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从高技标志到社会住房：预制化不断演变的作用
From High-Tech Icons to Social Housing: The Evolving Role of Prefabrication

由专筑网Zia，小R编译

预制是建筑和施工领域极具变革性的创新，它重新定义了建筑物的设计、制造和组装方式。虽然这并不是一个新概念，但其应用已发展到具有更广泛的优势。传统意义上的预制因其精度和质量而备受推崇，而现在，预制因其成本和时间效率而同样得到认可，尤其针对劳动力利用和生产的地区差异。这一转变推动了预制技术在高端设计项目和大型公共建筑中的复苏。

Prefabrication is one of the most transformative innovations in architecture and construction, redefining how buildings are designed, manufactured, and assembled. While not a new concept, its application has evolved to offer a broader range of advantages. Traditionally valued for its precision and quality, prefabrication is now equally recognized for its cost and time efficiencies, particularly in leveraging regional differences in labor and production. This shift has fueled its resurgence across high-end, design-driven projects and large-scale, cost-efficient public buildings.


预制是推动建筑可能性的动力

Prefabrication as a Driver for Pushing Architectural Possibilities


Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank / Foster + Partners. Image © Baycrest via Wikipedia under license CC BY-SA 2.5 - HSBC

历史上，预制能够实现高度的建筑精确性，突破建筑和设计的界限。诺曼-福斯特（Norman Foster）于20世纪80年代完成的香港汇丰银行总部大楼就是著名的早期例子。该建筑以其高科技现代主义手法而闻名，可与理查德-罗杰斯和伦佐-皮亚诺的蓬皮杜中心相媲美，采用创新的结构原理，创造出引人注目的开放式中央中庭，并完成垂直交通的联系。这种设计使公共空间能够无缝衔接外部空间，确保全天候无障碍通行。两部标志性的自动扶梯与上部相连，这些自动扶梯采用电动系统作为安全屏障，对进出进行管理。此外，机械设备和传统的建筑核心元素，如楼梯和电梯，都被移到了外部，在展示建筑的高科技美感的同时，最大限度地扩大了内部的开放性。

为了实现这一愿景，包括开创性的结构方法、精密的机械系统和高品质的装饰，福斯特透露，几乎每一个建筑构件都是预制的。这些构件在美国、日本和英国制造，然后运到香港现场组装，因为香港当时缺乏必要的制造技术，就连浴室也是完全组装好的，包括毛巾架、面盆和其他硬件。通过利用全球专业知识和最先进的制造工艺，福斯特得以实现当时技术最先进的建筑，尽管其成本高昂。如今，汇丰银行总部仍是香港的标志性建筑，充分体现了预制技术如何将质量、创新和美学完美结合在一起。

Prefabrication has historically been used to achieve a high degree of architectural precision, pushing the boundaries of construction and design. A notable early example is Norman Foster's HSBC Headquarters in Hong Kong, completed in the 1980s. Renowned for its high-tech modernist approach—comparable to Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano's Centre Pompidou—the building employs innovative structural principles to create a striking, open central atrium while elevating itself above ground level. This design allows the public realm to seamlessly flow through its base, ensuring 24/7 accessibility, except two iconic escalators that connect to above. These escalators have a motorized horizontal retractable shutter system, serving as the primary security barrier to regulate access. Additionally, mechanical equipment and traditional building core elements, such as stairs and elevators, are relocated to the exterior edge, showcasing the building's high-tech aesthetic while maximizing interior openness.
To achieve this ambitious vision—including its pioneering structural approach, precision in mechanical systems, and high-quality finishes—Foster revealed that nearly every building component was prefabricated. These components were manufactured in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom before being shipped to Hong Kong for on-site assembly, as Hong Kong lacked the necessary fabrication technology at the time. Even the bathrooms arrived as fully assembled units with towel racks, basins, and other hardware. By leveraging global expertise and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, Foster was able to realize one of the most technologically advanced buildings of its time, despite its high cost. Today, HSBC Headquarters remains a defining architectural landmark in Hong Kong, exemplifying how prefabrication can bring together quality, innovation, and aesthetic refinement.


Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank / Foster + Partners. Image © Wpcpey via Wikipedia under license CC BY 4.0

最近，距离汇丰银行总部仅几分钟路程的另一个项目继续探索和拓展预制的界限。扎哈-哈迪德（Zaha Hadid）设计的恒基兆业大厦（The Henderson）位于中国银行大厦和和记黄埔大厦之间，通过与高精度外墙工程和设计专家Seele合作，体现了预制的能力。该建筑的双曲面玻璃面板长达2×5米，采用了多种涂层，以优化性能和美感。这些玻璃板需要极高的精度，因为每一块的形状和设计都是独一无二的。作为框架的双曲铝型材也是定制预制的，以确保无缝对接。这种制造水平只有在场外、受控环境中利用尖端技术才能实现。

More recently, another project within minutes of the HSBC Headquarters continues to explore and expand the boundaries of prefabrication. Zaha Hadid's The Henderson, located between the Bank of China Tower and Hutchison House, exemplifies this approach through a collaboration with Seele, a specialist in high-precision facade engineering and design. The building's double-curved glass panels, measuring up to 2 by 5 meters, incorporate multiple coatings to optimize performance and aesthetics. These panels required extreme precision, as each piece was uniquely shaped and engineered. The double-bent aluminum profiles that frame them were also custom prefabricated to ensure a seamless fit. This level of manufacturing could only have been achieved off-site, in a controlled environment, using cutting-edge technology.


The Henderson / Zaha Hadid Architects. Image © Virgile Simon Bertrand, courtesy of International High-Rise Award

尽管恒基兆业广场是一座主要为私人客户服务的办公楼，但其独特的外立面对香港的建筑特征至关重要。就像汇丰银行在20世纪80年代建造的开放式中庭一样，其令人着迷的双曲面玻璃造型为香港不断变化的天际线和建筑理想做出了贡献。随着预制技术使设计更加复杂，这些里程碑式的项目展示了预制技术成为精益求精的工具和建筑表达驱动力的潜力。


模块化集成建筑（MiC）： 效率高于定制

虽然预制建筑最初可能是用来建造突破材料和施工极限的地标性建筑，但现在也有了不同的应用。新一轮的预制建筑浪潮并不是利用先进的制造工艺来提高质量，而是注重效率和成本效益，尤其是在香港的公共住房领域。

Although The Henderson is an office building serving largely private clients, its distinctive façade is critical in defining Hong Kong's architectural identity. Much like HSBC's open atrium in the 1980s, its mesmerizing double-curved glass form contributes to the city's evolving skyline and architectural aspirations. As prefabrication enables ever more intricate and ambitious designs, these landmark projects demonstrate how the technique is a tool for refinement and a driver of architectural expression.

Modular Integrated Construction (MiC): Efficiency Over Customization
While prefabrication may have initially been used to create landmark buildings that push material and construction limits, it is also being deployed in a different context. Rather than leveraging advanced fabrication for superior quality, a new wave of prefabricated construction focuses on efficiency and cost-effectiveness, particularly in Hong Kong's public housing sector.


Crane lifting a wooden building module to its position in the structure. Image © Jarama via Shutterstock

长期以来，香港在提供充足的公共住房方面一直面临挑战。由于香港的劳动力成本较高，在低收入地区，越来越多地采用预制技术来生产公寓模块。这些预制公寓是完整的单元，减少了现场劳动力和施工时间。这样做有两方面好处：首先，它加快了公共住房单元的交付速度，解决了供应短缺问题；其次，它降低了成本，使资助计划能够为更多的人提供服务。

Hong Kong has long faced challenges in providing adequate public housing. Due to the city's high labor costs, prefabrication is increasingly used to produce apartment modules in regions with lower labor expenses. These prefabricated apartments arrive as nearly complete units, reducing on-site labor and construction time. The result is twofold: first, it accelerates the delivery of public housing units to address supply shortages, and second, it lowers costs, allowing funding initiatives to serve a larger population.


Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank / Foster + Partners. Image © Wpcpey via Wikipedia under license CC BY-SA 4.0

政府已出台政策，将这些预制单元归类为模块化集成建筑（MiC），促进这种方式的发展。模块化集成建筑包括在场外组装完全完工的独立模块，然后再运输安装。香港屋宇署会对 MiC系统进行预先审批，确保其在现场实施前符合施工和安全标准。这种方法大大缩短了项目时间，减少了现场劳动力需求，并最大限度地减少了建筑垃圾。然而，这种方法也引起了人们对设计灵活性以及建筑应对环境和特定用户群体能力的关注。


平衡效率与灵活性：标准化制造的局限

尽管MiC无可否认地提高了效率，但其局限性也日益明显。最近在香港建成的一个以MiC 为基础的公共住宅区就暴露出了对居民的极大限制。由于这些预制单元都预装了厨房、浴室和隔墙，住户在改造居住空间时面临挑战。如果住户试图改动简单的隔墙，结构问题就会出现，因为改动无论多么细微，都可能损害预制单元的完整性。此外，建筑法规也带来了额外的障碍——由于MiC单元是经过预先批准的，因此任何改动，无论多么细微，都有可能使其不符合规定。

The government has introduced policies categorizing these prefabricated units under Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) to facilitate this approach. MiC involves assembling fully finished, free-standing modules off-site before transporting them for installation. The Hong Kong Buildings Department grants pre-approval to MiC systems, ensuring compliance with construction and safety standards before on-site implementation. This method significantly shortens project timelines, reduces on-site labor requirements, and minimizes construction waste. However, it also raises concerns regarding design flexibility and architecture's ability to respond to contexts and specific user groups.

Balancing Efficiency and Flexibility: The Limits of Standardized Manufacturing
While MiC offers undeniable efficiency gains, its limitations are becoming increasingly apparent. A recently completed MiC-based public housing complex in Hong Kong has revealed significant constraints for residents. Because these prefabricated units arrive with pre-installed and pre-approved kitchens, bathrooms, and partition walls, occupants face challenges in modifying their living spaces. Structural concerns arise if a resident attempts to alter a simple partitioning wall, as modifications, no matter how minor, could compromise the integrity of the prefabricated unit. Furthermore, building codes present additional hurdles—since MiC units are pre-approved, any alteration could possibly invalidate their compliance status, no matter how minor.


construction residential new house with prefabrication system in progress at building site. Image © Kwangmoozaa via Shutterstock

除了室内改造，MiC严格的设计限制使得基本的调整，例如重新安置空调设备，也会成为问题。这些局限性限制了居民根据不断变化的需求调整住宅的能力，降低了长期灵活性。此外，建筑维护也是另一个挑战。为工厂生产和大规模制造量身定做的施工方法可能并不适合临时操作、现场维修。这就提出了一个关键问题：这些快速修复、低成本的解决方案是否会最终导致更复杂的长期问题，从而降低其预期效益？

Beyond interior modifications, even basic adjustments—such as relocating an air conditioning unit—can become problematic due to MiC's rigid design constraints. These limitations restrict inhabitants' ability to adapt their homes to evolving needs, reducing long-term flexibility. Additionally, building maintenance presents another challenge. Construction methods tailored for factory production and large-scale manufacturing may not be well-suited for hands-on, ad-hoc, on-site repairs. This raises a critical question: Will these quick-fix, low-cost solutions ultimately lead to more complex long-term issues, diminishing their intended benefits?


