Those looking for evidence that the property construction sector is now into a recovery phase will be interested to learn that Jamie Heathcote-Marks, General Manager of the Building Centre in Rondebosch, Cape Town, has noticed a steady rise in visitors and enquiries since October last year.

“The foot count at the Building Centre,” he said this week, “is always an accurate indicator of the state of the property/construction industry. It is generally accepted that 2009 was one of the worst years since 1929-32 – but activity is now very definitely picking up,” said Heathcote-Marks.

The Building Centre was founded in 1953 by Laurie Wale, a UCT trained architect. Recognising that all too often worthwhile building products go unnoticed and that architects, specifiers, contractors, homeowners and DIY enthusiasts should be kept up to date and able to touch and handle the products they are considering specifying. He hired space to display these goods.

The move to Rondebosch, which has ample parking space, took place in early 2000. Entry to the centre has always been free and it is open weekly from 9am to 5pm, Saturdays 9am to 1pm.

The concepts that motivated the foundation of the centre are as valid now as they were then, says Heathcote-Marks.

“A great deal of the initial marketing can be done through the trade journals and, increasingly, through the internet – but at some stage the client has to come face to face with the product and to be able to compare it with its rivals. The best place to do this is the Building Centre.”

The centre, sited in a purpose-designed building off Belmont Road, next to St Joseph’s college, which it shares with the Master Builders’ Association and their conference centre, has 1 000m² of space. Into this the management has fitted no less than 200 exhibitors displaying construction products such as bricks, tiles, windows, doors, roofing, skylights, intrusion protection, heating and air-conditioning systems, paint, plaster and specialist coatings, plaster, insulation, carpets, ceilings and hardware.

On average, he says, the centre attracts some 1 500 visitors per month. Those who want further information are able to telephone the supplier from the centre – and will always be given a full set of specifications and data.

In the last two or three years, , there has been a big upswing interest in environmentally friendly and energy saving devices, especially solar heating, alternative power, water saving and recycling and the number of visitors to the centre has been boosted by Open Days at which every stand is manned by a representative from the company displaying its products.

“Despite the increasing popularity of the centre,” says Heathcote-Marks, “it still surprises me that many people place large orders for building products after little or no research. Time and again we would have been able to introduce them to a better, less expensive, more suitable product if only they had taken the trouble to visit us. When they do, it is no exaggeration to say that they are invariably bowled over by the quality and variety of products available today, many of which were unknown to them.”