14342AU ORIGINAL Complete Specification Applicant: Michael Angerson Title: A building structure and method of constructing the same Address for Service: LESICAR PERRIN, 49 Wright Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to melus: I A building structure and method of constructing the same The present invention relates to a building structure and, in particular, to a building structure that may be erected quickly and efficiently, and without the need for skilled labour. The building is intended for particular use in response to disasters, and in disaster-prone areas. 5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION World conditions including weather, economics and politics are changing rapidly. For example, in 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused tsunamis across the coasts of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries, resulting in over 300,000 lives lost. In 2005, several hurricanes caused devastating effects in the United States and in the 10 Caribbean. Many building structures are not capable of withstanding the effects of hurricanes, tsunami's and other natural disasters, such as earthquakes, flooding or the like. Man-made disasters (e.g. war, bombing or the like) can also destroy building structures. In a disaster, where building structures are destroyed, or in a wide variety of other 15 circumstances, there is a need for providing human beings with shelter. In disaster relief applications and in a wide variety of other applications, it is desirable to erect emergency shelters relatively quickly. In a disaster or in a wide variety of other circumstances, the need for shelter may be exacerbated by a lack of skilled tradespeople capable of erecting buildings. It is also generally desirable that disaster relief shelters themselves be resistant to the 20 destructive force of further disasters. There is a general desire to provide building structures that may be deployed to provide humans with shelter and to overcome or at least ameliorate some of the aforementioned issues. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 25 In one form of the invention there is proposed a building structure comprising: a longitudinal axis; a plurality of transversely extending rectangular frames disposed at predetermined spaced apart distances along the building longitudinal axis, each of said rectangular frames including a horizontal structural floor element, upright structural wall elements, and a horizontal 30 structural ceiling element; and 2 a floor comprising a plurality of composite floor panels adapted to be supported directly above said horizontal structural floor elements. Preferably said building structure further includes wall panel frame elements extending along junctions between the wall and ceiling structural elements, and the wall and 5 floor structural elements of each frame, said wall panel frame elements being C-section elements, whereby vertically aligned wall panel frame elements are opposed and adapted to accommodate composite wall panels there between. In preference said composite floor panels are located inwards from the wall panel frame elements which line the junction between said wall and floor structural elements. 10 Preferably said plurality of transversely extending rectangular frames include two end frames and at least one further frame there between. Preferably said building includes at least one transversely extending internal wall adapted to extend along the axis defined by said at least one further frame between the end frames. 15 In preference said building includes four transversely extending rectangular frames including two end frames and two further frames being disposed between the two end frames an equal distance from a central transverse axis. Preferably said building includes a longitudinally extending internal wall extending at least partially along said longitudinal axis, and thereby defining two internal areas on either 20 side of said longitudinal axis. In preference said building structure further includes two transversely extending internal walls extending along the same transverse axis as the two further frames located between the end frames, said two transversely extending internal walls extending between a side wall of the building and the longitudinal internal wall, thereby splitting one of said 25 internal areas into three areas. Preferably the internal area that is not split forms a kitchen/dining area, and the three areas on the opposed side of the longitudinal axis form two bedrooms, and a bathroom there between. In preference said building further includes a ceiling adapted to extend between 30 horizontal structural ceiling elements of adjacent frames.
3 Preferably said building further includes a roof structure adapted to be mounted above the horizontal structural ceiling elements. Preferably the area defined by the horizontal structural ceiling elements of two adjacent frames, the ceiling there between, and the roof, is used as a utility supply area. 5 In preference said utility supply area houses utilities required by the building including electricity cables, plumbing, and air conditioning ducts. In preference said roof structure comprises a plurality of composite panels. In preference the upright structural wall elements of each rectangular frame increase in height from one longitudinal end of the building to the other so that the roof structure 10 mounted there above slopes at a predetermined angle. Preferably said building is surface mounted. Advantageously said rectangular frames are supported above height adjustable legs. In preference each height adjustable leg includes a base plate having an internally threaded socket, and an upright leg post having a bracket at an upper end thereof adapted to 15 accommodate a horizontal structural floor element, and a lower end being correspondingly threaded with said socket to enable adjustable engagement therewith. Preferably said base plate is adapted to be mounted above a concrete anchor. In preference a shock pad is wedged between said base plate and said concrete anchor to provide a damping effect to said building. 20 In preference each of said rectangular frames is supported above two height adjustable legs, located on opposed transverse sides of the building. Preferably said composite panels are constructed of a heat resistant foam core having metal skins extending across opposed faces of the foam core. Preferably extending longitudinally and mounted beneath the horizontal structural 25 floor elements of each frame are decking support beams adapted to extend beyond the longitudinal ends of the building to thereby support decking there above. In preference said building includes access doors and windows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 4 The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings; 5 Figure I illustrates a perspective view of a fully assembled building structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the building structure of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates a plan view of the building structure of Figure 1; Figures 4-9 illustrate, progressively, in perspective view the steps involved in erecting the 10 building structure of Figure I; Figure 1 Oa illustrates a cross sectional view taken through a vertical axis of a wall of the building structure of Figure 1; and Figure 1Ob illustrates in perspective view the way in which the wall panels are adapted to slide between vertically disposed C-section beams to form the wall shown in 15 Figure 1 Oa. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the 20 spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. A building structure 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1-3. Building 10 is completely assembled and provides a structure that is resistant to the effects of tsunami's and the like, in that rather than being fixed, it is surface 25 mounted. This means that during say a tsunami where a volume of water moves towards the building 10, the building 10 is adapted to remain intact and to some extent move with the volume of water, rather than being demolished in a potentially fatal manner to its occupants because underground footings have been utilised. The same applies to earthquakes and the like.
