With the rapid advancement of urbanization, the rapid growth of urban population has created an urgent demand for housing, making industrialized steel structure housing a top choice. Authoritative departments predict that by 2015, steel structure housing will account for 15%-20% of the total national housing construction.

 

　　After nearly 20 years of development and construction, steel structure housing in China has faced many challenges, with low market penetration and annual construction volume less than 1%. The significant losses of life and property caused by major earthquakes in Tangshan, Wenchuan, and Yushu have challenged China's building system and structural safety performance. The excellent earthquake resistance and numerous advantages of steel structure housing are undeniable. Based on the advanced concepts of green, environmentally friendly, recyclable, and sustainable development, the state should strongly advocate the development of steel structure housing.

 

Development, Application, and Promotion of Steel Structure Housing

 

　　Currently, China is facing increasingly severe resource shortages. Steel structures, with their recyclable steel materials, save a significant amount of resources. The state should encourage steel structure housing and provide appropriate subsidies to investors or developers. After reaching the end of their lifespan, the state should recover or reuse the scrap steel from these structures, achieving the purpose of strategic resource reserves.

 

Key Enterprises and Innovative Features in Steel Structure Housing Development

 

　　In recent years, design institutes, research institutions, universities, government departments, steel and steel structure companies, and real estate companies have conducted extensive research and development of steel structure housing, including pilot projects, industrialization promotion, component matching, and green building certification. This has gained recognition from many local governments, real estate developers, and investors, but the development area and scope of promotion are still far from sufficient.

 

　　Companies such as Baosteel, Cybos, Hangxiao Steel Structure, and Laigang Construction, which have continuously strived to develop steel structure housing, are at the forefront of the industry in terms of industrialization. Local governments in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu, Jinan, Shenyang, and Anshan have also provided significant support and investment. As a result, steel structure housing has achieved certain accomplishments, with millions of square meters of steel structure housing already built and put into use nationwide.

 

　　The International Iron and Steel Institute organized 10 key steel companies globally to develop steel structure housing, with Baosteel representing China and investing substantial funds and researchers. The initiative focused on developing steel structure housing suitable for densely populated countries such as China, India, and South Africa, and has held three global solicitations for excellent proposals. Significant progress has been made in projects such as resettlement housing in Dujiangyan, Sichuan; affordable housing in Wuhan; and the Shenyang affordable housing project.

 

　　The United Nations predicts that the global urbanization rate will reach 70% by 2050. In the past 20 years alone, developing countries have seen 3 million new urban residents added every week. It is predicted that the demand for housing and infrastructure services in 2030 will be 40% higher than in 2005. This means that over the next 21 years, more than 4,000 houses must be built every hour to meet this demand—an almost impossible task. Although these figures are shocking, they also show the enormous opportunities awaiting the construction industry.

 

　　Considering the development opportunities facing steel structure housing, the China Steel Structure Association's "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" proposal for steel structure housing construction suggests promoting comprehensive improvements in the quality of steel structure housing construction, strengthening research and development on earthquake resistance, wind resistance, corrosion resistance, fire resistance, and structural safety and health monitoring of steel structures. This includes improving building service life and actual lifespan, promoting the research and development of related supporting products, and achieving a steel structure housing share of approximately 15%-20% of the national total by 2015.

 

　　In the past decade or so, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and central and local governments in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hubei, Shandong, Hebei, Zhejiang, and other regions, along with steel, steel structure, and real estate companies, have all carried out the development and application of steel structure housing. Good progress has been made in commercial housing, affordable housing, resettlement projects, post-earthquake reconstruction housing, and key technologies for steel structure housing, gaining unanimous recognition from society, businesses, and users. This shows that steel structure housing has broad market prospects.

 

　　In recent years, relevant national departments have successively issued a number of standards and regulations, such as the "Notice on Promoting the Modernization of the Housing Industry and Improving Housing Quality," "Technical Guidelines for the Industrialization of Steel Structure Housing Construction," and the "Steel Structure Housing Design Code." Furthermore, the Wenchuan earthquake brought development opportunities for steel structure housing. According to the guiding principles of the "National Wenchuan Earthquake Post-Disaster Reconstruction Plan," urban and rural residents should live in safe, economical, practical, and space-saving housing. However, newly constructed housing is still mainly reinforced concrete and brick-concrete structures, with only a small portion using steel structures. These steel structures are largely funded or aided by steel structure companies, while the provincial and municipal governments responsible for aid have missed the opportunity to promote the application of steel structure housing due to factors such as technological reserves, costs, and construction deadlines. The Sichuan Province's three-year post-disaster reconstruction plan will be completed in two years, with an estimated investment of over 1 trillion yuan and the consumption of 370 million tons of cement, 37 million tons of steel, and 21 trillion standard bricks of traditional building materials.

 

Analysis of Unfavorable Factors in the Development of Steel Structure Housing

 

　　Steel structure housing has mature experience in developed countries, and has been under development in China for over 20 years. Currently, there is successful experience and engineering examples from building technology, structural systems, and building product matching to design, construction, and enclosure, including the construction of steel structure housing communities. Given this, why hasn't steel structure housing been widely accepted by the market and users? There are many reasons, mainly in two aspects:

 

　　1. Technology and Policy Aspects: Incomplete technical standards and regulations; inconsistent quality and prices of supporting products and components; insufficient industrialization and standardization of components; insufficient policy and regulatory support; weak independent innovation and insufficient investment.

 

　　2. Market Economy Aspects: Advanced building technologies and products coexist with traditional, extensive, and backward building technologies and products in the market. The unregulated market order seriously affects the quality of construction projects and design lifespan. The direct and long-term comprehensive socio-economic benefits of using steel structures have not been fully recognized, while faster construction times and increased usable area become the focus for developers and investors. The development of green and environmentally friendly housing is a long-term national strategic policy, which enterprises don't consider.