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INTRODUCTION

The precast industry is a large and increasingly important sector in construction and covers diverse areas as new and refurbished housing, commercial and industrial buildings, transport and utilities infrastructure, hospitals, schools and urban renewal. In the UK alone the industry turnover is around £2.5 billion employing around 22,000 people and it produces annually some 38 million tonnes of products. Moreover, precast element are one of the areas where the designer can fully utilise the wide range of aesthetic capabilities of concrete, with the use of pigments, surface finishes, decorative aggregates, even transparent and litho-printed sections.

One of the many targets for the construction industry in the UK is to reduce reportable accidents by 50% by 2010. One of the key measures being utilized is the a move towards increased off-site construction techniques, minimizing risks due to noise and vibration, exposure to dust and heavy lifting. Furthermore, as skilled site labour becomes ever more expensive the shift toward factory and even automated and robotic production will become more common.

In addition, there is increased pressure on the sustainability performance of the sector and industry will need to respond quickly given the somewhat negative view of concrete's green credentials by the public and even some clients. Carbon footprints of buildings over the whole life of the structure are by far the most important aspect of design and in this respect there has been renewed interest in concrete as an alternative to lightweight construction. The flexibility of off-site precast to incorporate composite sections to satisfy both noise and heat regulations will be important for both the research and development communities, as well as innovative designers.

Alongside this, Europe is currently undergoing a revolution in standards for design and construction. 2008 sees the introduction of EC2 and in the UK the National Annex EN 1992-1, Design of Concrete Structures. Supporting this is a raft of new European Product Standards covering precast concrete elements, such as stairs, box culverts, beam and block floors and bridge beams.

The Proceedings ‘Precast Concrete: Towards Lean Construction' discussed these areas and the key points arising were covered in four themes, (i) Masonry Construction, (ii) Offsite and On-site Manufacture, (iii) Housing and (iv) Infrastructure and Other Buildings. A Keynote Paper was presented by an acknowledged expert in the field and a total of 42 papers were presented during the International Conference, which are compiled into these Proceedings.