Author(s)

ZhiWei Wang, YiHang Tao^*

Affiliation(s)

Hebei Donghan Construction Engineering Co., Ltd, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.

Corresponding Author

YiHang Tao

ABSTRACT

Prefabricated concrete construction incurs significant cost premiums over traditional cast-in-situ methods, with the Huilongguan project case (40% prefabrication rate) in Beijing demonstrating a unit cost increase of CNY 443/m2 (+43%). Granular cost breakdown reveals the core contradiction: prefabricated component costs (including production and transportation) account for 85% of the increment at CNY 680/m2. Although temporary formwork costs decrease by CNY 130/m2 and scaffolding expenses reduce by 60%, vertical transportation costs rise by 22%. Key challenges stem from three systemic constraints: 1) Component production hindered by insufficient scale (<50,000 m2 projects increase mold amortization costs by 30-50%); 2) Structural labor shifts (certified lifters replace steel fixers but with reduced efficiency); and 3) Low transport efficiency (bulky components limit truckload capacity). Improvement pathways include economies of scale (>100,000 m2 projects reduce mold amortization by 8%), standardized design (fewer component types enhance efficiency), and policy compensation (Floor Area Ratio bonuses/VAT rebates). Empirical evidence shows prefabricated masonry can reduce costs by 80%, while schedule compression offsets up to 30% of financing costs. Supply chain integration requires design-production-installation coordination to optimize transport (5-10% of total costs). With scaling and policy incentives, incremental costs are projected to narrow to CNY 200-500/m2.

KEYWORDS

Prefabrication cost premium; Economies of scale; Prefabrication rate; GB/T51231-2016; Temporary works optimization; Policy compensation

CITE THIS PAPER

ZhiWei Wang, YiHang Tao. Comparative analysis of cost structures between prefabricated concrete buildings and traditional cast-in-situ construction: a case study of building #3, Huilongguan plot 1818-028, Beijing. Eurasia Journal of Science and Technology. 2019, 1(1): 50-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/ejst3090.

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