Prefabrication of Houses in Factories
Prefabrication of houses in factories involves breaking down buildings into independent modules, which are then prefabricated in factories and transported to the site for assembly. Its core features and advantages are as follows:
1. Significantly Shorter Construction Period
Factories adopt a parallel operation model, synchronously producing components such as ceilings, floors, and water and electricity pipelines on assembly lines. This reduces the construction period by more than 60% compared to traditional methods. For example, a public housing project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, combined factory prefabrication with on-site assembly, compressing the completion and delivery time from 2.5-3 years to just 1 year. This efficiency boost stems from modular production avoiding the linear process of traditional site-by-site construction while reducing coordination costs for on-site cross-operations.
2. Precise and Controllable Quality
Factory environments achieve millimeter-level precision control through standardized equipment. Each component is attached with an 'ID card' label, recording information such as project name, product model, and production date. This traceability ensures strict control over construction errors, avoiding quality fluctuations caused by manual operation differences on traditional sites. For instance, the flatness error of prefabricated walls can be controlled within ±1mm, far superior to the ±5mm standard for on-site pouring.
3. Outstanding Environmental Benefits
Factory prefabrication reduces construction waste by more than 50% while lowering pollution through centralized waste disposal. Taking the Shenzhen project as an example, on-site cast-in-place connections accounted for only 20% of the overall project, significantly reducing noise, dust, and traffic congestion that disturb residents. When paired with energy-saving technologies like photovoltaic curtain walls, it can further reduce carbon emissions throughout the building's lifecycle, promoting the implementation of green building concepts.
4. Maintenance and Cost Advantages
Some modules support overall relocation or reuse. For example, standardized units like bathrooms and kitchens can be disassembled and used in other projects, extending the lifecycle of building components. In terms of costs, factory standardized production reduces material waste by 30% and lowers overall costs by 20% by avoiding weather impacts (such as rainy season shutdowns). According to customs data, the export value of movable houses in the Guangzhou Customs area increased by 38.1% year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, confirming the economic competitiveness of modular buildings.
Industrial Foundation and Development Trends
Prefabrication of houses in factories relies on the support of technological systems, production systems, and industrial clusters. China's prefabricated concrete technology originated in the 1950s and has seen a resurgence since the 21st century due to efficiency and environmental protection demands. Currently, it is revolutionizing traditional site rules through a 'building block' approach. Market research institutions predict that the global modular building market size will exceed $142.8 billion by 2030, and the growth data on movable house exports from Guangzhou Customs also indicate that the application scenarios of this model are continuously expanding from residential buildings to temporary facilities, emergency buildings, and other fields.
