Abstract:
Changes in construction techniques and advances in masonry design have effectively provided manufacturers and specifiers with a new structural material, prestressed concrete masonry. This material has the potential to impact on the masonry industry in a similar fashion to the influence which prestressed concrete exerted on the concrete industry. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to examine all the issues associated with prestressed concrete masonry, it is hoped that through exploring some of the major issues associated with this technology, this paper will progress the use of prestressed concrete masonry in the New Zealand construction industry.