U.S. patent application number 10/546996 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-19 for method and components for erecting a building.
Invention is credited to Henrik Lambreth.
Application Number | 20060230704 10/546996 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32921537 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060230704 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lambreth; Henrik |
October 19, 2006 |
Method and components for erecting a building
Abstract
The invention provides a method for erecting a building on a
construction site. The building is made from components which are
pre-fitted for the building and for a container for transporting
the components to a construction site. The pre-fitted components
can be joined and refitted to allow reuse of the components. The
invention further provides a set of components which are pre-fitted
to allow construction of a container of one shape and a building of
a different shape. The invention further provides a configuration
system for configuring a set of components for a building or a
container, a container made from such components, and a building
made from such components.
Inventors: |
Lambreth; Henrik;
(Charlottenlund, DK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C.
P.O. BOX 8910
RESTON
VA
20195
US
|
Family ID: |
32921537 |
Appl. No.: |
10/546996 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
February 26, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/DK04/00130 |
371 Date: |
March 21, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/745.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/34 20130101; E04B
1/3445 20130101; E04B 1/34305 20130101; E04B 1/3442 20130101; E04B
2001/34389 20130101; E04B 1/3441 20130101; E04B 2001/0053 20130101;
E04B 2001/405 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/745.02 |
International
Class: |
E04G 21/00 20060101
E04G021/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 28, 2003 |
DK |
PA 2003 00322 |
Claims
1. A method far erecting a building on a construction site, the
building being made from building components comprising components
pre-fitted for the building, wherein at least a first part of the
components are transported to the construction site in a container,
said container being at lent partly node from a second part of the
components, the second part of the components comprising components
which are pre-fitted for the building, and which can be joined and
separated.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second part of the
components comprises beams or plates being joined to form a spatial
structure.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the components are
connected by joints which form separate components.
4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the size of the spatial
structure is adjusted by varying the length of beams.
5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the size of the spatial
structure is changed by changing a degree of overlap between
plates.
6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the size is fixed by
attaching a stiffening element to the spatial structure.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the plate is attached
inside a frame made from the beams and surrounded by the beams.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least some components
of the second part of components are joined magnetically to form
the container and/or the building.
9. A method according to claim 3, wherein a frame is assembled from
at least three beams joined in at least three joints, and wherein
the beams are capable of absorbing only tensile stress.
10. A set of components comprising beams or plates, the components
comprising fittings allowing the components to be joined to form a
container of one shape for transporting other components to a
construction site, and allowing separation into single components
and rejoining to form a building of another shape being different
from the shape of the container.
11. A set according to claim 10, wherein the components comprises
load bearing components which are pre-fitted to form a load bearing
framework of the container and to form a load bearing framework of
the building.
12. A set according to claim 10, wherein the components comprises
joint-components for joining other components.
13. A set according to claim 12, wherein the joint-components
comprises fastening means for attachment of other components by
hand.
14. A set according to claim 12, wherein the joint-components
comprise rotational joints allowing two components which are joined
by the joint-component to be rotated in relation to each other.
15. A set according to claim 12, wherein the joint-components
constitute integrated parts of beams or plates.
16. A set according to claim 10, comprising a first component which
is joined to a second component in a rotational joint which allows
rotation of the first component in relation to the second component
to form a spatial, 3-dimensional structure into a substantially
planar structure extending primarily in two dimensions.
17. A set according to claim 10, wherein the components comprises
at least one beam with a length which is resizable.
18. A set according to claim 17, wherein the resizing is achieved
telescopically by one beam element moving in a longitudinal
direction with respect to another beam element.
19. A set according to claim 10, wherein the container comprises a
plurality of components being stacked to form a body and being
joined in the vicinity of rim portions of the components.
20. A set according to claim 19, wherein the components are joined
by at least one elongate assembling member which penetrates
openings in the stacked components and which in one end terminates
in lifting fittings facilitating lifting of the container.
21. A set according to claim 19, wherein the components are joined
by corner fittings which form three contact surfaces for contacting
three surfaces of a component which is arranged in top of, or in
bottom of the stack of components, the container further comprises
braces extending between a corner fitting in a top corner of the
stack and a corner fitting in an opposite bottom corner of the
stack.
