The figures, which compare to the same period a year ago, include a 6% drop in private housing orders and a 40% growth in public housing and housing association orders.
New infrastructure work decreased by 21%, while public non-housing orders slipped by 12%.
Instructions in the private commercial sector jumped 57% and private industrial orders rose 1%.
Total new orders for the 12 months to August were up by 10%, compared with a year earlier.