5 Because of the simplicity of the building 10, and its method of construction, multiple skilled tradespeople are not required to erect the building, making it ideal for deployment to disaster areas and the like which require the provision of immediate shelter. Such buildings are also intended to be erected in areas which are prone to disaster and other areas which 5 require basic housing, for example, to provide accommodation to second and third world communities. Such buildings could equally well be used for recreational purposes, including the provision of holiday accommodation. As seen perhaps most clearly in Figure 3, the building 10 is a single story structure adapted to accommodate approximately two occupants. The building 10 has a simple 10 rectangular layout including end walls 12 and 14 extending perpendicularly to the building longitudinal axis, and side walls 16 and 18 disposed on either side and parallel to the longitudinal axis. There are also internal walls 20, 22 and 24. Internal wall 20 is located in the middle of the building 10 and extends along the longitudinal axis, It is approximately one third the length of each side wall 16 and 18, Internal walls 22 and 24 extend perpendicularly 15 to the longitudinal axis, between internal wall 20 and side wall 16. The walls define four main areas 26, 28, 30 and 32 of the building 10. In particular, area 26 which is intended to be a kitchen/dining/lounge area as indicated by the sink 34 and dining tables 36, is defined by walls 12, 14, 18 and 20. Area 28, which is intended to be a first bedroom as indicated by bed 38, is defined by walls 12, 16, 20 and 22. 20 Area 30 which is intended to be a second bedroom as indicated by bed 40, is defined by walls 14, 16, 20 and 24. Finally area 32 which is intended to be a bathroom as indicated by toilet 42, wash basin 44 and shower 46, is defined by walls 16, 20, 22 and 24. It is to be understood that the purpose of each area 26, 28, 30 and 32 is not intended to be limited to that which is illustrated and described herein, nor is the internal layout. 25 Walls 22 and 24 include doorways for access between respective bedrooms 28 and 30, and the bathroom 32. It is not a requirement that doors (not shown) be fitted to the doorways. For example, it is envisaged that curtains may well be used. Curtains (not shown) could also be used to extend between the ends of the central longitudinal wall 22, to each of the end walls 12 and 14, thereby providing privacy to the bedrooms 28 and 30. 30 Each of the end walls 12 and 14 includes a sliding door 48 and 50, and a horizontal window slit 52 and 54, respectively. The doors 48 and 50 provide access between the indoor area 26 and outdoor decking 56 and 58, located on opposed ends of the building 10. Although not shown, the sliding doors could be positioned outside of the structure, whereby the sliding door frame is positioned just outside the wall element. There is also a window 60 adjacent the 6 shower 46, and a window 62 on the opposite side of the building on wall 18 of area 26. The windows, particularly window 60 adjacent the shower, would have appropriate shuttering (not shown). It is to be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited to only this arrangement of windows and doors, for example, there could equally well be a single 5 access door, and the windows could be positioned elsewhere. The walls 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 are constructed using composite panels 64, as is the roof 66 using panels 67, and the floor 68 using panels 69. Each of these panels are of the same construction (described in more detail below with references to Figures 1 Oa and lOb). There is also a utility supply means to the building 10 which shall also be described. 10 The main steps of construction of the building 10 are shown in Figures 4-9 and described as follows. The building 10 comprises four main structural components, being four transversely extending rectangular frames, or "sub-frames", 70a, 70b, 70c and 70d (or 70a-70d) spaced along the length of the building 10. These are shown perhaps most clearly in Figure 6. Each 15 rectangular frame comprises a horizontal floor element 72a, 72b, 72c and 72d (or 72a-72d), two opposed vertical wall elements 74a, 74b, 74c and 74d (or 74a-74d) and 76a, 76b, 76c, and 76d (or 76a-76d), and a horizontal ceiling element 78a, 78b, 78c and 78d (or 78a-78d). All of the structural elements are preferably C-section elements. The ceiling elements 78a-78d are all mounted at the same level relative to the floor 20 elements 72a-72d, however they increase in width (height) progressively from one side of the building to the other, that is, from 72a to 72d, as do the height of the wall elements 74a to 74d and 76a to 76d, to accommodate for the increased width. The reason for the greater height on one end of the house compared to the other end is so that the roof structure 66, which is mounted above the ceiling elements 78a-78d, is sloping. This is for aesthetic reasons and also 25 to ensure that rainwater does not pool on the roof structure 66. Figure 5 illustrates the addition of three longitudinal and spaced apart decking support beams 79a, 79b and 79c (or 79a-79c) mounted beneath and perpendicular to the floor elements 72a-72d, in between height adjustable support legs 80 (described below). The decking support beams, as the name suggests, are used to support decking 56 and 58 on 30 longitudinal ends of the building 10. The decking support beams are not essential to structurally supporting the building 10, they are used solely for supporting the decking 56 and 58.
