Column-Free Beam-Free Prefabricated House

A column-free beam-free prefabricated house is a building form that relies on large-span steel structures or prestressed concrete technology, achieving overall stability by dispersing loads through specific load-bearing components. It is primarily used in industrial, warehousing, and sports venues, with its design, construction, and judgment methods requiring a comprehensive consideration of technical principles and practical needs.

Design Principles and Application Scenarios

The core design principle of column-free beam-free houses lies in the adoption of large-span steel structures or prestressed concrete technology, dispersing loads to the foundation through load-bearing components such as roof ridges and crane beams, avoiding the space division caused by traditional column-beam structures. For example, the 35-meter column-free warehouse of Shandong Juhao Steel Structure Co., Ltd. can carry heavy equipment, while the used color-steel house workshop of Suzhou Yannongfan maximizes storage space through large-span design. Sports venues utilize such structures to achieve unobstructed viewing experiences. This design is particularly suitable for scenarios with high space utilization requirements, such as industrial plants, warehouses, and gymnasiums.

Construction Key Points and Precautions

During the construction phase, it is essential to strictly control key aspects:

1. Foundation Embedding: Anchor bolts must be embedded in advance to ensure precise alignment with the steel structure and avoid installation deviations in later stages.
2. Lifting Process: It is recommended to use cranes with a capacity of over 200 tons to lift roof ridge beams in stages, with errors controlled within ±5mm to ensure structural stability.
3. Corrosion Protection: The surface of the steel structure must be derusted and coated with anti-corrosion paints such as epoxy zinc-rich primers to extend its service life.
4. Seismic Design: In high-intensity earthquake zones, diagonal braces or dampers should be added to enhance the structure's seismic performance.
5. Maintenance Management: Regularly inspect welds and coatings, promptly repair rusted areas, and control long-term maintenance costs.

Judgment Methods for Prefabricated Houses

To determine whether a house is of a prefabricated slab structure, the following methods can be used for comprehensive verification:

1. Construction Era: Houses built more than 15 years ago are mostly prefabricated slabs, while those built after 15 years are primarily cast-in-place slabs.
2. Pipe Laying Areas: If there are columns or reserved holes in the walls or floor slabs, it may indicate a prefabricated slab; cast-in-place structures usually do not have such features.
3. Internal Wall Observation: In prefabricated slab houses, there are no beams above the walls, and no columns at the intersections of walls; cast-in-place structures have obvious beams and columns.
4. Drilling Verification: Use an impact drill to make three holes 5 cm apart in the floor slab. If holes with a diameter of about 8 cm are encountered, it indicates a prefabricated slab (prefabricated slabs are made with reserved holes every 3 cm during production).

Such houses have performed outstandingly in the export market. Since 2022, China's export volume of prefabricated houses has grown rapidly, reaching $4.3 billion in 2025. They are mainly sold to the United States, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Western Europe. With a rapid construction cycle of 15-25 days and the advantages of large-scale production, they occupy an important position in the overseas tourism and vacation housing market.