prefabricated Archives

“3D prefabricated houses can help alleviate the housing crisis, but they are not a structural solution”

June 28, 2026 by usatoday24

When the mayor of Madrid, José Luís Martínez-Almeida, presented his first promotion Built “in wood with prefabricated 3D modules” it defined its objective in a simple way: to make housing cheaper by “reducing deadlines.” The Municipal Housing and Land Company (EMVS) stated that they would promote the “construction of 800 homes developed with this system” in the community. The question is obvious: is this system really scalable and a solution to the housing crisis that Spain is experiencing? Tenders for multi-family buildings like the one in Madrid with industrialized systems are beginning to become common. “There are similar cases in Andalusia and the Valencian Community, with different industrialization systems, both in 2D and 3D, with wood, concrete or steel,” says Gerardo del Río, civil engineer, commercial director at the Guerola construction company, which has a 3D industrialized building factory. For Margarita de Luxán García de Diego, architect and emeritus professor of Graphic Expression at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), this technique “is practically in an experimental phase.” still must move forward to improve and avoid limitations that condition it and “rigidize its use,” he clarifies. While industrial warehouses and single-family homes have been built with industrial systems for many years, high-rise construction such as hotels and educational centers is more recent, clarifies Gerardo del Río At the level of Spain there are very few buildings built and completed completely, with the enclosure and partitions with “3D printers in situ”. So far it has been done comprehensively in buildings up to two stories high. It also requires particular conditions so that the 3D printers can be placed and maneuvered. Regarding whether printed buildings can lower the final price, the architect points out that it is possible if the client is the developer, which is unusual. On the other hand, whether a builder or a real estate company sells them depends on the final price they want to set. Of course, they shorten construction times “as long as the project is very well resolved and decided in all its parts, including details and installations.” The challenge of making cheaper Carmen Díaz López, architect, doctor in Civil Engineering and professor and researcher at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the University of Málaga, has the same opinion: “Industrialization makes processes cheaper, reduces uncertainty and improves efficiency, but that does not always automatically translate into a drop in the final price for those who buy or rent. The savings are clearer in time, management and cost control than in market price, unless there are measures that guide these solutions towards affordable housing.” In a town in Soria They have carried out a pilot construction test of seven industrialized homes. According to the mayor of Langa de Duero, “the homes are divided into modules, which means they can be practically assembled in three days.” Of course, the final shots would still be missing. While the Madrid project used wood, here the prefabricated elements are made of concrete. “They are different systems. The first consists of a multi-family building intended for an urban environment and the second is single-family homes for a rural environment,” explains Gerardo del Río. “It seems to me to be a good initiative in the face of the housing crisis, especially in areas as depopulated as Soria, and even more so being from Soria,” he adds. “These projects can help alleviate the housing crisis because they allow us to build faster and with greater cost control, something very relevant in a context of lack of supply,” highlights Carmen Díaz López. But the expert warns that “they are not a structural solution on their own: the housing crisis also has to do with land, regulation, financing and the functioning of the market. They are a useful tool, but they must be part of a broader housing policy.” “The ideal is for the initiative to be taken by the public sector, making land available to the private sector to build or construct housing directly, which can subsequently be managed by the administration itself or by the private sector through concession contracts,” says del Río. Margarita de Luxán highlights that industrialized homes They are not a panacea either. to housing prices and the lack of houses to live in. “The housing crisis and its solutions depend on many and very complex things, not only on construction techniques or materials,” he explains. For her, printed buildings are “a small part of the many approaches that must continue to advance.” In the current circumstances “they are marginal to define them as a generalized solution given their scale and conditions.” Render of the Loreto development, in Barajas, prefabricated in 3D. To address rural depopulation, projects like the one in Soria have, for Díaz López, potential if they are integrated into a territorial strategy. “Their main advantage is that they allow housing to be activated in places where today it is barely built, which can facilitate the arrival of new profiles: from young people to people who telework. But housing, by itself, does not fix the population: for there to be a real impact, services, connectivity, employment and a certain demographic stability are needed,” he highlights. “Its impact will depend on how it is scaled and, above all, if it is linked to a public strategy capable of converting that construction speed into truly accessible housing,” he adds. From the point of view of sustainability, the industrialization of housing has clear advantages for the professor at the University of Malaga: less waste, greater energy efficiency, better quality control and more precise execution. But the underlying debate is not only technical. “Industrialization can change how we build, but it does not solve on its own why housing remains inaccessible. The challenge is no longer so much technological as it is one of scale, governance and access model,” he concludes. In Xataka | Luxury homes in the US are selling like hotcakes and experts think they know why: AI In Xataka | In Vancouver they are building a … Read more

