Prefabricated PC Modular Housing
Prefabricated PC modular housing is constructed using prefabricated concrete (PC) structural technology, with prefabricated components serving as the main load-bearing elements assembled to form the building. The following provides an introduction from various perspectives:
Cost and Application: Prefabricated PC modular housing has relatively low costs and an extremely wide range of applications. It is in line with traditional cast-in-place concrete structures and is the most smoothly promoted and widely covered among the three major structural systems of prefabricated buildings. Among the first 64 prefabricated building demonstration projects recognized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, concrete structures account for the largest proportion, reaching 64%, which fully reflects their widespread application and recognition in the market.
Components and Efficiency: The concrete products of this type of housing are standardized and processed in factories, offering numerous advantages. They have good structural performance, high product quality, and extremely fast construction speeds. The main prefabricated components include prefabricated PC wall panels, folding floor slabs, stairs, and composite beams. These components are suitable for various types of industrialized buildings and have good flexibility and applicability. They are widely used in multi-story buildings, especially in the residential sector, enabling the construction of approximately one floor every five days and significantly shortening the construction period.
Advantages and Limitations: The low construction cost is a major advantage of prefabricated PC modular housing, making it highly suitable for multi-story and small-to-medium-rise office buildings and residential buildings with large quantities. However, it also has certain limitations. On the one hand, it is difficult to meet special design requirements such as wind resistance, earthquake resistance, and ultra-high spans, which to some extent limits its application in some special construction projects. On the other hand, the cost competition in the PC component field is fierce, and the optimization space is limited, making it difficult to fully replace traditional cast-in-place concrete in the short term.
In addition, French prefabricated buildings mainly adopt prefabricated prestressed concrete structures, which are commonly used in concrete-structured prefabricated buildings with an assembly rate of up to 80%. They feature standardized dimensions and components, with welding and bolt connections being the main assembly methods. In recent years, dry construction methods such as welding have become popular, with structural components separated from equipment and decoration works, reducing pre-embedding and ensuring high production and construction quality. This also provides valuable experience for the development of prefabricated PC modular housing.
