Precast concrete: towards lean construction: proceedings of the International Conference held at the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK on 8-9 July 2008

The precast concrete industry is a large and increasingly important sector in construction. In the UK alone it turns over around £2.5 billion, employs around 22,000 people and produces annually some 38 million tonnes of products. Precast elements are an area where designers can fully use the wide range of aesthetic capabilities of concrete, with pigments, surface finishes, decorative aggregates, even transparent and litho-printed sections. This book brings together contributions that explore issues where precasting is making a key difference in masonry, housing, infrastructure, offsite and automated construction, improved health and safety, sustainability, use of composites, against the background of the move to European codes and standards. It includes 42 papers under four themes: Masonry construction; Offsite and on-site manufacture; Housing; Infrastructure and other buildings. Keynote papers by acknowledged experts introduce each theme