22. A set according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the
components comprises pre-fitted technical installations, the
component being provided with a connector for connecting the
installations to mating installations of other components or to
external sources.
23. A set according to claim 22, wherein a connector is provided on
all edges of the component.
24. A set according to claim 11, comprising beams which have end
portions with integrated fastening means allowing assembling of one
of the beams with other beans either to form a frame of special
structure or to form a new beam of a length which exceeds the
length of the beam.
25. A set according to claim 12, comprising load bearing components
in the form of beams having a lengths corresponding to the width,
length and height of containers for international standard
container transport.
26. A set according to claim 16, wherein the beams and the
fastening means are adapted to allow expansion and contraction of a
frame assembled from beams and fastening means by rotation of the
beams in relation to each other and simultaneous resizing of the
length of the beams.
27. A set according to claim 26, wherein the frame is expandable
and/or contractible in a scale of 1 to 3.
28. A set according to claim 11, comprising a static structure
incorporating at least one beam which is extractable from the
static structure to form anchoring means.
29. A set according to claim 28, wherein the anchoring means
comprises a locking member which is hinged to allow movement
between a position wherein the locking member extends in a
direction towards the static structure and a position wherein the
member extends substantially perpendicular to the beam.
30. A set according to claim 28, wherein the static structure
comprises fastening means for attachment of other components
thereto.
31. A set according to claim 28, wherein the static structure is
designed to form a lift shaft or a cable shaft of the building.
32. A set according to claim 28, wherein the static structure
comprises an element made from concrete.
33. A configuration system for configuring a set of components to
form a building or a container, said system comprising first data
input means for entering user selected data relating to a desired
size and shape of a building or a container and data processing
means for processing the user selected data to determine a set of
components which can be assembled to form a building or container
in accordance with the desired size and shape.
34. A configuration system according to claim 32, wherein
determined components are selected from a library of pre-defined
components.
35. A configuration system according to claim 32, comprising a
visualisation tool for visualising the determined components.
36. A configuration system according to claim 32, comprising a
simulation tool for visualising an assembly operation for the
assembling of the determined components to form the building or
container.
37. A configuration system according to claim 30, wherein the data
input means is adapted to receive the user selected data via the
Internet.
38. A configuration system according to claim 32, wherein the
visualisation tool is adapted to visualise the determined
components via the Internet.
39. A configuration system according to claim 33, wherein the
simulation tool is adapted to visualise the assembly operation via
the Internet.
40. A configuration system according to claim 33, further
comprising second data input means allowing the user to design
customer specified components.
41. A configuration system according to claim 37, wherein the
second data input means is adapted to receive data via the
Internet.
42. A container for transporting building components comprising
pre-formed components for erecting a building, the container being
at least partly made from the pre-formed components which can be
disassembled and reassembled to form the building.
43. A container according to claim 42, being in accordance with the
requirements for standardised containers according to ISO/DIS
8323.
44. A building made from components which have been comprised in a
container for transporting building components to a construction
site, the components comprising fittings allowing the components to
be joined to form a container of one shape for transporting other
components to a construction site, and allowing separation into
single components and rejoining to form the building which is of
another shape than the container.
45. A building according to claim 44 wherein at least one room of
the building comprises technical installations, which room
constitutes one single component of the container and the building.
Description
INTRODUCTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method and components for
moving, configuring and erecting a modular building. The invention
further relates to a building and a container for moving components
for the building to a construction site.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In general, movable and configurable construction units for
buildings exist. As an example, construction workers are often
housed in modular systems comprising numbers of containers stacked
to form temporary apartments. Such systems offer a certain degree
of freedom with respect to the size of a construction and to a
certain extent also to the shape of the construction. As an
example, the number of interconnected containers may be varied and
the containers may be connected sideways in rows, upwardly in piles
or a larger number of containers may be joined both sideways and
upwardly to form larger buildings. Furthermore, some of the
existing containers may have walls which can be shifted sideways to
enlarge one dimension of the container or the containers may have
walls which are pivotally attached to the rest of the container and
which therefore can be tilted to form a roof, a floor or a sidewall
of a building. As an example, such containers are used in mobile
exhibition platforms, concert stages etc.
