Reasons for the Suspension of Prefabricated Houses

The main reasons for the suspension of prefabricated houses include poor earthquake resistance, fragile connection points, shoddy materials, short design lifespans with many exceeding their service lives, and prominent issues with user experience and safety hazards.

1. Almost Zero Earthquake Resistance
The earthquake resistance of prefabricated houses is a core defect. Their floor slabs and walls are fixed through simple overlapping, resulting in poor overall integrity, similar to "building with blocks." During an earthquake, horizontal forces directly cause the floor slabs and walls to separate instantly, leading to the sudden collapse of entire prefabricated panels without any warning cracks or deformation buffering stages. In historical earthquakes, the collapse rate of prefabricated panel houses has been extremely high, with very short escape times and significantly higher casualty risks compared to cast-in-place structural houses.

2. Extremely Fragile Connection Points
The connections between prefabricated panels and walls, as well as between panels themselves, rely solely on simple filling, lacking the support of rigid frameworks such as ring beams and structural columns. When foundation settlement or wall cracking occurs, the panels are prone to misalignment and loosening. Over time, exposed to wind, sun, and thermal expansion and contraction, the connection points weather and the steel reinforcement rusts, significantly reducing strength. Old prefabricated houses often experience chain collapses due to localized stress (such as stacking heavy objects or knocking down walls during renovations).

3. Widespread Shoddy Materials
Standard prefabricated panels require the use of fine steel bars, but small workshops often substitute them with fine steel wires. The concrete grades are substandard, and the thickness is insufficient, resulting in brittle materials that are prone to breaking. Compared to cast-in-place floor slabs, prefabricated panels lack toughness and can suddenly break under overload without warning. During daily use, stacking heavy objects, construction during renovations, or aging over time can all trigger collapse accidents.

4. Short Design Lifespans with Many Exceeding Their Service Lives
The design service life of prefabricated panel buildings is typically 30 to 40 years, but a large number of prefabricated houses built in China during the 1980s and 1990s have already exceeded their design lifespans. Structural aging leads to a decline in load-bearing capacity and a sharp increase in risks. However, due to the difficulty and high cost of renovation, many houses continue to operate "while sick," further exacerbating safety hazards.

5. Poor User Experience and Daily Safety Hazards
Prefabricated houses generally have poor sound insulation, thermal insulation, and waterproofing performance. The floor slabs are prone to leakage, and the joints between panels are prone to cracking. Rusting and expansion of the steel reinforcement inside the panels can cause the concrete to spall, posing a risk of floor slab collapse. In recent decades, prefabricated panel houses have accounted for a significant proportion of building safety accidents, with their daily safety hazards becoming a key reason for their suspension.