Prefabricated Slab House

A prefabricated slab house is a type of building constructed primarily using prefabricated slabs, which are factory-made cement components. These houses have drawbacks such as weak earthquake resistance, poor sound and thermal insulation, limited service life, and waterproofing issues, and are gradually being replaced as building technology advances.

I. Construction and Characteristics of Prefabricated Slab Houses Prefabricated slab houses are centered around factory-made cement components. During production, wooden models are nailed together, steel bars are arranged, and cement is poured to form the slabs, which come in solid and hollow types. The hollow structure reduces the amount of non-load-bearing concrete, achieving lightweight construction with advantages of low cost and fast construction. In rural self-built houses in China, prefabricated slabs were commonly used as roofs 20 years ago due to their low cost and convenient hoisting, allowing roof coverage to be completed within a day.

II. Defects of Prefabricated Slab Houses

1. Weak Earthquake Resistance: Prefabricated slab houses have poor integrity, and displacements are prone to occur between slab joints. In earthquake-prone areas, this structure is likely to collapse due to insecure connections, so it is explicitly prohibited in high-seismic-risk regions.
2. Poor Sound and Thermal Insulation: The thermal insulation performance of prefabricated slabs is insufficient. They cannot effectively insulate against heat in summer or retain warmth in winter, causing significant fluctuations in indoor temperature with the seasons and resulting in low living comfort.
3. Limited Service Life: The design service life of existing prefabricated slab houses is about 30-50 years. After exceeding this lifespan, the structural stability declines, necessitating safety assessments or renovations.
4. Prominent Waterproofing Issues: Prefabricated slabs are long, strip-shaped components with natural gaps between slab joints. If the joint filling during construction is not tight or the material quality is poor, the probability of water leakage in the later stage is extremely high, and the maintenance cost is substantial.

III. Replacement Trend of Prefabricated Slab Houses With the advancement of building technology, cast-in-place concrete and prefabricated buildings are gradually replacing traditional prefabricated slab houses. Prefabricated buildings use modular factory-made components. For example, CMC composite modules enhance earthquake resistance through integrated steel-concrete pouring, and the construction period is 30% shorter than traditional methods. Since 2022, China has implemented renovation policies for old buildings, focusing on repairing and renovating prefabricated slab houses and only demolishing those that meet the criteria for dangerous buildings. Some regions have already initiated systematic demolition work.