1 Introduction -- Terminology -- Building systems and prefabrication -- Housing and industrial building -- Objectives -- Book organisation -- 2 History of Building Systems -- Early systems -- The Mongolian Yurt -- The tatami mat in Japan -- Industrial Revolution and Machine Age -- Mass production: from automobiles to architecture -- Milestones in building systems -- American Dream and housing boom -- Progress in Europe -- German developments -- British developments -- Case Study Houses -- The pioneers of prefab -- Jean Prouvé -- Richard Buckminster Fuller -- Konrad Wachsmann -- Fritz Haller -- Alison and Peter Smithson -- Paul Rudolph -- 3 Systems in Housing -- Construction types -- Light-frame construction -- Slab construction -- Post-and-beam construction -- On-site building and prefabrication -- On-site building -- Prefabrication -- Flat-pack -- Modular building -- Culture and the issue of design -- USA -- The Netherlands -- Japan -- Great Britain -- Austria -- 4 Systems in Industrial Buildings -- Ultra-lightweight -- Tent systems -- Modular systems -- Container systems -- Flexible modular systems -- Steel skeleton construction -- Midi system -- Mixed concrete-steel skeleton construction -- Concrete skeleton construction -- Platform systems -- Industrial buildings using precast concrete units -- Market share for system-built buildings -- 5 Processes -- The example of the automobile industry -- Lean Production -- System processes -- Design -- Design systems -- Construction systems -- Computer-aided design systems -- Construction process -- On-site construction -- Prefabrication -- Logistics -- Installation on site -- Lean production for modular construction -- Lean production for component construction -- Advantages and problems of systemised processes.

6 The Components: Systems, Modules and Elements -- Systems and subsystems -- Classification by levels of construction -- Classification by construction trades -- Degree of prefabrication of the construction -- Connections -- 7 Future of Building Systems -- System building industry -- Architect vs. system building -- CAD and CAM -- Digital Age -- Sustainable building and intelligent design -- Development potential of system building -- Appendix -- Selected Bibliography -- Authors -- Index -- Illustration Credits.