Prefabricated Structural Housing

Prefabricated structural housing is a form of construction that involves the industrial production of building components and their assembly on-site. It is also known as prefabricated assembled buildings or modular buildings. The core concept is to break down the building into independent modules (such as beams, slabs, walls, columns, etc.), which are manufactured in a factory and then transported to the construction site for assembly, similar to the construction method of 'building blocks'.

Main Characteristics

1. Technical Types
   It encompasses prefabricated concrete structures, steel structures, and modern timber structures, employing standardized design, factory-based production, assembly construction, information management, and intelligent applications. For example, the Nanjing Jindi Yufang project utilizes a prestressed prefabricated concrete assembled integral frame structure system, demonstrating the diversity of technical types.

2. Core Advantages

   • Shortened Construction Period: The construction cycle can be reduced by more than 60%. For instance, the public housing project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, was shortened from the traditional 2.5-3 years to 1 year, significantly improving construction efficiency.
   • Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency: Construction waste is reduced by more than 70%, and on-site noise, dust, and traffic congestion are significantly decreased, aligning with the trend of green building development.
   • Quality Control: Module production precision is measured in millimeters, and each component comes with an 'ID card' (project name, model, production date, etc.) to ensure traceable quality.
   • Flexible Maintenance: Modular design facilitates later maintenance and renovation, extending the building's service life.

3. Typical Types

   • Panel-based Assembly: Focused on prefabricated wall panels and floor slabs, it can expand usable area but has limited design flexibility.
   • Box-based Assembly: By combining prefabricated functional units, construction speed is increased by 50%-70%, but it requires higher transportation and lifting equipment.
   • Frame-based Assembly: Such as the Nanjing Jindi Yufang project, which adopts a prestressed prefabricated concrete assembled integral frame structure system, suitable for high-rise buildings.

Application Scenarios
Prefabricated structural housing is widely used in residential construction, public housing and apartments, and overseas exports. For example, Vanke Group has developed a prefabricated shear wall residential structure system for high-rise residential projects; the public housing project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, is assembled from 6,028 concrete modules, housing over 2,000 residents; 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%, indicating strong international market demand.

Development Background
China began its journey in the 1950s and saw a resurgence in the 21st century due to advantages in environmental protection and production efficiency. In 2016, the State Council issued the 'Guidelines on Vigorously Developing Prefabricated Buildings', designating the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta as key promotion areas. In terms of technological iteration, early prefabricated buildings had a rigid appearance but later gained flexibility through design improvements, such as American movable houses that can be used independently or connected, with complete internal facilities. In terms of industrial upgrading, modular buildings require support from technical systems, production systems, and industrial clusters, with the global market size expected to exceed 142.8 billion USD by 2030.