Hangzhou Concrete Prefabricated Houses
Concrete prefabricated houses in Hangzhou mainly include two types: prefabricated panel houses and prefabricated integrated houses, and their development is influenced by multiple factors such as policies, markets, and technologies.
Prefabricated Panel Houses: Transitional Choices for Old Communities
Prefabricated panel houses are constructed by prefabricating and assembling cement concrete blocks. They have the characteristics of fast construction speed and low cost, but they also have defects such as wall cracks, water leakage, poor sound insulation, and narrow space. Their service life is approximately 30-40 years. In Hangzhou, prefabricated panel houses are mostly concentrated in old residential areas such as Jingfang, Chaohui, and Cuiyuan. Due to subway construction or urban renewal needs, some communities have been included in demolition plans (such as Chaohui and Jingfang), while others have been upgraded through reinforcement and renovation. At the policy level, Zhejiang Province has issued the "Guidelines for Steadily Promoting the Pilot Work of Independent Renewal of Old Urban Residential Areas (Trial)", which clearly accelerates the demolition of "Grade D dangerous housing" and promotes the overall upgrading of residential areas. At the same time, differentiated renovation measures are taken for urban villages and historical and cultural blocks.
Prefabricated Integrated Houses: Upgrading Directions for Modern Buildings
Prefabricated integrated houses adopt a factory-based production and on-site rapid assembly model. Their core advantages are standardized design and modular production, which allow for flexible adjustment of housing types and functional layouts to meet high standards such as waterproofing, moisture resistance, and earthquake resistance. Technologically, they generally use light steel keel or concrete prefabricated panel systems, combined with BIM modeling, bolt connections, and other processes to achieve green construction (no welding and less dust). Some projects integrate solar photovoltaic and rainwater harvesting systems. An advanced manufacturing factory in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, is a representative production base with an annual production capacity of tens of thousands of square meters. Its products are used in projects such as the Asian Games supporting facilities, urban renewal, and rural revitalization. With the advancement of Hangzhou's "digital economy" and green and low-carbon development orientation, the technology of prefabricated integrated houses meets the needs of the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry and will play a wider role in urban and rural construction in the future.
Market Challenges: Overcapacity and Price Declines
Affected by the slowdown in real estate and municipal construction, the output of prefabricated concrete components in Hangzhou in the first half of 2024 decreased by 10% year-on-year, with a capacity utilization rate of only 41%-52%. Market prices were 25% lower than the guide prices and 28% lower than those in Shanghai. It is expected that the overcapacity situation will be severe in the next two years. Due to policy adjustments, the target for the newly started construction area of prefabricated buildings in Hangzhou in 2024 decreased by 36% year-on-year. Increased market competition is forcing enterprises to optimize technologies and reduce costs.