[0003] Container based construction units allow an easy, fast and
often very price efficient construction of buildings. Despite the
fact that buildings of various sizes can be established in short
time by connecting a number of containers, it is typically
experienced that buildings made from containers are less attractive
seen from an architectural point of view. The shape of the
container determines the shape of the resulting building, in
practise without the opportunity to redesign. Moreover, the outer
dimensions of the containers are normally fitted to international
standards for transportation. As an example, regular shipping
containers are made in 3 different sizes all having the same
cross-sectional size but having a length of 20, 40 and 40+ foot.
The standardised and uniform sizing of the containers limits the
freedom to combine such containers into fully functional buildings,
and often, the outcome is a building with rooms of a size which
does not match the needs of the user, e.g. a too large kitchen but
a too small living room.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,862 shows an example of a modular
building formed of wall sections of superimposed logs. The document
is, however, silent about the flexibility towards transportation of
the building.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved method for transporting building components to a
construction site and for erecting a building. Accordingly, the
invention, in a first aspect, provides a method for erecting a
building on a construction site, wherein the building is made from
building components comprising components which are pre-fitted for
the building, and wherein at least a first part of the components
are transported to the construction site in a container which is at
least partly made from a second part of the components. The second
part of the components comprising components which are pre-fitted
for the building and which can be joined and separated, preferably
reversibly.
[0006] Since the container is made from pre-fitted building
components which can be joined and separated, it is possible to
transport building components to a construction site in a container
which, at the construction site, can be disassembled into single
pre-fitted components which can be joined to form the building.
Since the container can be disassembled into smaller pre-fitted
building components, it is possible more freely to design a
building and to reuse the components in various buildings.
Moreover, it is possible to join the components to form a container
with a size and shape suitable for transporting building components
to a specific building.
[0007] The building could be used as a residential property, as a
hotel, an office building, as a factory building, a hospital, a
laboratory, a storage building, a kinder garden, a school or in
fact for any purpose.
[0008] In a second aspect, the invention provides a set of
components which can be used to make a container or a building,
respectively. The container or building is in the following
referred to as a unit. The components could be combined with other
components to form larger buildings. Those other components could
be transported to the construction site inside the container. As an
example, a house may be erected from one unit. Over time, joining
additional units to the first unit can extend the building, or
removal of such additional units can shrink the building if the
requirement for space changes. The units can be connected either
vertically, horizontally or both vertically and horizontally. If
such resizing of a building should be necessitated, the components
could be reassembled into a container for transport of the
components away from the construction site.
[0009] The components of the unit are shaped and sized to support
modular construction of the building and/or the container, i.e. the
components can be joined in various ways to form a construction of
various shapes and sizes. The unit may be used to form rooms which
do not necessarily have to be closed rooms but which can rather be
open constructions, e.g. shelter like constructions.
[0010] Typically, the unit is prefabricated and consists of
components of either standardised shape and size, components
selected from a library of components of standardised shape and
size or components which have a customer specified shape and size.
As will be discussed in further details later, the unit can be
customised and ordered via a computer system, e.g. over the
Internet.
[0011] In particular, the set comprises beams or plates with
fittings allowing the components to be joined to form a container
of one shape for transporting other components to a construction
site, and allowing separation into single components and rejoining
to form a building of another shape being different from the shape
of the container.
[0012] Some of the components are load bearing components which are
pre-fitted to form a load bearing framework of the container and to
form a load bearing framework of the building. As an example, the
container may comprise 12 load bearing beams arranged along side
edges of a box-shaped container and joined in end-joints. The
components could comprise joint-components for joining other
components. The joint-components could e.g. form corner points of
the building or the container, and they could be separate
components or they could be an integrated part of the beams and/or
the plates. Preferably, the components are fastened to each other
by hand, e.g. via fastening means, e.g. in the form of a hasp of
the kind known from window or door closing mechanisms. Preferably,
the fastening means should be capable of locking and/or unlocking a
neighbouring component without the use of any external tools. In
general, the components, i.e. beams and/or plates can be assembled
via snap locking means, by use of bolts, splits, nails, rivets, by
gluing, welding, seaming or in any other way. However, according to
one embodiment of the invention, the components are joined
magnetically. In this case, an electrical field can be used for the
disassembling thereof. Since bolts, splits, rivets and the like are
avoided, the total number of required components can be reduced.
