AU2010212272A1 - A demountable building - Google Patents

Abstract

LL-eO-flOwz(P-vJ-x) e~ea L:L (w:H)s eLj:etIetlV dlAq pQA"jGO 9ME9&-SOdV :oNGIQ~svioo Abstract The present invention relates to a demountable building including at least one shipping container, a plurality of support members for providing a support structure, connecting means for connecting the support members to the container. The s demountable building also includes a plurality of pre-fabricated panels for mounting onto the support structure. The support members are capable of being re-positioned relative to one another and to the shipping container so as to alter the support structure to achieve a selected layout of the building. The support structure is self-supporting. I d soeoo L -EL:; L L -. SO/ L OLOO LL wnV(GMt) MUf flwOI"I SMHO MOId L 1-90-OLCI (P-n-Ak) ;ua Lv:LL (w:H) ewlj.:elliwlsnV dlAq peAloJ 2LC2&-S3HvYQN 01 sVJO c,4d CLd ~LSL~ HC ILLS~ILCLOO LL MayCass> wnoll MOIIS UA nC

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: PREFORM ASSETS PTY LTD Actual Inventors: PAUL CSONKA & ADRIAN KREKACS Address for Service: Chrysilion IP Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 114-115/Biztek 20 Dale Street Brookvale Sydney NSW 2100 Invention Title: A Demountable Building The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: o;\peems appliestios\ C35Ldockr L LSOO~ (-fl)J~W LLL w:) wi :~eu~wdlAq ~Ae3~ LMSZ-S38V :OlNJGISVJOD 2 A Demountable Building Technical Field This invention relates broadly to a demountable building capable of being built on site with a shipping container providing a core skeleton. 5 Background of the Invention It is well recognised that in the process of building a building from scratch at a construction site, it is impossible for builders to avoid problems with dust, noise and rubbish. Also, challenging site conditions can often cause compromised construction practices, standards and fishes. 10 Furthermore, builders quite often have to employ a large number of subcontractors and fulfil various 'wet-trade requirements', which increase the building costs. This may be further compounded by time overruns. It is generally desirable for the construction industry to be able to build cabins, homes and buildings on a construction site with building components or modules such as wall 15 panels and doors which are pre-fabricated in the factory and delivered to the construction site being readily available for assembly into a building in order to save time and labour costs. Previous attempts have been made to use a shipping container as a core skeleton for buildings. However, the prefabricated industry has never been able to deliver on its 20 promise of quicker, cheaper, faster while maintaining high quality. It is an object of the present invention to provide a demountable building which may overcome or ameliorate the above shortcoming or which will at least provide a useful alternative. Disclosure of the Invention 25 According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a demountable building including: at least one shipping container; a plurality of support members for providing a support structure; connecting means for connecting the support members to the container; and 3o a plurality of pre-fabricated panels for mounting onto the support structure; wherein the support members are capable of being re-positioned relative to one another S d S LS" ON/ L i L "*LS/ L I Lt OLOO IL DO4V"(M> M"" flOI"ISAMIO MOid and to the shipping container so as to alter the support structure to achieve a selected layout of the building. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a demountable building including: s at least one shipping container; a plurality of support members for providing a support structure; connecting means for connecting the support members to the container; and a plurality of pre-fabricated panels for mounting onto the support structure; wherein the support structure is adapted to be self-supporting, 1o According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shipping container adapted to be a foundation for a building and to be connected to support members for providing a support structure for the building. Optionally, two or more of the aspects of the invention may be combined. Preferably, the shipping container is a regular container usable for shipping in the 15 normal manner. It is also preferred that the shipping container is 'used' but it may be new, In a preferred embodiment, the shipping container is custonised to include one or more anchoring means at its corners. The or each anchoring means may include a section. Preferably the section is I-shaped, C-shaped or U-shaped. Alternatively, the section may 20 be enclosed. Each section may form part of or be connected to a beam or channel in the form of a girder which runs along an edge of the container. Preferably the beam or channel is C-shaped or I-shaped. The customised shipping container is preferred to include one or more reinforced cut-outs which comply with ISO standards for international transportation and facilitates loading and unloading of the panels. Each 25 cut-out is preferred to be covered by a sheet and sealed with a sealant Preferably the sheet is a ply sheet. The sealant may be a silicon sealant to render the container waterproof during shipping. The shipping container may also include built-in water and sewage systems, Preferably, the container includes a kitchen and a bathroom. 