a Chinese company has just converted its energy into prefabricated parts

June 11, 2026 by usatoday24

The latest Chinese development in artificial intelligence is neither in the form of a chatbot nor a chip. It is in the form of a huge prefabricated electrical base to power data centers aimed at intensive computing loads. It may sound less striking, but it explains very well one of the underlying problems of the sector: data centers need more and more electricity, and that electricity must arrive in a stable, efficient way and with reasonable construction deadlines. China is trying to solve this less visible part of AI by converting the energy base into an industrial piece designed to be replicated. A prefabricated electrical base. According to CCTVOn June 6, what the chain presents as the world’s first prefabricated base for computer centers went into operation in Qingdao. They explain that it is the energetic “heart” of the center, the piece in charge of supplying continuous and stable electricity. We are not talking about a room full of servers, but about the part that makes it possible for that room to work. Manufactured by TGOOD, it is about 53 meters long, 41 meters wide and occupies around 2,200 square meters. From the construction site to the factory. To understand the change, let’s imagine the scene in reverse: instead of erecting each part of the electrical infrastructure on the ground, an important part arrives already integrated from the factory. In parallel, Xinhua describes the solution as a station that brings together high voltage transformers, medium voltage equipment, protection, control, communications systems and other components necessary to connect the center to the grid. The company ensures that its 167 functional modules are prefabricated and calibrated before arriving at the project. Build sooner, occupy less. The interesting part is not only that the infrastructure arrives more prepared, but in what that promises to change in the schedule of a project. The prefabricated base promises to reduce the construction cycle by almost 70% compared to a traditional solution, occupy more than 30% less surface area and reduce the overall cost by around 20%. There is also talk of savings close to 80% in civil works and an execution that, in the fastest scenario, could be completed in five months. The other front. There is another part of the proposal that should be separated from the construction deadlines: how the center is powered once it is up and running. According to CCTV, this base can be connected directly to green energy and promote its 100% local use, also relying on storage to better coordinate electricity supply and computing demand. According to figures reported by TGOOD and collected by Xinhua, the electricity cost per token could be reduced by around 30% if the system works as the company proposes. A problem that is no longer marginal. The interest in this type of solutions is better understood when we look around. The International Energy Agency prevIt is expected that the global electricity consumption of data centers will double to reach around 945 TWh in 2030, and remember an important difference: a data center can be operational in two or three years, but expanding the network, generation and the rest of the energy system usually requires longer periods. It’s not magic. The most reasonable reading is this: China is testing a concrete way to respond to some of the problems brought about by the expansion of data centers. Not all, not even definitively. This prefabricated base points to very physical challenges, such as available space, construction speed, connection to the electricity supply and, according to the figures reported by its promoters, a better fit with cleaner energy. In other countries we will see different strategies, because each network, each territory and each regulation has its own limitations. Images | TGOOD In Xataka | Spain produces so much solar energy that it is the envy of Europe. And even so, 70% of what you consume matters

Madrid needs to build thousands of homes as soon as possible. So you are already testing prefabricated wooden modules

