Prefabricated Concrete House

A prefabricated concrete house is a building form that involves industrial production of building components and on-site assembly, offering advantages such as shortened construction periods and reduced pollution.

Definition and Construction Method

A prefabricated concrete house, also known as a prefabricated assembled building, has its main structure pre-cast into various concrete components in a factory. During construction, these components are connected together like building blocks to form a rough-finished house. The construction process significantly reduces on-site wet operations and enables rapid construction. For example, a two-story reinforced concrete rough-finished house can be completed in approximately two weeks.

Main Types and Technical Scope

• Main Types: These include panel-assembled, box-assembled, and frame-assembled types. Panel-assembled buildings use pre-cast wall panels and floor slabs as core components, allowing for expanded usable area but with limitations in design flexibility. Box-assembled buildings combine pre-fabricated functional units, increasing construction speed by 50%-70%, but requiring higher transportation and lifting equipment. Modular buildings represent a more integrated mode within prefabricated assembled buildings.
• Technical Scope: This encompasses both prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures, with components including pre-cast beams, slabs, walls, and columns.

Construction Process

In the factory, workers first assemble metal steel plates into molds required for casting prefabricated concrete components using bolt connectors. After spraying mold release agents on the mold surfaces, they cross-place steel bars inside the molds and bind them into a mesh framework with steel wires. Connectors are also placed inside the steel bar mesh as connection points between the concrete components and cranes. Next, concrete is poured into the molds, and vibrators are used to remove air bubbles. After pouring, the surfaces are smoothed, covered with plastic sheds, and heating devices are installed to promote cement hydration reactions and improve the quality of the concrete components. Once all prefabricated concrete components are cast, they can be transported to the construction site for house building. Before construction, foundations need to be laid by digging a pit about 1 meter deep, laying moisture-proof PE film at the bottom, pouring 'discarded concrete' into the pit bottom as a base, installing guide steel plates after solidification, and placing large prefabricated concrete floor slabs on the guide steel plates.

Development History and Applications

China's prefabricated concrete technology originated in the 1950s and was initially applied to factory and residential construction. In the 1970s, driven by the 'three modernizations' policy in construction, technical systems such as large-panel structures and box structures were formed. In the mid-1980s, the technology stagnated due to cost and quality defects but revived in the 21st century due to production efficiency and environmental advantages. Companies like Vanke Group have developed prefabricated shear wall residential structural systems and applied prefabricated frame technology in engineering projects. Regions such as Fujian Province have established industrial bases through policy support, achieving over 70% reduction in construction waste. 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%.