3o In a preferred embodiment, the support structure includes support members in the form of substantially vertical columns and horizontal beams or channels adapted to be connected to one another, or to the anchoring means or one or more girders of the shipping container. The columns and beams or channels may be configured to be 0 cd 0 LGOL 'ON/OL i L'' LS/I LL OMLO LL tfnW(Ob MU"" lO I""SAbO pqOua 4 structurally connected to one another. The support structure is preferred to be supported by a supporting system. The supporting system preferably includes a substructure having one end supporting the beams or channels of the support structure and another end adapted to bear on one or 6 more footings, The or each footing may be made of reinforced concrete or a piled foundation or the like. The support structure may further include one or more joists, each having one end connected to an anchoring means and another end to a horizontal beam or channel. The joists may be configured to support a ceiling or a floor. 10 Preferably, the connecting means may be in the form of cleats or bolts connected to or extending from the shipping container. The cleats or bolts are preferred to be made of steel. Alternatively, the or each connecting means takes the form of an L-shaped bracket adapted to connect the beams or channels to one another or to the anchoring means. The connection may be secured by fixing means such as bolts or rivers. 15 Optionally, the support structure includes one or more roof supporting beams adapted to support one or more lightweight roof panels. Each roof panel preferably includes a composite panel consisting of an exterior cladding, foam structural insulation, and an external cladding. Optionally, the support structure may be configured and arranged such that it is capable 20 of supporting a multi-storey construction. Conveniently, the pre-fabricated panels are configured so that they are capable of being accommodated within the container during transportation. In a preferred embodiment, some of the pre-fabricated panels bear a gable for masking the end of a pitched roof. Also, the pre-fabricated panels may include one or more 25 windows. Preferably, each pre-fabricated panel includes insulation, internal wall and external cladding. The external cladding may have a factory finish or be painted to render it aesthetically pleasing. According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of building a demountable building, the method including the steps of: 30 customising at least one shipping container for a foundation for the building; providing a plurality of support members for providing a support structure, the support members being capable of being re-positioned relative to one another and to the shipping container so as to alter the support structure to achieve a selected layout of the 4. GS&SL~C~f~i.LLt 4.0 &t~ - *OV<cS*> MWf1 famloIAma ONcA IL-8OOt (P)-VIt) BeIeOLP:LI.(-IH) 2W!J.llWV dl Aq PA!QRQ ?LSBW-SrnIV :ON Mi SnOO 5 building; connecting the support members to the container by connecting means; and mounting a plurality of pre-fabricated panels onto the support structure. Brief Description of the Drawings 5 The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which: Figure I is a perspective view of an embodiment of a demountable building in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a customised container to be used as a foundation for 1i the demountable building of Figure 1; Figure 3a is a perspective view of the customised container of Figure 2 loaded with prefabricated panels; Figure 3b is a perspective view of the customised container of Figure 3a illustrating spaces allowed for a built-in kitchen, bathroom and ensuite; 1s Figure 4a is a front view of a prefabricated wall panel of the demountable building of Figure 1; Figure 4b is a side view of the prefabricated wall panel of Figure 4a; Figure 4c is an end view of the prefabricated wall panel of Figure 4a; Figure 4d is a front view of a prefabricated roof panel of the demountable building of 20 Figure 