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Oh my goodness, is the house you live in safe? Will it collapse dramatically during an earthquake? This is probably a concern for many people.

Especially for those residents who live in prefabricated panel buildings built in the 1980s and 1990s, they are always worried about safety issues.

Prefabricated panel buildings refer to buildings assembled from prefabricated concrete panels.

In the late last century, this rapid construction method was very popular in the process of urbanization in our country.

According to incomplete statistics, there are currently about 400 million square meters of prefabricated panel buildings in urban areas nationwide.

As time goes by, some old prefabricated panel buildings that have been in use for many years gradually reveal various "negatives", making people question and worry about their safety and comfort.

What are the defects of prefabricated panel buildings? Facing "problematic buildings", should we just demolish them? What kind of realistic resistance will we encounter in the process of urban renewal?

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I. The five major defects of prefabricated panel buildingsWhen it comes to precast slab buildings, many people's first reaction might be: "Isn't that the 'fast food' style of architecture from the last century?"

"Isn't it too cramped to live in?" "What if there's an earthquake?"

Indeed, although precast slab buildings solved the housing problems of a large number of urban residents at that time, they do have many inherent "flaws".

The most pressing issue is the poor seismic performance of precast slab buildings. Due to the limitations of the construction technology and technical level at the time, the connections of the precast slabs often have weak points.

Once an earthquake occurs, these weak points are prone to fracture and disconnection, leading to the collapse of the entire building.

During the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, many precast slab buildings in Deyang city collapsed due to insufficient seismic capacity, resulting in significant casualties, which is heartbreaking.

The insulation and thermal insulation performance of precast slab buildings are also very poor. Due to the high thermal conductivity coefficient of precast slabs, the problem of being cold in winter and hot in summer is particularly prominent in precast slab buildings.

Many residents have reported that the indoor temperature in winter is as cold as an ice cellar, and in summer it is as hot as a steamer.Leaving the air conditioning on all day for heating and cooling is not only a waste of electricity, but it may also lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Over time, who would want to live in such a lukewarm "energy-saving house"?

What's more troublesome is the frequent water leakage issues in prefabricated buildings. The lack of tightness in the joints of the panels and the aging of the exterior walls are all "culprits" that lead to water leakage.

During the rainy season, many residents' homes will start to drip, as if it's "drizzling" inside.

The roofs and walls are also prone to mildew and deterioration due to long-term water immersion, breeding bacteria and affecting human health.

In addition, prefabricated buildings, due to their long service life, often have aging and poorly maintained pipeline facilities, leading to frequent failures in water supply, heating, and sewage disposal, which seriously affects the normal life of residents.

Apart from functional defects, prefabricated buildings are also unsatisfactory in terms of aesthetics.

The exterior walls are often monotonous and dull, while the interior space is cramped and the lighting and ventilation are not ideal.The accumulation of various flaws has led many residents to "keep a respectful distance" from prefabricated panel buildings, wishing to move away immediately.

So, facing prefabricated panel buildings full of "problems", should we decisively demolish them and build new houses instead?

In fact, a comprehensive demolition is not an easy task.

II. Three reasons why prefabricated panel buildings cannot be completely demolished

Although there are many problems with prefabricated panel buildings, to say "demolish them all at once" is by no means a wise move.

It is not easy to "take a hard line" against prefabricated panel buildings, mainly based on the following three practical reasons:

The cost of large-scale demolition of prefabricated panel buildings is really too high.

According to estimates, the cost of demolishing one square meter of prefabricated panel buildings is about 500-800 yuan, and the existing area of prefabricated panel buildings in our country is as high as 400 million square meters. The complete demolition would require an investment of at least two or three hundred billion yuan.

Such a huge amount of demolition funds, I'm afraid any city government can hardly afford it.Moreover, demolition is just the first step; there is also the need to consider a series of subsequent investments such as relocation, resettlement compensation, and the construction of new housing, the financial pressure can be imagined.

Demolishing prefabricated panel buildings also means the large-scale resettlement of tens of millions of residents.

Most of the residents currently living in prefabricated panel buildings are low- and middle-income families. Once demolished, their quality of life is likely to be severely affected.

Residents with limited financial resources may find it difficult to find suitable new accommodations in a short period of time.

Even if the government provides resettlement, it is inevitable that there will be "downgrading" in aspects such as living areas and supporting facilities.

All kinds of practical difficulties make residents of prefabricated panel buildings resistant to demolition.

Forced demolition will undoubtedly trigger new social conflicts.

The comprehensive demolition of prefabricated panel buildings may also lead to a great waste of building resources.Although the existing precast slab buildings in our country have various flaws, most of them have not reached their designed service life.

Some precast slab buildings that have been built for a short time and still have a good structure can continue to be used for another ten to twenty years as long as they are properly reinforced and renovated.

Blind demolition is no different from "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs," which is really contrary to the concept of sustainable development.

Conclusion

The problem of precast slab buildings reflects the growing pains in the process of urban development.

It reminds us that while pursuing speed, we should also pay attention to the quality of construction; in the process of promoting urban renewal, we should also fully consider the feelings of residents.

Only by respecting the laws of urban development and pragmatically promoting the transformation and upgrading of existing housing can more people truly live and work in peace and contentment.With the prescription of "science plus innovation," let us jointly care for every prefabricated building, allowing them to regain vitality and warmth, becoming the "comfortable housing" that carries the happy dreams of millions of families.

The future of prefabricated buildings is worth our common expectation!