Prefabricated House

A prefabricated house is a form of construction where building components are industrially produced and assembled on-site. It is also known as a prefabricated assembled building or modular building. Its core feature is to break down the building into independent modules (such as ceilings, floors, walls, plumbing and electrical lines, etc.), which are prefabricated in factories and then transported to the site for assembly, similar to the process of "building with blocks".

Technical Types and Components
The technical systems of prefabricated houses mainly fall into two categories:

1. Structural Systems: These include prefabricated concrete structures and steel structures, with components covering prefabricated products such as beams, slabs, walls, and columns. For example, steel structural components are lightweight and suitable for ocean shipping and high-rise buildings; concrete components offer a more traditional living experience and are highly accepted in the domestic market.
2. Modular Integration: Some models, such as CMC combined modular buildings, enhance earthquake resistance through integrated steel-concrete pouring, reducing construction time by 30%-60% or more compared to traditional methods. For instance, a public housing project in Shenzhen used 6,028 concrete modules for assembly, reducing the construction period from 2.5-3 years to 1 year.

Advantages and Challenges
Advantages:

• Short Construction Time: The construction period is 30%-60% shorter than that of traditional buildings, as demonstrated by the Shenzhen public housing project, which was reduced from 2.5-3 years to 1 year.
• Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency: Construction waste is reduced by over 70%, and issues such as on-site noise, dust, and traffic congestion are significantly mitigated.
• Quality Control: Factories employ automated production lines with millimeter-level error control, and each prefabricated component comes with an "ID card" recording production information.

Challenges:

• High Industrial Base Requirements: Support from technical systems, production systems, and industrial clusters is needed, such as automated production lines and standardized management.
• Transportation Limitations: Box-type prefabrication requires high lifting equipment, and some large modules need special transportation conditions, such as oversized transport permits or dedicated vehicles.

Application Scenarios
Prefabricated houses have been widely applied in residential construction, public housing projects, and overseas demand:

• Residential Construction: For example, the Nanjing Jindi Yufang project adopted a prestressed prefabricated concrete assembled integral frame structure system.
• Public Housing Projects: A project in Shenzhen was assembled from 6,028 concrete modules, housing over 2,000 residents.
• Overseas Demand: Chinese-made prefabricated houses are gaining popularity overseas due to their cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. 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%; the Shenzhen port exported 1.68 billion yuan worth, a year-on-year increase of 19.6%. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a promotional video highlighting their international influence.