Moreover, magnetically joined components may have more smooth outer
surfaces from which water and dirt can easily come off and during
the assembly and disassembly operations, considerable amounts of
time may be saved.
[0013] The fastening means could either be an integrated part of
the pre-fitted components or they could be provided as loose parts,
e.g. to be transported inside a container made from the pre-fitted
components.
[0014] The joint-components may have rotational joints allowing two
components which are joined by the joint-component to be rotated in
relation to each other. In that way, a 2 dimensional or a
3-dimentional, spatial, structure could be erected by unfolding a
number of rotationally interconnected components. In this respect,
2-dimentional should be understood as a structure which extends no
further into a 3.sup.rd dimension than a single individual
component of the set of components. In one specific embodiment, the
rotational joint may allow one component to be transported in a
state wherein it is folded to abut another component. At the
construction site, the component is unfolded to extend away from
the other component and thus to form a spatial structure of a
building. It is possible to reuse beams in constructions of various
kinds, e.g. buildings of various designs. In particular, relatively
short beams which can be connected to other beams to form a frame,
can be used in constructions of almost any size. Depending on a
specific design, an amount of beams can be connected to form either
planar or spatial static frames. Accordingly, the method according
to the present invention may use beams having connecting means for
connection with other beams to form static frames. Alternatively,
corner joints fitted to receive and sustain a number of beams
and/or plates and which thus can form corner points in a static
frame structure may be used. Moreover, plates comprised in the
second part of the components could be detachably joined to other
plates or to beams to form the container and/or the building.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least three
beams are connected in at least three corners or beam joints to
form a plane frame or at least six beams are connected in at least
three beam joints to form a space-frame, such frame constructions
typically posses excellent strength to weight ratios. If the beams
are of a type having a variable length, the size of the frame can
be fixed by a stiffening element attached to the frame. As an
example, a stiff bar may be link two of the beam joints, or, a
plate, e.g. a stiff sheet of metal, plastic, glass fibre or carbon
fibre reinforced polyester or epoxy, could be attached in the open
plans defined by the joined beams. The plates could be attached
directly to the beams or to the beam joints, e.g. by use of snap
coupling attachment means, e.g. without the use of tools.
[0016] As an alternative, or in combination with the beams, four or
more plates may be joined to form a spatial structure. If the beams
are of a type wherein the length is fixed, or wherein the length
can be fixed, or if the spatial structure is made by use of
interconnected plates, all components can be joined by use of
wires, lines or similar components capable of absorbing tension
only. As an example, a quadrangular building or container could be
made from eight corners each having means for receiving at least
three beams or plates. During the assembly operation, at least
twelve beams and/or at least six plates are inserted into the
corners to form the quadrangle. The beams and/or the plates can be
fastened either magnetically or mechanically to the corners, or, a
wire or similar component capable of absorbing tension can be used
to join the corners.
[0017] The beams could have a length which is resizable, e.g. by
interconnecting beam segments telescopically.
[0018] In order to utilise the space of the container, the
container could simply be made from a plurality of components, e.g.
plate shaped components or plane frames made from beams, e.g. from
four beams connected in their endpoints, the components being
stacked to form a container body and being joined, e.g. by means of
corner fittings or by means of an elongate assembling member. The
elongate assembly member could be arranged from a bottom component
to a top component in the stack of components, e.g. through
openings in the stacked components. The assembly member could be a
cable, a robe or a rod with a flange in each end. One of the
flanges could be made with an arrangement allowing lifting with a
crane. The corner fittings could form three contact surfaces for
contacting three surfaces of a component which is arranged in top
of, or in bottom of the stack of components. In that case, the
container may further have braces extending between a corner
fitting in a top corner of the stack and a corner fitting in an
opposite bottom corner of the stack.
[0019] Some of the beams could be made from a plurality of beam
segments which could be assembled or disassembled to provide a beam
of a variable length, and in one specific embodiment, beams are
provided in a lengths corresponding to the width, the length or the
height of containers for international standard container
transport.
