Plan promotes prefabs to increase efficiency

The buildings cut use of cement, water and wood by 15 percent compared with traditional constructions

Air and noise pollution created by construction sites could become a thing of the past, as China is promoting prefabricated buildings, known as prefabs, to save energy, improve safety and reduce excess capacity, the State Council, China's Cabinet, announced after an executive meeting, which was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Sept 14.

The move is part of the country's urbanization plan to address increased demand for real estate as people move from rural areas into cities. Building prefabs can help reduce construction waste, dust and noise, compared with traditional cast-in-place concrete constructions, according to Chen Yiming, chief engineer at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Chen said prefabs only use 85 percent of the cement, water and wood involved in traditional construction methods.