A model study on affordable steel residential housing in China

Abstract

The main research purpose of this paper is to acquire a series of designed concept of “affordable housing” in key geographical areas of East China through the development of innovative, economical, flexible, reproducible and affordable residential houses using intensive steel solutions. Toward this goal, both the residential housing conditions and the development of steel residential building in China are widely investigated. Affordable housing in China is then, based on the investigation, defined as green humanized multi-storey housing comprised of medium-small type dwellings whose construction cost is not much higher than that of traditional reinforced concrete buildings and the maintenance cost is low. Taking this definition as a guiding ideology, detailed architectural and structural design of a steel affordable housing model in terms of a collective housing form with repeatable living units has been carried out. Comparisons of project cost and energy consumption between the designed steel residential housing and the corresponding reinforced concrete building show that the former is not more expensive and consumes less energy than the latter.

Keywords

affordable housing / energy-saving / duplex design / pure steel frame / economic evaluation

References

[1] China Statistical Yearbook, 1996–2010. Beijing: China Statistics Press

[2] Mak S W K, Choy L H T, Ho W K O. Privatization, housing conditions and affordability in the People’s Republic of China. Habitat International, 2007, 31(2): 177–192

[3] China Steel Construction Yearbook, 2005, China Steel Construction Society

[4] China Real Estate Statistics Yearbook, 2008. Beijing: China Statistics Press

[5] China City Statistical Yearbook, 2008. Beijing: China Statistics Press

[6] Veljkovic M, Johansson B. Light steel framing for residential buildings. Thin-walled Structures, 2006, 44(12): 1272–1279

[7] Du S. Technical Study of Steel Structure Residential Building. Dissertation for Ph.D. degree, Tsinghua University, 2003 (in Chinese)

[8] Wang X M. Current Status and Development on Green Roof in China and Abroad. Beijing Association of Green

[9] Su X, Zhang X, Zhang R P. Life 3cycle assessment of steel in steel-constructionbuildings. BaoSteel BAC, 2008, 41–44 (in Chinese)

[10] Ross S, Evans D. Use of life cycle assessment in environmental management. Environmental Management, 2002, 29(1): 132–142

[11] Environmental management-life cycle assessment- life cycle impact assessment. <patent>ISO 14042</patent>, 2000

Acknowledgment

The research was sponsored by ArcelorMittal Liege Research. The authors would also like to thank Wanning Wang, Yongjian Le and other students in the Steel and Lightweight Steel Structure Research Group of Tongji University for their assistance in the design work.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg