Prefabricated Component Housing

Prefabricated component housing is a form of construction that involves the industrial production of building components and their on-site assembly, also known as prefabricated modular construction. The following provides an introduction from multiple aspects:

Main Types: These include panel-based prefabrication, box-based prefabrication, and frame-based prefabrication, with modular construction representing a higher level of integration.

Technologies and Components: The technologies encompass prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures, with components including prefabricated products such as beams, slabs, walls, and columns.

Development History: China's prefabricated concrete technology began in the 1950s, initially used for factory and residential construction. In the 1970s, driven by the policy of 'industrialization, standardization, and mechanization' in construction, technical systems such as large-panel structures and box structures were formed. By the mid-1980s, the technology stagnated due to cost and quality issues. However, in the 21st century, it has revived due to production efficiency and environmental advantages. Companies like Vanke Group have developed prefabricated shear wall residential structural systems and applied prefabricated frame technology in engineering projects.

Advantages:

• Short Construction Period: The construction period for prefabricated buildings is 30% shorter than traditional methods, while modular construction can reduce the period by more than 60%. For example, a public housing project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, reduced its completion and delivery time from 2.5 to 3 years to just 1 year.
• Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency: Regions like Fujian have established industrial bases with policy support, achieving a reduction in construction waste by over 70%. Another public housing project in Shenzhen significantly reduced noise, dust, construction waste, and traffic congestion at the construction site.
• Other Advantages: Quality control and ease of maintenance; the number of workers required is less than half of that on traditional construction sites; box-based prefabrication increases construction speed by 50%-70% through the combination of prefabricated functional units.

Disadvantages: Panel-based prefabricated buildings are limited in design flexibility; box-based prefabrication requires high transportation and lifting equipment; modular construction demands extremely high industrial foundations, including technical systems, production systems, and industrial clusters.

Application Scenarios and Market: Chinese-made prefabricated houses are selling well overseas. For example, in the first four months of 2026, the Guangzhou Customs District exported movable houses worth 1.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%; the Shenzhen Port exported movable houses worth 1.68 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.6%. The application scenarios for modular construction continue to expand, and according to market research institutions, the global modular construction market is expected to exceed 142.8 billion US dollars by 2030.