Are Prefabricated Panels Still Used in Housing?

The use of prefabricated panels in housing is no longer advocated, especially for self-built houses in rural areas, which should avoid using them. Modern buildings generally adopt cast-in-place structures.

Core Reasons for the Obsolescence of Prefabricated Panels

1. Extremely Poor Seismic Performance
   Prefabricated panels are composed of multiple independent panels spliced together, with only simple overlaps or a small amount of steel reinforcement connecting them, resulting in almost zero integrity. Under lateral forces such as earthquakes, the connection points are highly prone to fracture, leading to the collapse of the floor slab. For example, during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a large number of buildings using prefabricated panels suffered severe collapses, while buildings with cast-in-place structures demonstrated stronger disaster resistance.

2. Low Structural Safety
   The connection method of prefabricated panels has inherent flaws:

• Insufficient overlap length: The ends of traditional prefabricated panels are only placed on the walls for 10-15 centimeters, and even with the pouring of a ring beam, effective anchoring cannot be achieved;
• Weak joints: The gaps between panels are filled with cement mortar, which is prone to cracking due to temperature changes or settlement, and may even cause individual panels to fall off;
• Material hazards: To reduce costs, some prefabricated panels have issues such as insufficient steel bar diameter and substandard concrete strength, further weakening structural safety.

3. Poor Durability
   The service life of prefabricated panels is typically only about 30 years, far shorter than the over 50 years of cast-in-place structures. Their flaws include:

• Prone to cracking and water leakage: The gaps between panels and surface cracks are the main channels for rainwater penetration, resulting in high maintenance costs;
• Poor sound insulation: The sound insulation performance of hollow prefabricated panels is insufficient, affecting living comfort;
• Limited load-bearing capacity: Unable to meet the demands of modern homes for equipment loads (such as underfloor heating and heavy furniture).

Advantages of Cast-in-Place Structures

Modern buildings generally adopt cast-in-place floor slabs, with core advantages including:

• Strong integrity: Steel bars and concrete are poured together to form a seamless structure, significantly improving shear and bending resistance;
• Excellent seismic performance: Through reasonable reinforcement and structural measures, they can meet seismic fortification requirements of magnitude 8 and above;
• High adaptability: The thickness, slope, and other parameters of the floor slab can be flexibly adjusted according to building needs to meet complex spatial designs.

Special Reminder for Self-Built Houses in Rural Areas

Due to weak construction supervision in rural areas, it is even more necessary to avoid using prefabricated panels. It is recommended to adopt cast-in-place structures and ensure:

• The steel bar specifications meet design requirements (e.g., the diameter of the main steel bars is not less than 8 millimeters);
• The concrete strength is not lower than C25;
• The floor slab thickness is not less than 10 centimeters (thicker in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms).