters may go for 30,000 euros, VAT excluded, said Cristian Bratanovici, manger with Crisadin. The price does not include foundation and finishing.

Over 600 companies from 125 countries exhibit their products and technologies at the construction fairs organized in Bucharest between 22 and 25 March and from 17 to 21 May.

That Romanians are interested in building new homes or expending their existing ones is shown in the forecast cement maker Holcim Romania makes. According to Adrian Porfir, marketing and sales director, the cement market in Romania may reach 6 million tons this year. However, he added that the annual per capita use of cement in Romania stays at 300 kilos, or half the amounts used in Germany or France. At the top of the European ranking are Spain, Portugal and Ireland, which use about 1,000 kilos of cement per capita per year.

Still, Romania’s market is on the rise, at 7% to 8% per year, and the start of the major infrastructure programs this year may bring that rise at 10%.

At the entrance of the exhibition huge equipment assisting constructors in their work are on show. This is new, and shows that international companies are well informed about Romania’s opening its infrastructure programs this year. Two of such equipment already carried the mark "Sold" a few hours away from the opening of the exhibition.