7 Figure 6 illustrates the addition of reinforcing beams 81 extending between the frames 70a-70d and, in particular, between adjacent floor elements 72a-72d. These are also not essential, however, it is recommended that they be used as a means of reinforcing the frames 70a-70d. 5 The rectangular frames 70a-70d are supported above a plurality of the abovementioned height adjustable supporting legs 80. Figure 6 illustrates an enlarged view of one leg 80 for frame 70a, which includes a bottom concrete anchor or slab 82, a metal base plate 84 thereabove which includes a female internally threaded socket 86 adapted to receive an externally threaded end of a leg post 88. Attached to the upper end of post 88 is a bracket 10 89 which is adapted to accommodate the horizontal floor element 72a, and thereby contribute to supporting the rectangular frame 70a. The drawings show that there is a height adjustable leg 80 associated with each end of the horizontal floor elements 72a-72d. Those skilled in the art would realise that during construction of the building 10, in using the supporting legs of the present invention, the site does not need to be cleared or the 15 ground levelled, as the height of each end of the four frames 70a-70d can easily be manipulated by simply lifting them, and then tightening or loosening the metal base plate 84 from the post 88, whichever is necessary in the circumstances. For example, by tightening the base plate 84 onto the post 88, the height of the frame end will decrease, and by loosening it, the height of the frame end will increase. Once a desired height is achieved, a suitable locking 20 mechanism (not shown) could be used to lock the frame at this height. Although not shown, there is also preferably a rubber shock pad or the like wedged between the concrete anchor 82 and the metal plate 84 providing a damping effect to the building. This may be useful in areas where earthquakes and the like a common occurrences. In an alternate embodiment, the supporting leg posts 88 could be fixed (preferably 25 welded) to one side of the outer longitudinal decking support beams 79a and 79c, rather than being stand alone structures. In a further alternate configuration, there is no need for concrete slabs 82, but instead, screw-in pins (not shown) are used to support the sub-frames. Once the pins are screwed into the ground, concrete can then be poured around them. Figure 7 illustrates the addition of opposed C-section wall panel frame elements, 30 herein referenced using numeral 90, mounted in an opposed manner to the ceiling elements 78a-78d and the floor elements 72a-72d. The manner by which the opposed wall panel frame elements are adapted to engage the wall panels 64 will be described further below. There are opposed upper and lower wall panel frame elements 90 wherever there is a wall present in the building 10. With respect to the side walls 16 and 18, it can be seen that the wall panel frame 8 elements 90 extend longitudinally and beyond the end walls 12 and 14 of the building 10. There is a side wall frame element 90 fixed inside the junction between the floor elements 72a-72d and vertical wall elements 74a-74d, between the floor elements 72a-72d and vertical wall elements 76a-76d, between the ceiling elements 78a-78d and the vertical wall elements 5 74a-74d, and at the junction between the ceiling elements 78a-78d and the vertical wall elements 76a-76d. The next step in construction is the laying of the floor panels 69. One of the reasons the building 10 of the present invention is so quick to erect without the need for skilled labour is its floor structure. The floor does not require the use of transverse floor joists as per 10 conventional building design, but rather, simply relies upon the laying of a plurality of adjacent composite panels 69 across the structural floor elements 72a-72d. Therefore the floor structure quite simply comprises four transverse structural floor elements 72a-72d, supported above legs 80, with a plurality of 10-15cm thick composite floor panels 69 mounted there above, the floor panels 69 being disposed inside the lower C-section wall frame elements 90. 15 This can be seen most clearly in Figure 8. Figure 9 illustrates an almost completed building 10. As shown, there is a corrugated panel 92 extending between the structural ceiling elements 78b and 78c. Above this panel 92 and between the ceiling elements 78b and 78c, is a utility supply channel 94. In the embodiment shown, there are electrical cables 96 and a water pipe 98 extending into the 20 channel 94 and connected to the relevant utility, that is, the four internal lamps 100 and the shower head 102, respectively. Although not shown, it is envisaged that any additional required utilities will also be supplied through channel 94, including air conditioning, water supply to the toilet 42 and wash basin 44, and also to the kitchen sink 34. These are not shown for the purpose of brevity. It is envisaged that parts of the internal walls, for example wall 20, 25 would be made hollow to accommodate such utility supply means. Therefore, apart from the area beneath the corrugated panel 92 above which is housed the utility supply means, for the remainder of the building, the roof structure 66 forms the ceiling. The gaps between the roof structure 66 and the walls can be sealed using an appropriate flashing material (not shown), or as shown in Figure 2, the gaps may be covered 30 using shutters 104 which are adjustable between closed to open positions, allowing outside air to enter the building. Any further gaps can be sealed using appropriate building material. As mentioned, the roof structure is also formed of composite panels 67 of around the same thickness as those used in the floor.