Modern prefabricated tiny house being built inside a factory. Image © Anatoliy Cherkas via Shutterstock

此外，随着MiC的发展，建筑师也面临着不断变化的职业环境。传统上，建筑师是建筑从概念到完工整个过程中的核心；然而，MiC依赖于预先批准、大规模生产的模块，这对这一框架提出了挑战。其他地方的政府政策优先考虑快速、大规模、低成本的建筑，尤其是公共住房，这有可能使建筑设计沦为标准化的重复流程。每一栋MiC社会住房建筑都很像一个 “cookie-cutter ”工厂模具，无论其位置、地块条件和社区特点如何，都将是一样的外观和建造方式，这与香港汇丰银行总部的独特性和高度定制化大相径庭。

Moreover, as MiC gains traction, architects face an evolving professional landscape. Traditionally, architects have been central in shaping buildings from concept to completion; however, MiC's reliance on pre-approved, mass-produced modules challenges this framework. Government policies prioritizing rapid, large-scale, low-cost construction elsewhere—particularly for public housing—risk reducing architectural design to a standardized, repetitive process.  Every social housing MiC building will be much like a cookie-cutter factory mold - irrelevant of its location, site condition, and community characteristics, it will all look the same and be built the same, much contrary to the unique and highly customized HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong.


WELCOMEPROJECT's The Breadbox ADU. Image © Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety

与此形成鲜明对比的是加利福尼亚州，建筑师与政策制定者之间的合作促成了一种更具包容性的预制模式。该州的附属住宅单元（ADUs）预审程序允许各种规模的公司（包括中小型事务所）提供多样化的设计方案，而不是将该程序局限于大型制造商。希望绕过冗长审批时间的居民可以选择预先批准的ADU，并直接与建筑师合作完善他们的项目。通过将效率与建筑创新相结合，加利福尼亚州确保预制增强而不是限制设计的灵活性和城市结构的发展。

A contrasting approach can be found in California, where collaboration between architects and policymakers has led to a more inclusive prefabrication model. The state's pre-approval process for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) allows firms of all sizes—including small and medium-sized practices—to contribute diverse design solutions, rather than limiting the process to large-scale manufacturers. Residents who wish to bypass lengthy approval times can select a pre-approved ADU and engage directly with architects to refine their project. By integrating efficiency with architectural innovation, California ensures that prefabrication enhances, rather than restricts, design flexibility and the evolution of the urban fabric.


A Model of SO-IL's Pebblehouse. Image © Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety

预制和特定场地设计：持续的挑战

标准化预制的最大挑战之一是保持场地的特殊性。建筑设计历来以对环境、文化和文脉因素的回应为根基，然而预制模块的大规模生产却有可能忽略这些细微差别。如果每一个组件都是为了适应统一的系统而设计，那么由相同的房间、单元和饰面组成的全预制建筑又如何能真正与周围环境融为一体呢？

Prefabrication and Site-Specific Design: A Persistent Challenge
One of the most significant challenges of standardized prefabrication is maintaining site specificity. Architecture has traditionally been rooted in responding to environmental, cultural, and contextual factors, yet the mass production of prefabricated modules risks overlooking these nuances. How can a fully prefabricated building—composed of identical rooms, units, and finishes—truly engage with its surroundings if every component is designed to fit a uniform system?


Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank / Foster + Partners. Image © WiNG via Wikipedia under license CC BY 3.0 - HSBC

虽然预制和模块化集成建筑（MiC）在速度、成本效益和可持续性方面具有显著优势，但它们的广泛采用要求对设计流程进行严格的重新评估。城市和政府必须确保效率不会牺牲建筑的完整性和适应性。建筑师需要倡导一种平衡的方法——既能接受预制的优势，又能保持设计质量、场地响应能力和长期的宜居性。

While prefabrication and Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) offer significant advantages in speed, cost efficiency, and sustainability, their widespread adoption demands a critical reassessment of design processes. Cities and governments must ensure that efficiency does not sacrifice architectural integrity and adaptability. Architects must advocate for a balanced approach—one that embraces the benefits of prefabrication while preserving design quality, site responsiveness, and long-term livability.


The Henderson / Zaha Hadid Architects. Image © CosmoScube


The Henderson / Zaha Hadid Architects. Image © MIR


The Henderson / Zaha Hadid Architects. Image © Arqui9