Prefabricated Component Assembled House
Prefabricated component assembled houses are a form of construction where building components are industrially produced and assembled on-site. They offer advantages such as shortened construction periods and reduced pollution, having undergone a development process in China from initiation to stagnation and then revival, with various types and technical systems available.
Prefabricated component assembled houses, also known as prefabricated buildings, mainly include panel-assembled, box-assembled, and frame-assembled types. The technologies cover prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures, with components such as prefabricated beams, slabs, walls, and columns.
Their advantages are significant. On one hand, they can shorten construction periods. For example, Ningbo once assembled a fully prefabricated rural house in 7 days, and there was also a case where the main structure was completed in 14 days. On the other hand, they can reduce pollution. In Fujian Province and other regions, through policy support, industrial bases have been established, achieving a reduction of over 70% in construction waste.
China's prefabricated concrete technology began in the 1950s and was initially applied to factory and residential construction. In the 1970s, driven by the policy of "industrialization, standardization, and mechanization" in construction, technical systems such as large-panel structures and box structures were formed. However, in the mid-1980s, it stagnated due to cost and quality defects. After the 21st century, it revived due to its production efficiency and environmental advantages. Companies like Vanke Group developed prefabricated shear wall residential structural systems and applied prefabricated frame technologies in projects, such as the Nanjing Jindi Yufang project, which adopted a prestressed prefabricated concrete assembled integral frame structural system.
Different types have their own characteristics. Panel-assembled buildings use prefabricated wall panels and floor slabs as core components, which can expand the usable area but are limited in design flexibility. Box-assembled buildings are combined through prefabricated functional units, increasing construction speed by 50%-70%, but have higher requirements for transportation and lifting equipment. In addition, modular buildings are a more integrated mode within prefabricated buildings. Moreover, Chinese-made prefabricated houses are selling well overseas. According to customs data, in the first four months of 2026, the Guangzhou Customs District exported movable houses worth 1.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%.