9 In an alternate configuration, the corrugated panel 92 which forms the ceiling between ceiling elements 78b and 78c, could be used all the way along the building thereby providing an alternate ceiling, that is, the corrugated panel could be made to extend between ceiling elements 78a and 78b, and 78c and 78d. This would be necessary in colder climates, 5 where it would not be desirable for occupants to have outside air entering the living areas. Referring now to Figure 1Oa, there is shown a cross section of one of the wall panels 64. Each wall panel 64 consists predominantly of a heat resistant foam core 104, with steel skins 106 extending across opposed faces of the foam core 104. End plugs 108 may be inserted into the gaps between the panel 64 and the C-section element 90 to prevent insects 10 and the like entering into the gaps. The steel skins 106 include connection means (not shown) along edges thereof which allow for adjacent panels 64 to be linked to one another, as is known in the art. It is to be understood that the floor panels 69 and roof panels 67 are of the same configuration as the wall panels 64, but may vary in thickness. For example, the floor panels 69 would typically be of a greater thickness to that of the wall panels 64 and roof 15 panels 67. However, the building 10 could equally well include floor, wall and roof panels of the same thickness, this again depending on the climate and other user requirements. Each panel 64, 67 and 69 not only provides insulation to the building, but also overcomes problems associated with conventional floor, wall and roof structures which are easily subject to damage from fire and water. 20 Figure 1 Ob illustrates how the wall panels 64 are adapted to be inserted between opposed upper and lower C-section wall panel frame elements 90. This method also contributes to the ease at which the building 10 is constructed, in that to form a wall, two adjacent panels just need to be linked along an edge thereof and then slid in place between the opposed C-section elements 90. Once secured between the elements 90, there is no need for 25 additional fastening means to be used, although one may well use an additional fastening means if desired. In circumstances where there may not be enough room for a panel to slide in position, the C-section wall frame elements 90 may be connected to the panels first, and then the whole wall inserted in place and fixed to the relevant frame element. The present Applicant has found that the simple "sub-frame" configuration described 30 above does not require a conventional flooring frame structure or foundations, yet is still sufficient to provide the building with the structural integrity required to support itself and its contents and occupants. Furthermore, the building 10 is surface mounted which means that should a tsunami or flash flood or like disaster occur, it is envisaged that the building will remain intact and at least partially float, rather than be destroyed. It is often the case that it is 10 not the disaster itself which is potentially fatal, but destruction of the structure surrounding the occupants. The building 10 of the present invention is ideal for deployment to disaster areas because of its quick and easy construction, there being no requirement for skilled workers. The building 10 does not comprise a large number of parts and many of the panels 5 and frame elements can be flat packed and easily shipped. Although not described in detail above, the frame elements, panels, etc, are connected by any suitable fastener (which may include threaded bolts and corresponding nuts). Such fasteners may project through pre-drilled holes at suitable locations in the elements/panels. It is however to be understood that the components may be secured by various other methods 10 which will be familiar to one skilled in the art, eg, welding, studs, or adhesives such as epoxy adhesive. Finishing materials may be used to complete the construction process, for example, floating floor boards (not shown) are preferably placed above the plurality of floor panels 69 which would otherwise have a cold steel surface to walk on, and tiles are preferably placed 15 above the floor panels 69 in the bathroom. Further plumbing (not shown) may also be required beneath the building 10, for example, for discharge from the toilet and the shower. Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is 20 recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. In any claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word 25 "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.