1; Figure 4e is an end view of the prefabricated roof panel of Figure 4d; Figure 4f is a side view of the prefabricated roof pane) of Figure 4d; Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of a support structure of the demountable building of Figure 1; 25 Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of part of a support structure of the demountable building of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a schematic view of connecting means used to connect support members of the support structure of Figure 5; e a OLQS OhI L iL L ± SZC O.A.L CLOZ k L flVCa SI lIMSAM MU LV~~~~~~~~~~~~~9ZS0(-lA iet~a(:)wj:!tlnd qpno~8 t9SOV :o0 01 SHdOO 6 Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of part of the support structure of the demountable building of Figure 6 illustrating the roof; Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the demountable building of Figure 1 showing individual prefabricated panels and the shipping container; s Figure 10 is a floor plan illustrating the layout of the demountable building of Figure 1; and Figure 11 is a cross sectional view of a multi-storey demountable building in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Drawines 1o Referring to Figure 1, a demountable building 10 has a customised and ISO compliant shipping container 12 which is made of structural steel. The customised container 12 forms a core skeleton for the building 10, and support members (not visible) which provides a support structure on which pre-fabricated panels 14 are mounted. Turning to Figure 2, the shipping container 12 includes anchoring means 16 at its 15 corners. In this embodiment, each anchoring means 16 is an enclosed section. As shown in Figure 2, the comer sections 16 are connected to a beam or channel which takes the form of a girder 18, 20 running along an edge of the customised container 12. In the present embodiment, the girder 18 is an I-shaped channel whereas the beam girder 20 is L-shaped. It is however contemplated that the beam girder 20 may be C 20 shaped or box-shaped. The container 12 has a corrugated upper surface 20, and lateral and end surfaces 22 and 24 which include cut-outs 26, 28 and 30. For example, the cut out 28 is partly defined by columns 32 and 34 which are customised and reinforced to comply with ISO standards. Referring to Figures 3a and 3b, the demounted building 10 has pre-fabricated panels 14 25 both in the form of walls 40 and gables 42, The panels 14 are pre-fabricated in the factory and transported to a site for assembly into a building. The panels 14 are arranged in rows and stacked in the container 12 for transportation purposes. As best shown in Figure 2, the shipping container is customised to include cut-outs 26, 28 and 30 which facilitate loading and unloading of the panels and add to the design so amenity of the completed dwelling. After loading of the panels 14 (Figure 3a) into the container 12, the cut-outs 26, 28 and 30 are blocked by barriers 38 (Figure 3a) which prevent the panels from falling out of the container 12 during transportation. * J *S00tSQLL ON L LI Za; L O1 o# aII SflV<Ocmk> 1, o 7 Alternatively, the cut-outs may be covered by one or more cover sheets and sealed with a sealant. The sealant may be a silicon sealant which renders the container waterproof during transportation. As indicated in Figure 3b, the shipping container 12 has built-in water and sewage s systems (not shown). This enables the container 12 to provide facilities for installation of a kitchen 44, a bathroom 46 and an ensuite area 48. The pre-fabricated panels 14 are constructed differently depending on their application. For instance, referring to Figures 4a to c, each pre-fabricated wall 40 includes a layer of insulation 50, an internal wall surface 52 and external cladding 54. The external lo cladding 54 is painted to render it aesthetically pleasing. It is also contemplated that external cladding made of weatherboards may have a simple factory fish. Although not shown in the drawings, the pre-fabricated walls 40 may include one or more windows, hinged or sliding glass or wooden doors. It should be noted that the pre fabricated panels 36 may be provided in different sizes and can be mounted straight 15 onto a relevant part of the support structure without requiring further adaptation. Referring to Figures 4d to f, the support structure has roof supporting beams 36 (see Figure 5) configured to support lightweight roof panels 56. Each roof panel 56 includes a composite panel consisting of an external cladding 59, foam structural insulation 61, and an internal cladding 63 (see Figure 4e). 