Should a Single-Story House Add Prefabricated Panels?

Whether to add prefabricated panels to a single-story house requires weighing specific needs and risks; there is no absolute answer, but the decision can be made based on the scenario.

Scenarios Supporting the Use of Prefabricated Panels

1. Economic Needs
   Prefabricated panels are inexpensive and easy to install, making them suitable for scenarios with limited budgets or the need for rapid construction. For example, temporary rural buildings (such as stables and tool sheds) have widely adopted prefabricated panels due to their short service life and low structural requirements. If the house is only for short-term transitional use, prefabricated panels can significantly reduce costs.

2. Specific Structural Combinations
   If the second floor uses cast-in-place panels, using prefabricated panels on the first floor can enhance safety through structural complementarity. The cast-in-place layer connects to the lower layer through columns and ground beams, forming an overall load-bearing system that partially compensates for the insufficient stability of prefabricated panels. This combination is occasionally used in multi-story buildings, but strict quality control during construction is required.

Scenarios Opposing the Use of Prefabricated Panels

1. Safety Risks

   • Poor Earthquake Resistance: Prefabricated panels are connected through grouting or welding and are prone to detachment or structural collapse during earthquakes due to connection failure. For example, during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, many prefabricated panel buildings suffered severe damage due to weak connections.
   • Low Integrity: Prefabricated panels are independent blocks that do not constrain the walls; the stability of the house relies on other structures (such as the cast-in-place layer) for supplementation. If only the first floor uses prefabricated panels without reinforcement from a cast-in-place layer, the house's lateral resistance capacity significantly decreases.

2. Durability Issues

   • Short Service Life: The actual service life of prefabricated panels is about 10 years, after which problems such as aging and cracks are prone to occur, requiring frequent repairs or replacements.
   • Prone to Leakage: Gaps between panels require additional waterproofing treatment (such as grouting and laying moisture-proof membranes). If construction is not standardized, rainwater leakage can easily occur during the rainy season, leading to indoor dampness.

3. Policy Restrictions
   Many places have explicitly prohibited the use of prefabricated panels in commercial housing and civil buildings. For example, Jining City has banned the use of prefabricated panels in newly built residential buildings since 2012, and Sichuan Province has done so since 2005, mainly because their safety cannot meet modern building standards.

Comprehensive Recommendations

• Temporary Buildings or Scenarios with Extremely Low Budgets: Prefabricated panels can be used cautiously, but enhanced waterproofing treatment (such as laying double-layer moisture-proof membranes) and regular inspections and maintenance are required.
• Long-Term Residential Buildings: If located in earthquake-prone or humid areas, it is recommended to use cast-in-place panels or a combination of "prefabricated panels on the first floor + cast-in-place panels on the second floor" to balance cost and safety.
• Construction Requirements: Regardless of the chosen method, construction quality must be ensured, such as avoiding sharp objects from puncturing the moisture-proof membranes and standardizing the connection nodes of prefabricated panels.