[0020] During erection of the building, it may be an advantage if
the joint-components and the resizable beams allow simultaneous
operation to allow resizing of a frame which is assembled there
from. As an example, the beams and the joint-components could be
assembled into a cubic structure, and after the assembling, the
size and shape of the cubic structure could be fitted to a specific
need by simultaneous rotation and resizing of the length of some of
the beams and joint-components. In particular, resizing in the
scale of 1:3 would be applicable, e.g. for using a frame structure,
e.g. comprising 12 beam joined in 8 joint-components both for a
container and for a part of a building by resizing the length and
changing the angles of some of the joint-components without
disassembling the joint-components from the beams.
[0021] In particular, the set may have a static structure
incorporating at least one beam which is extractable from the
static structure to form anchoring means. The static structure
could be a block of concrete or a block of solid steel and the
structure could form the foundation of the building, or the
structure could form an elevator shaft, or a staircase shaft for
the building. In the container, the static structure could form the
bottom of the container or the structure could form a saddle to be
lifted by a truck during transportation, or the structure could
form a lifting body for attachment of the container to a crane.
[0022] The anchoring means of the static structure may comprise a
locking member which is hinged to allow movement between a position
wherein the locking member extends in a direction towards the
static structure and a position wherein the member extends
substantially perpendicular to the beam. In that way, the anchoring
means could be pounded into the ground prior to the erection of the
building and by a pull in an opposite direction the locking member
could be unfolded underneath the ground and thus lock the
foundation safely to the ground. The static structure may comprise
fastening means, e.g. flanges, holes, protrusions etc. for
attachment of other components thereto.
[0023] The inner and/or outer surface of the unit could be made of
brick-stones, concrete, wood, glass, steel, carbon and/or glass
fibres etc. Preferably, the building components are pre-fitted with
technical installations, e.g. pipes for water and waste-water,
electrical power and/or control cables, ventilation ducts,
fittings, linen etc. For this purpose, the components may have
connectors arranged to engage connectors of neighbouring components
in an assembled state. Preferably, the components are provided with
connectors on all free edges. Those connectors, which are not
engaging connectors of neighbouring components when the building or
container is assembled, can be closed by detachable closures.
[0024] Preferably, the components are categorised depending upon
their use in the building. One category could be components for
technical installations. Such components may carry all the most
technical parts of the building, e.g. bathroom and kitchen
installations, heating and/or ventilation system such as a boiler
and/or an air-conditioning system etc. Another category could be
high strength components capable of carrying loads, e.g. from a
roof or from units arranged above. Other components may have a
luxury finish and thus be used for decorative purposes. In
addition, components may be categorised in more than one category,
e.g. as a component carrying a bathroom installation and having a
strength allowing stacking of other units in a pile.
[0025] The components can be pre-insulated or they may be made from
highly insulating materials, e.g. polyurethane foam or from a
similar foam material or Rockwool.TM., Glasswool.TM. or similar
insulating material. As an example, the components can be made from
a sheet or from sheets of metal, e.g. aluminium or from cardboard,
wood, plasterboard etc. On one side or both sides, a layer of a
foam material, Rockwool.TM., Glasswool.TM. or similar insulating
material can be applied depending upon the requirements for thermal
and/or noise insulation.
[0026] As an example, some buildings may have outer walls made from
elongate boards of a certain length. In this case, the transport
container could be made from pre-fitted beams and in a dimension
suitable for transporting the elongate boards. At the construction
site, the container is disassembled and the beams are used for
making a carrying frame for the building while the elongate boards
transported therein, are used for making the outer walls. In
another example, the container could be made from plates which can
be disassembled and used as outer walls of the building. Other
components for the building could be transported within the
container, e.g. electrical equipment, plumbing equipment, doors,
windows, interior outfitting etc. A particularly good flexibility
can be achieved by using a number of pre-fitted parts, e.g. beams
or plates e.g. plan plates made from a sheet material, e.g. metal,
cardboard, plywood, laminate etc. The beams and plates can be used
to form frames and sidewalls, respectively, of either the container
or the building.
[0027] In order to allow the pre-fitted components to be reused,
they may be adapted for multiple and reversible joining and
separation. As an example, the same component may be used in a
container for transporting other components to a construction site.
At the construction site, a building comprising this component is
erected and used for a period of time. Subsequently, the building
is disassembled and some components are joined to form a container
for moving other components to a new construction site. Again, the
container is disassembled and the components joint to form the new
building. In fact, a building can entirely or at least almost
entirely be made from pre-fitted and modular components and by
intelligent design of the components, a very high degree of reuse
of equal components in forming either a container and/or a building
can be achieved.