20 Furthermore, referring to Figures 1, 3a and b, pre-fabricated panels 60 form a gable for masking the end of a pitched roof 62 (see Figure 1). Referring to Figure 5, the support structure consists of support members in the form of beams. By way of example, vertical column 64 is connected to horizontal beam 66 whereas horizontal channel 68 has one end joined to the horizontal beam 66 and another 25 end joined to a beam in the form of a girder 18 which runs along an edge of the container 12. It is contemplated that the support structure may be enhanced, if necessary, to support a multi-storey construction. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the support structure is supported by a self-supporting system consisting of a structural steel frame. The steel frame has a substructure 70 ao formed by a framework of columns and beams 72, 74 and 76. For example, the column 74 has one end supporting the beam 78 and another. end adapted to bear on footings. The footings in this embodiment are represented by a reinforced concrete block 80 but may also be formed by non-concrete foundations such as screw-in piles or the like. 01-d S00stSO t~ Ofz z t1 IstO Lo OO env fl(CHm> fl1flI tA40 -SOO&(PI--) siec flLL (wti-O ewu.:eneJtsnV dlAq P8AI 2LMS-OHV N CISVJOD B As shown in Figure 6, the support structure also has joists 82 having one end connected to the anchoring means in the form of a C-section 84 and another end to the horizontal beam 66. The joist 82 functions to support a ceiling 88. Furtherjoists such as 86 are provided to support a floor 90. s As best shown in Figure 7, the connecting means which are provided to connect the support members to one another and to the container, are in the form of cleats-92 and 94 that frame up the structural steel annex. Fixing means such as bolts or rivets 102 are used to secure the connection. Turning to Figure 8, the support structure has glass panes 106 which span the space io between the ceiling 88 and the roof 62. The support structure also has rafters 104 which support a roof truss 107 for supporting the roof panels 56. The rafters 104 may be made of timber or metal which can be securely welded to the roof truss 107. The pre fabricated panels 56 are mounted on the roof truss 107 to complete the roof 62. The support members are capable of being disassembled and re-positioned relative to 1s one another and to the shipping container so as to alter the support structure to achieve a selected layout of the building. In other words, rooms or extensions may be easily added or removed as desired As shown in Figure 9, once the support structure is completed, wall panels 14 and roof panels 56 are mounted onto the support structure. 20 Referring to Figure 10, the container 12 indicated by the bold line 102 serves as a core for the building. The container 12 has built-in bathroom 46, kitchen 44 and ensuite 48. Referring to Figure 11, another embodiment of the support structure has extra support members such as floor joists 108 and 'annex' beams and columns which are configured to support a multi-storey building 110, 25 The method of constructing a building of the present invention is now described. The first step is to customise a shipping container which is to be used as a foundation for the building. In accordance with the floor plan of the building, a support structure is to be created by placing the support members at selected locations and connecting them to one another and to the customised container, respectively, by using the connecting 30 means. Pre-fabricated panels can then be mounted onto the support structure awaiting suitably engineered footings and stumps as the site requires. Now that preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in some detail, it will be apparent to a skilled person in the art that the demountable building LdQSSSLZC.LLL Lttt OLOZ LL ettw<aa> oI UIOHU may offer at least the following advantages: 1. it allows a building to be built on site swiftly minimising labour costs; 2. it is not labour intensive as the panels, core skeleton and roof system are pre fabricated and easy to install; s 3. it enables supply of a large volume of homes or building in short lead times; 4. it is highly flexible and adaptable, offering solutions suited to a broad range of building standards and real estate projects; 5. it allows architects and developers to tailor solutions to maximise occupant utility; 6. it is suited for a range of demographics from affordable housing projects to premium 10 innovative residential developments; and 7. it facilitates easy and economical access to remote locations where mainstream container handling infrastructure exists. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. All such 15 variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description, L oiste66ton/fL~tL "'As*-;L OLOZ LL onv(MM) M-- nOvIIS:AHO MOf.:

