Prefabricated construction takes off in Zhejiang

Prefabricated construction has received a warm welcome in Zhuji, Zhejiang province. The method recently cut down the time required to build a batch of villas in Zhuji to a speedy four months.

Compared with traditional methods, prefabricated construction is the practice of assembling some components of a structure in factories or other manufacturing sites, and then transporting these partially-built pieces to the final construction site, where they are put together the rest of the way.

According to a construction worker surnamed Wu at the site of the new villas in Zhuji, construction time for some lightweight steel structures is now less than one month. Prefabricated construction sets can be high quality, energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

In addition, while small problems like hollows and cracks are often discovered in traditional construction projects only after buildings are completed, quality defects can be spotted much earlier in prefabricated construction projects, since all the components are prepared in factories. The method also reduces energy consumption by 70 percent, material waste by 20 percent and water consumption by 60 percent.

As proven by seismic tests, prefabricated structures are able to withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale. In addition, the performance of such structures when it comes to thermal and sound insulation as well as fire-proofing beats the performance of traditional buildings.

Influenced by rising labor costs, the overall cost of construction in China is gradually increasing; the new trend of prefabricated construction may help to solve this problem. A revolution of green, low-carbon building could easily change the status quo and catalyze a new round of construction in China's countryside.