Large-panel-system building

A large-panel-system building, also known as Plattenbau, is a building constructed of large, prefabricated concrete slabs (slab construction). Such buildings are often found in housing developments. Although large-panel-system buildings are often considered to be typical of Eastern Bloc countries in the second half of the 20th century, this prefabricated construction method was also used extensively in Western Europe and elsewhere, particularly in public housing (see tower block).

This construction method, known as Plattenbau in German, involves assembling buildings from story-high precast concrete elements that are manufactured in a factory and then transported to the construction site for assembly. It emerged from efforts to develop serial and industrialized housing construction, evolving through techniques such as block construction, large-block construction, concrete strip construction, and cast-in-place concrete panels from the early 20th century onward.

For large-panel construction to be effective, it requires typification, standardization, and the capability for industrialized production, transportation, and assembly of the heavy elements. Due to evolving political and technological conditions, this method became widespread across Europe after World War II. While large-panel buildings in Western Europe were primarily used for social housing projects, they became the dominant construction method for nearly all purposes in socialist Europe from the early 1960s onward. However, economic constraints in Eastern European planned economies limited the full realization of the system's increasing flexibility and complexity.

History

Early history

In the mid-19th century, a boom in prefabrication began with the export of preassembled houses made of wood and iron to British colonies. This trend ended around 1860 with the gold rush, after which manufacturers shifted their focus back to the domestic market.