Prefabricated Assembled Housing

Prefabricated assembled housing is a form of construction that involves industrial production of building components and on-site assembly, offering significant advantages such as short construction periods, controllable quality, and energy efficiency and environmental protection.

Core Definition and Construction Process

Prefabricated assembled housing, also known as prefabricated modular construction, involves breaking down a building into independent modules that are standardized and produced in a factory. Each module includes complete structures such as ceilings, floors, and plumbing and electrical systems, and can even integrate doors, windows, and decorative layers to form “finished” components. After being transported to the construction site, these modules are quickly assembled using techniques such as mechanical lifting and bolt connections, similar to building with blocks, to form a complete building. This approach transforms traditional on-site “wet construction” into factory “dry construction,” significantly reducing on-site work.

Main Types and Technical Systems

Prefabricated assembled housing can be categorized into three types based on structural form:

1. Panel-based Assembly: This type primarily uses prefabricated wall panels and floor slabs, which are assembled on-site to form the main structure of the building, suitable for low-rise residential buildings or industrial plants.
2. Box-based Assembly: This type uses complete spatial modules (such as rooms) as units, integrating interior finishes and equipment, and directly assembling them into multi-story buildings, commonly seen in standardized projects like hotels and apartments.
3. Frame-based Assembly: This type uses prefabricated beams and columns to form a frame structure, which is then filled with non-load-bearing components such as wall panels, offering high flexibility and suitable for high-rise buildings or buildings with complex shapes.
   The technical systems include prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures. The former mainly uses prefabricated beams, slabs, and columns, while the latter employs light steel frames or modular steel boxes, characterized by light weight and fast construction.

Advantages and Application Scenarios

Compared to traditional construction, prefabricated assembled housing offers significant advantages:

• Short Construction Period: The construction period can be shortened by more than 60%, with some projects completing the assembly of one floor in just 2 days, making it particularly suitable for emergency buildings or rapid development needs.
• Controllable Quality: Factory production eliminates human errors, achieving millimeter-level precision in components, and ensuring stable quality through standardized testing.
• Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection: It reduces on-site wet construction and construction waste, with data from industrial bases in Fujian Province showing a reduction in waste of over 70%, while also lowering dust and noise pollution.
• Easy Maintenance: Modular design facilitates later renovation or replacement of components, extending the building's service life.

Development Status and Prospects

Prefabricated concrete technology in China began in the 1950s and saw a resurgence in the 21st century due to environmental protection and efficiency demands. Companies like Vanke have developed prefabricated shear wall residential systems, and Fujian Province has established industrial bases through policy support to promote technology popularization. As of 2026, the scale of prefabricated buildings in Shenzhen has exceeded 150 million square meters, with new construction projects accounting for 64.03%. In the international market, Chinese-made prefabricated houses are in high demand overseas, with exports of movable houses from the Guangzhou Customs area reaching 1.4 billion yuan in the first four months of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%, indicating growing global demand for efficient construction solutions.