Claims (36)

1. A demountable building including: at least one shipping container; a plurality of support members for providing a support structure; s connecting means for connecting the support members to the container; and a plurality of pre-fabricated panels for mounting onto the support structure; wherein the support members are capable of being re-positioned relative to one another and to the shipping container so as to alter the support structure to achieve a selected layout of the building. 10

2. The demountable building of claim 1, wherein the shipping container is customised to include one or more anchoring means at its corners.

3. The demountable building of claim 2, wherein the or each anchoring means includes an I-shaped, C-shaped or U-shaped section.

4. The demountable building of claim 3, wherein the section is enclosed. 15

5. The demountable building of either of claim 3 or 4, wherein each section forms part of or is connected to a beam or channel in the form of a girder which runs along an edge of the container.

6. The demountable building of claim 5, wherein the beam or channel is C-shaped or I-shaped. 20

7. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the customised shipping container includes one or more reinforced cut-outs to facilitate loading and unloading of the panels.

8. The demountable building of claim 7, wherein each cut-out is covered by a sheet and sealed with a sealant. 25

9. The demountable building of claim 8, wherein the sheet is a ply sheet.

10. The demountable building of either claim 8 or 9, wherein the sealant is a silicon sealant to render the container waterproof during shipping.

I1. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shipping container also includes built-in water and sewage systems, 3o

12. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the OL d SSSS&C LOA. .N.. ISL "LS/9S3tAL QLOE &L MnW(O3M) SrI fOI'ISMtNIO O 11 shipping container includes a kitchen and a bathroom.

13. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support structure includes support members in the form of substantially vertical columns and horizontal beams or channels adapted to be connected to one s another, or to the anchoring means or one or more girders of the shipping container.

14. The demountable building of claim 13, wherein the columns and beams or channels are configured to be structurally connected to one another,

15. The demountable building of any one of claims 13 to 14, wherein the support 10 structure is supported by a supporting system

16. The demountable building of claim 15, wherein the supporting system includes a substructure having one end supporting the beams or channels of the support structure and another end adapted to bear on one or more footings.

17. The demountable building of claim 16, wherein the or each footing is made of 15 reinforced concrete or a piled foundation or the like.

18. The demountable building of any one of claim 13 to 17, wherein the support structure further includes one or more joists, each having one end connected to the anchoring means and another end to the horizontal beam or channel.

19. The demountable building of claim 18, wherein the or each joist is configured to 20 support a ceiling or a floor.

20. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting means is in the form of cleats or bolts connected to or extending from the shipping container.

21. The demountable building of any one of claims 2 to 20, wherein the connecting 25 means take the form of L-shaped brackets adapted to connect the beams or channels to one another or to the anchoring means.

22. The demountable building of either claim 20 or 21, wherein the connection made by the connecting means is secured by fixing means such as bolts or rivets.

23. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the 30 support structure includes one or more roof supporting beams adapted to support one or more lightweight roof panels. l-L d enS: OleA 'ON/ L EL J"S/~Im L OLOM LL SnW (OM) MWI AO NIIBSAMHO IOUd L~L-O0(P-ay-Ak) OW L#:LL (W:t)awy .e!ljsnirlqpmj 0 89~ LC59&S38V :ONj I 8100 12

24. The demountable building of claim 23, wherein the or each roof panel includes a composite panel consisting of an exterior cladding, foam structural insulation, and an external cladding.

25. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the s support structure is configured and arranged such that it is capable of supporting a multi-storey construction.

26. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pre fabricated panels are configured so that they are capable of being accommodated within the container during. transportation. io

27. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the pre-fabricated forms bear a gable for masking an end of a pitched roof.

28. The demountable building of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each pre-fabricated panels includes one or more windows. 1s

29. The dernuntable building of any one of the preceding claims, each pre fabricated panel includes insulation, internal wall and external cladding.

30. The demountable building of claim 29, wherein the external cladding includes a factory finish or is painted to render it aesthetically pleasing.

31. A shipping container when adapted to be a foundation for a building and to be 20 connected to support members for providing a support structure for the building, being combined with one or more anchoring means at corners of the shipping container.

32. A demountable building including: at least one shipping container; 25 a plurality of support members for providing a support structure; connecting means for connecting the support members to the container; and a plurality of pre-fabricated panels for mounting onto the support structure; wherein the support structure is adapted to be self-supporting.

33. A method of building a demountable building, the method including the steps of: 30 customising at least one shipping container for a foundation for the building; providing a plurality of support members for providing a support structure, the support members being capable of being re-positioned relative to one another and at .d *CSt0eit OWn~L .LL tASts9M;t COO LL U03) W flIIAECM a 13 to the shipping container so as to alter the support structure to achieve a selected layout of the building; connecting the support members to the container by connecting means; and mounting a plurality of pre-fabricated panels onto the support structure. a

34. A demountable building substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

35. A shipping container substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

36. A method of building a demountable building substantially as herein described 10 with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. OL A OflQZ LS&0 'ASSLh.J05:L OLOZ II nV(OHM) mwn flOIISAWIO mOfMA