We bring you the numerous advantages of prefabricated houses compared to traditional construction.
Wood as a basic building material
Wood is a widely available material, forests are renewable, and wood is easily recycled. In addition, wood is easy to process and assemble, which makes the construction time of a house much shorter – up to 5 times faster than standard construction, which significantly speeds up move-in time.
Namely, the technology of the large panel system allows for quick on-site assembly, so a house can be built in optimal conditions in a few days. In addition, prefabricated houses allow for simple subsequent modifications and adaptations of space.
Most work related to prefabricated wooden houses is carried out in a production facility under controlled conditions, which prevents the house from being exposed to rain and other atmospheric conditions.
Wood is also very easy to combine with other materials if necessary.
What is important to emphasize when we talk about wood as the main material for building prefabricated houses is that wood is healthy, it does not emit radioactive radiation, harmful gases, allergic dust, or static electricity. Wooden structures do not prevent the passage of the Earth’s magnetic fields, which are important for human health. Wood, with its density of 400 to 800 kg/m3, is as much as 5 times lighter than concrete, whose density is 2,500 kg/m3, making it much easier to transport, and foundations are far simpler and cheaper.
Greater resistance to earthquakes
Wooden houses are extremely resistant to environmental influences, as evidenced by old Croatian wooden buildings and houses that are still in use today – e.g. Posavina houses.
The construction of prefabricated wooden houses is significantly lighter than classic masonry, and due to the characteristics of wood (light, strong, elastic), it performs much better in earthquakes than classic brick houses. Therefore, prefabricated construction is a frequently used form of house construction from the most advanced EU countries through America all the way to Japan – the country with the most frequent and strongest earthquakes in the world.
Energy efficiency
Wood is the best natural insulator – 6 times better insulator than brick, and 15 times better insulator than concrete. 3 cm thick wood has the same thermal insulation as 45 cm of concrete or 18 cm of brick.
Accordingly, pre-fab houses are more energy efficient than brick ones – heating and cooling costs are far lower in pre-fab houses. Namely, wooden components are an internal regulator of relative humidity. The outside temperature has no significant effect on the inside temperature. This highlights the good insulating properties of wooden houses and their ability to maintain optimal microclimate parameters.
All elements of the wooden structure of prefabricated houses are filled with mineral rock wool, which provides exceptional thermal insulation properties. The wooden house is quiet. Excessive noise does not penetrate through the walls or ceiling.
Additional reasons for prefabricated construction that contribute to the community
Prefabricated construction with wood has a positive impact on the development of the wood industry in the surrounding area since it is a local and easily accessible material, and it is conducive to the recovery and development of small businesses.
Countries across Europe are passing laws that are intended to reduce energy consumption and thereby reduce environmental pollution. The primary energy input (mostly fossil fuels) in the production of building materials is about 60-80% higher when concrete structures are used instead of wooden structures. Therefore, the use of wood construction material instead of concrete, together with the integration of wood by-products into the energy system, is an effective means of reducing the use of fossil fuels and the net emission of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Interest in prefabricated wooden houses is high and constantly growing due to the numerous advantages mentioned above.