Tongling Prefabricated Panel Structure Houses

There are prefabricated panel structure houses in Tongling, and multiple measures have been taken to ensure their safety.

Prefabricated panel structure houses were once widely used, with advantages such as fast construction speed and relatively low cost. They can complete the main structure construction in a short time, meeting the needs of rapid construction. However, their drawbacks are also quite evident:

• Poor integrity: The connections between panels are not firm. Under the action of earthquakes or external forces, they are prone to dislocation and cracking, seriously threatening the lives of residents. For example, at 13:40 on May 27, 2024, Building 48 in Longyuan Community, Datong Town, Suburban District, Tongling City (a brick-concrete prefabricated panel structure built in 2001) collapsed.
• Prominent waterproofing issues: The gaps between prefabricated panels are difficult to handle and are weak points for waterproofing. Leakage problems often occur. In some old residential areas on the top floors that use hollow prefabricated panels, situations such as roof leakage and wall seepage are common.
• Short service life and high maintenance costs: Compared with other types of houses, prefabricated panel structure houses have a relatively short service life and require more investment in maintenance in the later stage.

In response to the problems of old prefabricated panel structure houses, Tongling City has taken a series of measures:

• Comprehensive inspection to understand the situation: Since May 2024, a new round of large-scale inspection and rectification of urban and rural housing safety has been launched. Grassroots personnel have been trained, safety experts selected, and testing institutions optimized. After two years of concentrated inspection and rectification, the safety situation of more than 550,000 existing houses in the city has been fully understood.
• Safety appraisal and targeted measures: For houses initially judged by experts to have potential safety hazards, professional appraisals are organized. Based on the appraisal results, risk elimination work is carried out with the principle of "one house, one policy". The supervision of testing institutions is strengthened, and a three-level cancellation and review system is implemented. For Grade D dilapidated houses, before engineering measures are taken, strict measures such as sealing off the houses, evacuating people, setting up warnings, and conducting regular inspections are implemented. At the same time, active efforts are made to seek policy support to promote risk elimination of dilapidated houses.
• Improving mechanisms and strengthening supervision: A working mechanism of inter-departmental collaboration and coordination has been established. Houses that meet the conditions are included in the urban or rural dilapidated house renovation plans on an annual basis. Overall scheduling is strengthened, task lists are formulated, and difficult and key issues are regularly discussed. Each district has also innovated its working mechanisms to promote risk elimination work.