January 16, 2026 by usatoday24

A while ago (not so long ago) “prefabrication” and “wood” were words that took a back seat in the jargon of large construction companies. The prefabricated houses carried certain negative nuance and the wood sounded like a past material, more typical of other times than the era of concrete, steel and glass. Little by little that is changing and Madrid is the best example: as part of its policy to create affordable accommodation, the City Council has just inaugurated its first promotion built “in wood with prefabricated 3D modules.” And he already warns that he will not stay there. What has happened? That the Madrid City Council just opened a new promotion of affordable rental municipal housing. Fifty two- and three-bedroom apartments with storage rooms and 78 parking spaces. Until then, nothing out of this world. If the news is interesting it is because this work is not the same as others of the Municipal Housing and Land Company (EMVS). in words of the Consistory, it is “the first public housing development in Madrid built in wood with prefabricated 3D modules.” What exactly have they done? The work in question is called ‘Iberia Loreto 1’is located in the district of Barajas and has been carried out with an investment of 14.6 million euros. In total it includes 52 homes (16 with two bedrooms and the remaining 36 with three), as well as 78 parking spaces. Overall, the promotion is distributed in two blocks separated by a green area. The work stands out, however, more for its execution than for what it offers. Those responsible have resorted to “industrialized wood construction”; That is, they have used wooden modules previously created in a factory. Why is it important? Because with this bet, Madrid joins other developers who (inside and outside Spain, both in the public sphere and in the private sector) have been betting in recent years on that same strategy: industrialized construction. Australia has done itfor example, to shortcut your serious crisis of housing, and the model is also viewed with interest in Portugal either USA. In other countries, such as Japan, it is already fully settled. In Spain, data from the sector suggest that industrialized housing still has a reduced weightbut companies note a growing interest. In the Basque Country it is seen as a way to reinforce the offer and recently we told you how in Zaragoza they have raised a new hotel with prefabricated modules. Why’s that? Due to its advantages, something that is responsible for highlighting the Madrid City Council. The City Council recalls that Iberia Loreto 1 has been completed in less than a year and a half. 17 months have passed between the laying of the first stone and the completion of the work. In general, speed is one of the great assets of the industrialized modelwhich consists of manufacturing modules (more or less assembled) in a warehouse that are then moved to the construction site. It may seem like an unimportant change, but it implies that part of the work is done in the factories, not on the site itself, which helps to speed up the works, cut times and even reduce workplace accidents. At the end of the day, workers go from scaffolding to factories. “It does not eliminate occupational risks, but it does allow us to reduce them without giving up technical quality or architectural design,” they claim from The Concrete House. And what will Madrid do now? The Iberia Loreto 1 experience seems to have been good enough for the City Council to consider taking it further and continuing to support it. “After its success, the municipal company is going to take a decisive leap by promoting the construction of 800 homes developed with this system,” advance from the EMVS before insisting that the city “will continue to advance industrialized public construction.” “It allows us to shorten deadlines, reduce the environmental impact and offer more efficient homes.” How much do you want to build? Its objective is to raise more than 760 new industrialized public housing. 170 will be built in the districts of Barajas, Moncloa-Aravaca and Villa de Vallecas. The remaining ones will be deployed in Vilcálvaro (Los Ahijones and Los Berrocales) within the framework of the Suma Vivienda Plan, so they will be developed through a public-private collaboration formula. In total the Consistory assures that in 2026 work will begin on 2,500 new homes for affordable rental through EMVS. To be precise, it talks about 22 new developments in various districts of the capital and remembers the nearly 1,600 apartments in the first phase of the EMVS Suma Vivienda Plan. Images | Madrid City Council and Municipal Housing and Land Company In Xataka | The Government wants to put 1,600 public and affordable homes for rent. Rental Insurance wants to keep them

For years the prefabricated houses were the ugly duckling of the house. Now the Basque Country believes that they are its salvation

