ABSTRACT
It has been the basic tenet of this book that a substantial improvement of the productivity and quality in building can be obtained only by (1) removing most of the building tasks from the site to an industrial and automated plant and (2) simplifying, mechanizing, and automating the remaining works onsite. The underlying assumption has been that the controlled environment and the specialized production resources in an industrial plant can assure a much more efficient and precise execution of building works than the changing and rugged conditions on the building site allow. Moreover, reducing the extent of the dirty and strenuous works onsite-by including them in prefabricated elements or assigning them to automated devices onsite, will improve the working conditions on the building site, and make the construction work more attractive and challenging to young people.
