Forms of Prefabricated Housing
The forms of prefabricated housing mainly include panel-assembled buildings, box-assembled buildings, modular buildings, prefabricated panel houses, and mobile houses, totaling five types.
Panel-assembled buildings: These use prefabricated wall panels and floor slabs as core components. These key parts are prefabricated in factories and then transported to the construction site for assembly. The advantage of this form is that it can expand the usable area of the building, as the high precision of prefabricated components reduces errors and waste during on-site construction. However, its design flexibility is relatively limited, as the dimensions and shapes of prefabricated components are usually determined during factory production and are difficult to adjust significantly on-site.
Box-assembled buildings: These are formed by combining prefabricated functional units, which can be rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. Each unit is fully fitted out and equipped with installations in the factory. This form offers extremely fast construction speeds, with improvements of 50%-70% compared to traditional construction methods. However, its drawback is the high requirement for transportation and lifting equipment, as each functional unit is relatively large in volume and weight.
Modular buildings: These involve breaking down a building into individual independent modules, which are manufactured in factories, covering all aspects such as structure, fit-out, and mechanical and electrical systems. These modules are then transported to the construction site for assembly, ultimately forming a complete building. Modular buildings offer a high degree of flexibility and scalability, allowing for the addition or adjustment of modules as needed.
Prefabricated panel houses: These are houses built primarily with prefabricated panels, which are factory-prefabricated cement components available in solid and hollow types. Prefabricated panel houses offer relatively fast construction speeds and lower costs, but their sound insulation and thermal insulation properties may not be as good as those of other forms of prefabricated housing.
Mobile houses: Commonly known as 'prefabricated houses', these are created by dividing a house into several independent modules. These modules undergo integrated prefabrication and acceptance in factories, covering aspects such as architecture, structure, mechanical and electrical systems, and fit-out. After being transported to the site, these modules only require simple assembly to be put into use. Mobile houses mainly come in three forms: steel structure, concrete, and wood, offering the characteristics of rapid setup, easy disassembly, and mobility.