[0028] The beams and/or the plates could as an example be made from
steel, plastic or from a composite material such as glass or carbon
fibre reinforced polyester or epoxy. Moreover, the beams and or the
plates could be made from wood, concrete, or even from laminates
e.g. made of compressed paper. The plates could even be made of
glass, e.g. reinforced glass.
[0029] The corners, e.g. the beam joints may comprise attachment
means for attaching handling equipment to the joint, e.g. holes for
a cranes hook or similar.
[0030] In general, the units may be used for buildings either on a
solid foundation, e.g. of concrete or they may be installed on
piles.
[0031] In order to allow fast and easy erection of a building from
the components, some components of the set may be pre-fitted with
technical installations, e.g. piping for water and/or waste water,
lining, bathroom or kitchen equipment, heating and/or air
conditioning equipment etc. Moreover, windows, doors, panels and
similar parts may be pre-installed in the components. In order to
allow an easy and fast configuration of a building from a set of
components, the component may preferably be categorised depending
on their use in the building, e.g. one category for technical
components, one for decorative components and one for high strength
components. In particular the technical components such as a
kitchen or bathroom component may have connecters arranged to
engage connectors of neighbouring components in an assembled state.
Most preferably, such connectors are arranged in standardised
locations on all those edges which are supposed abut neighbouring
components and those connectors which are not going to be used, can
be sealed by detachable closures. In fact, such connectors may
connect both hot and cold water supplies, heating and cooling
supplies, electrical supplies as well as antenna, telephone or
broadband connections for televisions, computers, telephones and
similar electrical devices or control cables e.g. for switching
light on and off.
[0032] A set of components may include peripheral parts enabling
the assembling of the building, e.g. corner joints, cables, plugs,
draining fittings, hoses, or even curtains, wall paper, paint
etc.
[0033] In one embodiment, the set comprises a number of beams which
can be assembled, to form a frame, and which can be disassembled
into single elongate beams or beam segments. As an example, the
beams can be assembled into a quadrangular container frame having
size and shape in accordance with the international standard for
container transport. The sidewalls, bottom and/or roof could be
made from plates or elongate boards. At the construction site, the
beams could be disassembled and the separate beams can be used e.g.
for the carrying structure of the floor, walls or roof of the
building. Analogously, the plates or elongate boards which had
formed the sidewalls, bottom and/or roof of the container can be
reused for almost any purpose in the building, e.g. for making
outer panels, floors, inner or outer roof etc.
[0034] According to a third aspect, the present invention relates
to a configuration system for configuring a set of components to
form a building or a container, said system comprising first data
input means for entering user selected data relating to a desired
size and shape of a building or a container and data processing
means for processing the user selected data to determine a set of
components which can be assembled to form a building or container
in accordance with the desired size and shape.
[0035] The determined components could be selected from a library
of pre-defined components, or, the user via a user interface could
specify the size, shape and material of the components.
[0036] In order for the user to better understand the configuration
of the building and/or the container, the system may comprise
visualisation and/or simulation tools for visualising the
components and/or a preferred assembly procedure for the assembling
of the components to form the building and/or the container.
[0037] In order to allow a user to operate the system remotely, the
user input means and/or the visualisation and/or the simulation
tools may be accessible via the Internet.
[0038] According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides
to a container for transporting building components comprising
pre-formed components for erecting a building, the container being
at least partly made from the pre-formed components. The container
may e.g. be sized and shaped in accordance with the requirements
for standardised containers according to ISO/DIS 8323.
[0039] According to a fifth aspect, the invention provides a
building made from components and in accordance with the first and
second aspect of the invention. In particular, one room of the
building may contain all the technical installations of the
building, and this particular room may constitute one single
component of the container and the building. I.e. this component is
not assembled and disassembled during the transition from a
container to a building, vice versa.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0040] In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention
will be described in further details with reference to the drawing
in which:
[0041] FIG. 1 shows a container made from pre-fitted components for
a building,
[0042] FIG. 2 shows expansion of an elongate component into a
3-dimentional structure,
[0043] FIGS. 3 and 4 show components for a building, the components
being made from components from the container of FIG. 1, and
[0044] FIGS. 5-65 show various designs of components, joint
components and static structures for a container and/or for a
building.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the container and/or building according
to the present invention may have a quadrangular shape like a cube
made from 12 beams 1-12. Each beam is connected to at least two
neighbouring beams in the end points thus forming beam joints in
the 8 corners 13. The beams could be joined e.g. in
joint-components which are capable of rotating one of the beams in
relation to another beam. The beams could be made from steel, wood,
compressed paper, a carbon, Kevlar or glass-fibre reinforced resin
e.g. epoxy or polyester based, aluminium or from any metal alloy.
