History of Prefabricated Panel Houses
Prefabricated panel houses originated in the early 20th century and have undergone a process of emergence, development, decline, and renewed attention in China.
Emergence and Early Development: Prefabricated panel houses emerged in the early 20th century, primarily used for floor slabs and roof insulation layers, and were an industrialized construction method learned from foreign technologies. China's prefabricated concrete technology began in the 1950s, influenced early on by the Soviet Union's prefabricated concrete building model, and was mainly applied in industrial plants, residential buildings, office buildings, and other construction fields. From the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, the vast majority of single-story industrial plants were constructed using prefabricated concrete. Before the mid-1980s, prefabricated concrete technology was also widely used in multi-story residential and office buildings, with main structural forms including assembled large-panel structures, box structures, frame-light panel structures, and composite frame structures.
Large-Scale Application Phase: During the period from the 1970s to the 1990s, to meet the growing housing demand at the time, prefabricated panel houses emerged in large numbers. Faced with issues such as housing shortages, relatively backward construction technologies, limited construction funds, and policy guidance prioritizing the resolution of the 'having a place to live' problem, prefabricated panel houses made significant contributions to the urbanization process. Most residential buildings constructed in China before 1985 adopted this type of structure.
Decline Period: After the mid-1980s, China's prefabricated concrete buildings entered a decline period due to factors such as excessively low cost control, poor overall integrity, poor waterproofing performance, reforms in national construction policies, and the surge in nationwide labor-intensive large-scale infrastructure projects, which ultimately led to a rapid decrease in the proportion of assembled structures.
Renewed Attention and Renovation Policies: Entering the 21st century, prefabricated components have regained attention due to their high production efficiency and good product quality. There has been a resurgence in research and application of prefabricated concrete in China. Since 2022, China has implemented renovation policies, focusing on the repair and renovation of prefabricated panel houses and only demolishing buildings that meet the criteria for dangerous structures.
