The First International Conference on Concrete Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofitting (ICCRRR 2005) was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 21-23 November 2005.  The conference was a collaborative venture by researchers from the South African Research Programme in Concrete Materials (based at the Universities of Cape Town and The Witwatersrand) and The Construction Materials Section at Leipzig University in Germany. 
The conference has come at an opportune moment for concrete construction worldwide and sought to focus on an increasingly important aspect in modern infrastructure provision and retention: that of appropriately repairing, maintaining, rehabilitating, and if necessary retrofitting existing infrastructure with a view to extending its life and maximising its economic return.  The conference Proceedings contain papers, presented at the conference, and classified into a total of 15 sub themes which can be grouped under the four main themes of (i) Concrete durability aspects, (ii) Condition assessment of concrete structures, (iii) Concrete repair, rehabilitation and retrofitting, and (iv) Performance monitoring and health assessment. The major interest in terms of submissions exists in the fields of concrete durability aspects in connection with material compositions, NDE/NDT and measurement techniques, repair methods and materials, and structural strengthening and retrofitting techniques. The large number of high-quality papers presented and the wide range of relevant topics covered confirm that these Proceedings will be a valued reference for many working in the important fields of concrete durability and repair and that they form a suitable base for discussion and provide suggestions for future development and research.