Prefabricated Housing

JAPAN
Osaka

Architect/Designer:
Daiwa House Industry Co, Ltd.

Recently, Japan has recorded about 1.5 million new housing starts a year. Of this number, prefabricated housing, consisting of single houses with three or fewer storeys, town and row houses, two-level duplexes and multi-unit residential buildings accounted for 14.4%.

In terms of structural material (steel, wood, concrete type), steel was used in the largest percentage of prefabricated structures because of its superiority in quality and earthquake-resistant performance. The earthquake resistance advantages of steel were reconfirmed in the "1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake" (Kobe). Prefabricated steel housing is beam-and-column framework structure; outer walls, floors and roof are prefabricated unit panels. Partitions and ceilings are also frequently manufactured as panels. For main structural members, H-shape steel is used for beams; channels and rectangular hollow sections for columns; rectangular hollow sections for trusses. Steel structural members are coated for improved corrosion resistance and durability. Incombustibles such as plaster and cement board are used to finish the inner and outer panels to meet fire prevention standards. Recently, autoclaved lightweight concrete has been used in floor panels to satisfy standards for sound insulation and fire prevention. Processing and assembly of steel components is performed by welding at the prefabrication plant; components are bolted at the construction site.

Isometric Detail


Isometric Detail
1 - girder
2 - beam
3 - column
4 - wall panel frame
5 - steel track

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