ABSTRACT
The reconstruction of Britain at the end of the Second World War demanded a rapid increase in output from a construction industry suffering severe shortages of labour and materials. The solution proposed was the industrialisation of production, predicated on the rationalisation of design and construction processes, and the use of non-traditional materials and methods, which had been thoroughly researched during the 1930s. These, together with dimensional co-ordination of building components and modular design, were among the innovations promoted throughout the 1950s and 1960s as key factors in increasing the efficiency of construction. They also produced an identifiable, modern aesthetic — although it can be argued that this, in many cases, was an unintended consequence of the techniques used.