February 5, 2025 by usatoday24

The Basque Country wants more housing. And it has A plan to get it: Bet on prefabricated constructionsa model that over the last years has gained weight in the real estate sector but that – that –They recognize From Euskadi – it loads with the negative image that still has the “prefabricated” among part of the population. To clear doubts, knock down prejudices and above all make clear its institutional commitment, last week the Basque Government presented its’White Book of industrialized social housing ‘. “It is essential to knock down biases,” claims. Housing deficit. The Basque Country needs more housing. Or so those responsible, which recently estimated that the current construction rhythm is insufficient and the region loads with a deficit of some 1,500 annual houses. The problem is not only that gap between the creation of new homes and demand, but to what extent it influences a market that, according to idealist data, has seen how in a matter of only one year the prices of sale rose almost 7% and those of rent 8% In Euskadi. … and “structural deficits”. A few days ago, speaking precisely about the real estate market, the Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda of the Basque Government, Denis Itxaso, warned of another very related “deficit”: the one that drags the industry itself. “The construction sector has structural deficits, such as lack of labor, challenges related to training and professionalization and a higher speed in construction processes,” he reflected. The relationship between the two problems is evident: the lags in the industry affect their ability to increase the offer and satisfy a residential market. “The challenge that represents the scarcity and housing failure requires balance the market with the greatest offer,” The regional head advocates of urban agenda. In his opinion, Euskadi must endow “his own strategy.” And precisely for that reason a few days ago the Executive presented A document: his ‘White Paper of Industrialized Social Housing’. What strategy is that? The book and the act during which it was presented – in which Itxaso and the director of the Public Society for Protected Housing Promotion participated Visesaamong other positions related to the sector – served to give a track of where the Basque Country wants to go. His government looks with special interest the “industrialized” buildingsreal estate that are created with previously manufactured pieces in a ship instead of following the traditional method of lifting walls and forged in situ. “The way to reduce deadlines”. During The presentation From the manual, held in Bilbao, there was talk of sustainability, digitalization, security, improvement of working conditions, inclusion and also a formula that allows the sector to “respond to the housing and labor deficit”. “The ‘White Book’ includes examples of good architectural practices, highlighting how the use of industrial processes should be the way to reduce execution deadlines and minimize environmental impact,” the Basque Executive ends in Your statement About the act. Along the same lines, the Visesa director pointed out that industrialization is “fundamental” to build “quality housing”. Issue of challenges. Not everything is facilities and clear path in the future of prefabricated housing. During the event there was also talk of “the administrative, financial and regulations barriers that still persist” and the important role that the public administration plays, especially “assuming the role” of promoter. However, if there was a challenge for industrialization in which the accent was accent in Bilbao was another, one other than bureaucratic obstacles or difficulties in getting credit: the image. Perhaps more modular houses are seen today than a couple of decades ago, but the big question, especially if we want to strengthen its weight in the sector, is … What concept do we have of them? “One of the main challenges is citizen perception towards what is considered ‘prefabricated’, often associated with lower quality or provisionality,” admits the Basque Government in Your statementin which curiously only that word is used once: “prefabricated.” Itxaso himself assumes that he “demolish preconceived biases and ideas.” Of the theory … To practice, there is. Visesa He spoke too of the development of about thirty protected homes in Sopela-Asu, in the province of Vizcaya, using precisely “industrialized construction processes.” In the sector, prefabricated, industrialized, modular solutions are also expanding time … and although in Spain they still suppose A modest part of the sector, in other nations, such as the Netherlands, Germany or the United Kingdom, they have managed to get a respectable presence. Some construction companies trust that in a few years industrialization is a significant part of their income. In their favor they do not only have the impulse of the Basque Government, which for another part has already seen On other occasions His commitment to industrialized homes. At the state level the PP has been in favor also to promote this kind of buildings to stop The housing problem In Spain, following the example of countries Like Australia. Images | Wikipedia and Aedas Homes In Xataka | The prefabricated houses have always been infravy. Now many governments are driving them in front of the crisis

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