During transport to a construction site, the container houses a
number of building components.
[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates how a substantially oblong element 50
made from beams which are joined by rotational joints can be
unfolded, in a first step to form a 2-dimentional frame structure
51, i.e. extending only the thickness of the beams in a third
dimension. In the next step, the frame structure is unfolded into a
spatial frame structure 52. In a next step, the spatial frame
structure is expanded in its height by expansion of 4 beams 53. In
the final step, the spatial frame structure is expanded in its
width by expansion of 4 other beams 54.
[0047] In FIG. 3, the container of FIG. 1 has been disassembled and
two rectangular frames made from the beams 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
and 20 are shown. In FIG. 4, it is shown how the components is
further disassembled and reassembled to form two portals 6, 9, 10
and 1,3,12, two wall segments for carrying a window of a building
4, 7, 8, 5 and 14, 16, 17, 18 and two smaller portals 15, 19, 21
and 2, 11, 20. FIG. 4 further shows a building made from the
components.
[0048] FIG. 5 shows an alternative architectural design of a set of
components and a corresponding building made from such components.
Again, the components are derived by disassembling and rejoining of
components from the container shown in FIG. 1.
[0049] FIG. 6 shows a container with components for a building. The
components of the container corresponds to the components of the
building disclosed e.g. in FIG. 5.
[0050] FIG. 7 shows a container with a side-portion which can be
pulled out to form a balcony of a building, and in FIG. 8, a widest
side of the container or building component is expanded to form a
catwalk or a balcony of a larger size. FIG. 9 shows a container or
building component being expanded, in FIG. 10, it is disclosed how
a beam can be extended lengthwise in a telescopic way by extraction
of one beam segment within another beam segment. FIG. 11 shows
expansion of a container end-face.
[0051] FIG. 12 show a static structure comprising a quadrangular
static body 121 made from 12 beams joint in 8 corner joints. From
corners of the static body 121, arm segments 122 are extracted to
form fastening points 123 for a stiffening element 124, e.g. a
cable or a rod.
[0052] FIG. 13 shows a building component wherein one side surface
131 is rotated as indicated by the dotted line 132 to expand the
component.
[0053] FIG. 14 shows a container comprising elements for a
building. The wheels 81 can be used during handling and transport
of the container to and from a construction site. In order to form
the building shown in FIG. 15, the components 82 and 83 are shifted
upwardly and other components, 84, 85, are attached.
[0054] In FIG. 16, corner joints 101 capable of receiving plates
103 or beams 104 for assembling a container or building, is shown.
The joints may have upwardly extending flanges 102 e.g. for lifting
the assembled container or building or for connecting the container
or building to adjacent buildings, e.g. to form a multiple storage
building.
[0055] FIG. 17 shows another embodiment of corner joints 171 for
assembling a number of beams 172 in corners. The holes 173 serve
e.g. for attaching lifting equipment to the corner joint for
lifting the building or container or for connecting the container
or building to adjacent buildings or e.g. for connecting one corner
joint to another corner joint. In FIG. 18, the corner joints 181
are connected diagonally via flexband.TM. 182 or similar belts,
cables, robes or lines capable of absorbing tension. As shown, the
beams 183 are fitted with connecting elements 184 made with holes
185 allowing the beams to be fastened to the corner joints by
inserting a bolt, rivet or similar fastening element through the
corner joint and the beam. The disclosed corner joints are made
with contact surfaces 186 for contacting an underlying support
surface, e.g. an underlying building or container or a base
foundation or for carrying buildings or containers in piles.
[0056] In FIG. 19 is shown how one single plate or 2-dimentionally
shaped component 191 may be connected in its corners 192 to
elongate drawbars 193. The drawbars have lifting means 194 in each
of their longitudinally disposed end sections. In the top, the
lifting means are interconnected by braces 195.
