Application of industrialized housing system in major cities in China: A case study of Chongqing

Chongqing has been identified as a strategically important city for opening up the development of Western China. Its economy has grown on average by 9. 9% per annum in recent years. However, whilst the local construction industry has played an important role in the economic development in Chongqing, it appears that over time the technology and practice in the industry has not advanced as significantly as expected. The Chongqing construction industry is still rather traditional and the deficiencies exist across many areas in the local industry. Housing is positioned as one of the most important strategic issues on both the central and local governments' agenda. This importance is particularly emphasized in large and densely populated cities such as Chongqing, where the demand for housing is pressing and huge. Against this background, both the central and local governments have been seeking more effective solutions to the efficient implementation of quality housing development. In this respect, industrialized housing has been identified as an alternative approach. Housing industrialization, which refers to the use of construction methods, both on and off site that utilize principles associated with factory production to prefabricate components, elements or modules that when fixed in position form part of the completed building. However, the procedures of applying housing industrialization in the Chongqing construction industry have never been properly identified and categorized. The objective of this study is to develop a housing system, which is most suitable for the application of industrialized housing in Chongqing. The study has performed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to identify typical attributes for industrialized housing and a cost comparison between conventional and industrialized construction methods. The major findings of this research include the identification of the most important factors on deciding suitable industrialized housing systems to facilitate application, the identification of the most suitable housing system for industrialized production in Chongqing. The results also have a strong bearing on any large and densely populated cities, and the cost advantages of using industrialized housing systems. The development of using industrialized housing method in the local industry can offer valuable references to other large cities in China.