Lanka’s biggest construction industry related exhibition - "Construct 2005" — will take place from 12-14 August this year at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial International Exhibition Centre in Colombo.

This prestigious annual exhibition has been organized for the fifth consecutive year by the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) and showcases the achievements of Sri Lanka’s construction industry. "Construct 2005" also brings together the entire value chain of the building and construction industry under a common roof for the dissemination and sharing of knowledge in advances made in skills and technology in the industry.

It takes on a multi-faceted and greater dimension this year in the aftermath of last December’s tsunami disaster. Chairman of the "Construct 2005" Exhibition’s Organising Committee Mahanama Jayamanna said that the ensuing rebuilding process had given many opportunities to the local construction industry. He anticipated a soaring demand for building material, equipment and construction technologies in the immediate future, with the envisaged post-tsunami reconstruction work in Sri Lanka. This would in, turn necessitate major reconstruction and rehabilitation work in infrastructure, housing and other facilities valued at an approximate USD 1.8 bn. "The theme chosen for this year’s exhibition — "Reconstruction; Let Us Make It Happen" — is an appropriate reflection of the optimism prevalent throughout the nation as we all look forward to the rebuilding of our nation", he added.

Jayamanne said that this year’s exhibition will feature over two hundred local and foreign exhibitors with Lafarge Mahaweli Cement (Pvt) Ltd coming in as Principal Sponsor for the third consecutive year. This also follows the success of Construct 2004 which surpassed the organisers’ expectations. A special innovative feature of "Construct 2005" will be the incorporating events — Lighting Asia, House & Property, Furniture & Interior & Air Con Shows — providing additional strength to the exhibition. One of the key objectives of this exhibition is to infuse Sri Lanka’s construction industry with world-class products, services and state-of- the-art technology, especially since the ‘Construct 2005’ exhibition has been viewed as the No 01 networking platform for all buyers and suppliers in the industry.

"Sri Lanka is, at present, rated as South Asia’s leading sea and services hub, strategically located at the cross roads of both East and West maritime routes, and serving as the point of entry for South Asia, The country is also an attractive investment destination for a number of reasons and is thus a naturally preferred venue for international companies eager to meet and transact business with Sri Lankan entrepreneurs", Jayamanne added.