Old-style Prefabricated Cement Houses

Old-style prefabricated cement houses have advantages such as low cost and simple construction, but they also suffer from serious safety hazards, poor sound insulation, and water leakage issues. Currently, there is a growing voice against their use, although reasonable use in specific buildings can ensure basic safety performance.

Advantages

• Low Cost: Built using prefabricated cement panels, these houses offer significant advantages in terms of material and labor costs compared to other construction methods. The panels are pre-fabricated in factories, requiring less steel and labor, resulting in a substantial reduction in overall housing costs. This makes them a more economical choice for residents in rural areas with limited financial resources.
• Simple Construction and Short Duration: Once transported to the construction site, the prefabricated panels can be directly assembled and installed, eliminating the need for complex on-site pouring procedures like those required for cast-in-place slabs. This greatly simplifies the construction process and shortens the construction period, enabling rapid completion of housing construction and meeting residents' needs for prompt occupancy.

Disadvantages

• High Safety Risks: The prefabricated panels are assembled with gaps at the edges, resulting in poor overall integrity and stability. In the event of a minor earthquake, the house may collapse. Moreover, the quality of prefabricated cement panels on the market varies greatly, with a predominance of inferior products that have extremely short service lives and may cause house collapses and casualties without warning.
• Poor Sound Insulation: The prefabricated panels are thin and have long circular holes in the middle, allowing sound to penetrate easily. Additionally, the structure itself is prone to transmitting sound, resulting in extremely poor sound insulation and affecting the comfort and privacy of living.
• Severe Water Leakage: The prefabricated panels are assembled from independent sections, leaving fine gaps between them. Rainwater can easily seep through these gaps into the interior, corroding the steel reinforcement and, over time, affecting the structural safety of the house.

Current Situation and Recommendations

Currently, there is a growing voice against the use of prefabricated cement panels for housing construction, with some experts even suggesting the demolition of all prefabricated panel houses within five years. However, reasonable use of prefabricated panels in buildings with regular structures and low storeys can also ensure basic safety performance.