Why Not Choose Prefabricated Houses?
The main reasons for not choosing prefabricated houses are as follows:
Poor Seismic Performance: Prefabricated panel houses have poor integrity, similar to structures built with building blocks. They lack strong steel bar connections and are difficult to form a unified whole. When an earthquake or shaking occurs, under the action of horizontal forces, the floor slabs and walls are prone to instant separation, causing the house to suddenly collapse. There is no crack warning or deformation buffer, and the entire panel falls directly, greatly reducing escape time. In multiple earthquakes, prefabricated panel houses have shown severe collapse and high casualty rates.
Weak Connection Points: The connection between prefabricated panels and walls is simply lapped, with joint filling between panels, lacking rigid framework support such as ring beams and structural columns. When the foundation settles or the wall cracks, the panels are prone to misalignment and loosening. After long-term use, the connection points weather and the steel bars rust, significantly reducing strength. After living in old prefabricated panel houses for two or three decades, the floor slabs may be on the verge of collapse, and slight pressure or wall-breaking can trigger a chain collapse.
Substandard Materials: The steel bars in regular prefabricated panels are already relatively thin, but small workshops often use thin steel wires instead of steel bars to reduce costs, with concrete grades not meeting standards and insufficient thickness. Such prefabricated panels appear to be cement structures but are actually brittle and can break instantly under overload without any warning. Daily stacking of heavy objects, renovation floor-breaking, or aging over time can all lead to sudden collapse.
Poor Sound Insulation and Thermal Insulation: Residents generally report that prefabricated panel houses are hot in summer and cold in winter, and they can clearly hear their neighbors' activities, seriously affecting quality of life.
Limited Internal Structure Adjustment: Unlike modern commercial housing, prefabricated panel houses almost do not allow large-scale renovation. Every wall may involve overall structural safety, making it difficult for residents to customize living spaces according to their needs.
High Risk of Water Seepage: Over time, cement components are prone to cracks, and the gaps between components increase, leading to frequent water seepage problems between floors.
Short Service Life: The design life of prefabricated panel houses is about 30 to 50 years. Most were built in the 1970s to 1990s, and many have approached or exceeded their service lives, with aging being common.
Poor Living Experience: Residents on lower floors are easily disturbed by noise from upper floors, and privacy is poor.
