Prefabricated Modular House Panels
Prefabricated modular house panels mainly involve two types of building forms: prefabricated panel houses and modular houses, with their characteristics and application scenarios as follows:
Prefabricated panel houses use prefabricated panels as their main components, which are factory-made cement elements. During production, a wooden model is first nailed together, then steel bars are arranged and cement is poured to form the panels, which come in solid and hollow types. The hollow structure achieves lightweighting by reducing the non-load-bearing concrete. This building form originated in the early 20th century and was initially used mainly for floor slabs and roof insulation layers. In China, most residential buildings constructed before 1985 adopted this structure. However, existing prefabricated panel houses have obvious defects: weak earthquake resistance, making them vulnerable to damage in earthquakes and other disasters; poor sound and heat insulation performance, affecting living comfort; and a relatively short service life of about 30 - 50 years, which is difficult to meet long-term use requirements.
Modular houses (modular buildings) are a more advanced building form. They complete the production and installation of the building's main body, enclosure structure, equipment pipelines, and interior decoration in the factory, forming standardized prefabricated assembled space modules, which are then transported to the site and connected through assembly. Their core features are standardized design, factory-based production, and assembly-based construction. This building form has significant advantages: good earthquake resistance, effectively withstanding earthquakes and other disasters; green and environmentally friendly, reducing building waste by about 80% and aligning with sustainable development concepts. Therefore, modular buildings are widely used in various scenarios such as residences, schools, and hospitals, meeting different functional requirements.
Prefabricated modular houses come in various types, mainly including steel, concrete, and wooden forms. Chinese companies have comparative advantages concentrated in steel and concrete structures: Steel structures are lightweight, suitable for ocean shipping and high-rise buildings, and can meet special scenario requirements; concrete structures are closer to traditional living experiences and have high acceptance in the domestic market. In addition, some areas in North America are popular for prefabricated modular wooden houses, where wooden structural components are precisely processed in the factory in advance and then transported to the site, reflecting regional characteristics and material advantages.
