What Kind of Prefabricated Panel Houses
Prefabricated panel houses are a form of architecture that involves the industrial production of building components and their on-site assembly, featuring unique morphological structures, construction methods, development histories, as well as advantages and disadvantages.
Morphology and Structure
Prefabricated panel houses mainly come in three forms: steel, concrete, and wooden. Their components include prefabricated products such as beams, panels, walls, and columns, and are constructed using pre-made cement panels from factories. These panels can be either solid or hollow, with steel bars inserted inside. For example, when making prefabricated panels, a hollow mold is first nailed together using wooden planks. After placing steel bars in the hollow part of the mold, cement is poured to fill it. Once dry, the wooden planks are knocked off, leaving behind the prefabricated panel.
Construction Method
Entire walls and floor slabs are transported from the factory, and workers assemble them like building with LEGO blocks. Taking 'Super Express' as an example, it prefabricates the room's structure, walls, plumbing, electrical systems, and interior decoration entirely in Chinese factories, with only assembly required on-site. In modular construction, such as the E-MIC prefabricated concrete box house system, individual house modules resembling 'drawers' are stacked together to form the building's main structure, much like building with blocks. By arranging the prefabricated modules in an 'every other one' pattern, the basic units are transformed into three types: prefabricated concrete modules, prefabricated beams, and prefabricated panels. This reduces module usage by 30% to 40%, decreases material consumption, increases the usable floor area ratio, speeds up construction, and allows for more flexible spatial arrangements, making it suitable for various architectural scenarios including urban renewal, new residential construction, and office buildings.
Development History
Prefabricated concrete technology in China began in the 1950s, initially applied in factory and residential construction. In the 1970s, driven by the 'three modernizations' policy in architecture, technical systems such as large panel structures and box structures emerged. By the mid-1980s, the technology stagnated due to cost and quality issues but revived in the 21st century thanks to production efficiency and environmental advantages. Companies like Vanke Group developed prefabricated shear wall residential structural systems and applied prefabricated frame technology in engineering projects.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages: They offer advantages such as shortened construction periods and reduced pollution. They are much faster to build than traditional houses. In the 1970s and 1980s, many units distributed these types of houses to their employees as they were inexpensive and convenient. Disadvantages: They have relatively poor earthquake resistance and are prone to cracking over time.
