This manual follows the tradition begun in 1957 with CP 114 whereby Codes of Practice should be short, concise and green. This format has proved popular with engineers and, although CP 110 broke the convention, the idea of a 'green' manual was initiated when BS 8110: 1997 was issued. The present EC2 manual follows this excellent tradition and improves upon it, introducing a substantial section on both approximate and final design methods for prestressed concrete, almost marking a rebirth of CP 115!

The manual uses the same format as BS 8110, and repeats many familiar diagrams. It demystifies EC2 from the current, rather daunting, document that incorporates several versions of the Greek alphabet. This is a good example of how a Code should be written; EC2 will be the reference, with the manual as the working document.

As the purpose of the manual is code explanation, much of its content has to follow that of EC2. Despite this, the authors have taken the opportunity to prepare several useful sections on preliminary design - in particular the notes on design of prestressed concrete. There are also valuable notes on both precast floors and foundation design, and it is interesting to see the reintroduction of rounded corners for the verification of shear perimeter in flat slabs, as I have always considered it inappropriate to use square shear perimeters on a circular column. Unfortunately, the authors revert to rectangular perimeters for edge columns, which is not the intention of EC2.