What is the Name for Prefabricated House Renovation?

In relevant policies and practices, the renovation of prefabricated houses is referred to as 'governance renovation'. This term has a clear orientation in official documents and industry practices. For example, the '15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal' issued by the State Council explicitly proposes to 'steadily promote the governance renovation of prefabricated panel houses' and regards it as an important part of urban renewal actions. The following explains this from three dimensions: policy definition, practical types, and renovation models.

Unified Definition at the Policy Level

'Governance renovation' is the official term for addressing the systemic issues of prefabricated houses. Its core goal is to solve safety hazards such as poor seismic performance, unreasonable spatial layout, and lack of supporting facilities in prefabricated panel houses caused by their long construction age and outdated design standards through means such as structural reinforcement, functional enhancement, and environmental optimization. For example, some regions have listed prefabricated panel houses as key targets for 'dilapidated house renovation' and promote the renovation process through government-led initiatives and financial subsidies.

Classified Renovation in Practice

There are specific name differences in the renovation of different types of prefabricated houses:

• 'Small Beam and Thin Panel' House Renovation: Taking Shanghai as an example, for 'small beam and thin panel' structural houses built before the 1980s, methods such as demolition and reconstruction, and extension and expansion are used to improve living quality. For example, in a project in Shanghai, the original 4-story prefabricated panel building was demolished and rebuilt into an 18-story new residential building with elevators, along with supporting community service facilities.
• Self-initiated Renovation of Old Residential Areas: Some cities explore a 'resident-led' model. For example, in a residential area in Hangzhou, the owners raised funds and implemented renovation according to the principle of 'demolition and reconstruction on the original site', retaining the original architectural layout while meeting modern living needs through structural reinforcement and equipment updates.

Diversified Renovation Models

According to the condition of the houses and the needs of residents, governance renovation includes multiple implementation paths:

• Structural Reinforcement Type: For prefabricated houses with a sound main structure, methods such as adding shear walls and carbon fiber reinforcement are used to improve seismic performance;
• Functional Enhancement Type: On the basis of retaining the original structure, renovate water and electricity pipelines, add elevators, and optimize the layout of apartment types;
• Demolition and Reconstruction Type: For dilapidated houses or areas subject to planning adjustments, completely demolish and rebuild new-type residential buildings, such as the 'demolition and relocation' project in Shanghai.

It should be noted that the names of renovations may be slightly adjusted due to regional policy differences, but 'governance renovation', as a general term, always revolves around the core goal of eliminating safety hazards and improving living conditions.