[0057] FIGS. 20 and 21 show two containers assembled with corner
joints. In FIG. 21, the corner joints are connected via
flexband.TM. or similar belts 215. In FIG. 20, the container is
made from a number of plates 201, 202 attached to a frame made from
12 beams 203 joined in 8 corner joints 204. In FIG. 21, the
container is made from a number of oblong plates, e.g. wooden
boards and triangular plates 212, the plates are attached in a
frame made of beams 213 joined in corner joints 214. The corner
joints served to join the beams and supports hoisting of the
building or container. After disassembling of the container, the
oblong plates could serve e.g. for making the floor of the
building. In order to protect the finish of such plates, the side
facing outwardly on the container could be turned downwardly when
the plates are used for making the floor.
[0058] FIGS. 22-31 show collapsing and/or expansion of a component
made from beams joined by rotational joints. In FIG. 22, it is
shown how 8 rotational corner joints can be applied to allow
collapsing of a 3-dimensional structure into a 2 dimensional
structure. In FIGS. 23-25, elevation of the 3-dimensional structure
is shown by elongation of beams. Note the diagonal beam 251 which
is capable of absorbing compression and tension.
[0059] FIG. 32 shows a surface plate element which is expandable by
displacement of one element 321 in relation to another element 322.
The two elements may be joined by joints which allows the
displacement. In FIG. 33 it is shown that the element 321 and 322
could be wall elements which are expanded in their thickness 331.
FIG. 34 shows that the thickness may be limited by the delimiting
feature 333.
[0060] In FIG. 35 is shown how a container can be made from a
plurality of components 351 being stacked to form a body. The
components are joined in the vicinity of rim portions of the
components. In the disclosed embodiment, the components are joined
by elongate assembling members 352 which penetrates openings in the
stacked components and which in one end terminates in end fittings
353 and which comprises lifting fittings 354 facilitating lifting
of the container. In order to reduce sideways displacement of the
components, fittings 355 have been arranged between the components.
The fittings can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 36-40 showing
different embodiments of the fitting. The fitting shown in FIG. 37
comprises three surfaces for contacting three surfaces 371, 372,
372 of the components of the stack of components, and the opening
374 is provided for an elongate assembling member in the form of a
rod or a cable.
[0061] FIG. 41 shows an alternative embodiment of the stacking of
components wherein the corner fitting corresponds to the fitting
shown in FIG. 40.
[0062] FIGS. 42-45 show various ways of stacking components to form
containers.
[0063] FIGS. 46-47 show a method of arranging a roof element 461
down into a container and by turning the roof element 461 around, a
higher building is achieved.
[0064] FIGS. 48-53 show various examples of curved elements 480
stacked in containers and unfolded to form a building with a curved
outer shape. As shown, the container still comprises elements 481,
482 which can be disassembled and rejoined in various shapes.
[0065] As shown, the components comprise circular segments and
cylindrical segments which can be joined into various shapes. The
circular segments 483 can be joined to form smaller or larger
circular segments, and the 484 has a mating shape which can form a
side-wall or a column etc. 485 shows a cylindrical segment.
[0066] FIG. 54 shows further examples of curved elements. The
elements may in combination form circular segments, wherein the
separate elements may be arranged in the container to take up very
little space.
[0067] In FIG. 55, the beams which form building components have
various segments interconnected to allow extraction or rotation of
single segments in relation to other segments. The beam 551
comprises a first segment 552, and a second segment 553. Since the
two segments are joined in rotational joints, one segment can be
rotated in relation to the other segment. FIG. 64 shows an example
of a joint component which offers the flexibility of rotating one
attached beam segments in relation to another attached beam
segment. In 64 a, the hinge part is internal, i.e. being arranged
above the beam. The shown joint component provides a diagonal
displacement of one of the attached beam segments in relation to
another one of the attached beam segments while the joint component
shown in FIG. 65 shows perpendicular displacement of one of the
attached beam segments in relation to another one of the attached
beam segments.
[0068] FIGS. 60-62 shows further examples of beams of a larger
strength which form static structures which can be used for
elevator shafts, and in FIG. 63, it is shown how the static
structures may be further joined to form larger buildings.
* * * * *