Prefabricated Housing

Prefabricated housing is a construction method where building components are prefabricated in factories and then transported to the site for assembly.

Construction Characteristics of Prefabricated Houses

The construction process of prefabricated houses is highly industrialized. For example, in rural areas of South Korea, houses are assembled using prefabricated components, with the main structure completed in just 14 days. The 5-ton foundation piles are fixed with base plates, the beams are connected using mortise-and-tenon joints, the stairs are hoisted like building blocks, and finally, a 5-centimeter-thick floor slab is laid and the gaps between components are grouted. In the Intelligent Construction Industrial Park in Longgang, Shenzhen, China, more than 80 intelligent equipment work together, producing a fully equipped building module every 20 minutes. Once transported to the construction site, the module can be installed in just 30 minutes. This Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) involves building house modules in factories and assembling them at the destination like LEGO blocks.

Advantages of Prefabricated Houses

Compared with traditional brick-and-mortar houses, prefabricated houses have significant advantages. Fast construction speed: For a three-story rural house with an area of 150 square meters, the main structure can be completed in five days using prefabrication, and the house can be delivered with fine decoration within two months, while traditional brick-and-mortar construction takes at least 6-8 months. Stable quality: Prefabricated components are manufactured in factories using computer-controlled molds, with errors in each wall panel measured in millimeters. Regular prefabricated concrete or steel structures are earthquake-resistant through integral connections or high-quality materials, with a seismic fortification intensity of up to eight degrees. The seismic performance of steel structures is more than 50% better than that of brick-and-mortar structures. Low life-cycle cost: Although the initial cost is 10% to 30% higher than that of brick-and-mortar construction, and for prefabricated concrete projects with a prefabrication rate of over 30%, the incremental cost is about 150-500 yuan per square meter, when considering the construction period, labor, post-maintenance, and recycling value, the life-cycle cost is actually lower. For example, the actual comprehensive cost of a 200-square-meter light-steel house is about 356,000 yuan, while that of a brick-and-mortar house is about 390,000 yuan. Steel structures have a service life of 90 years and a recycling rate of over 90%.

Disadvantages of Prefabricated Houses

Prefabricated houses also have some disadvantages. Fixed floor plan layout: Standardized construction makes it impossible to freely modify the floor plan layout. After moving in, it is difficult to adjust according to changes in life, and home renovations are basically out of the question. Difficulty in modifying water and electricity pipelines: The water and electricity pipelines are fixed during factory production, making it extremely difficult to modify the wiring or add/remove points later. The decoration and assembly mode is fixed, and only the factory design can be used.