EP0985072A1 - Manually manageable building module, method for packing, unpacking and assembling said modules, and a building comprising said assembled building modules - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to manually manageable building module, a method for packing, unpacking and assembling said modules, and a building comprising these assembled building modules. The manually manageable building module is characterized in: a rectangular steel frame (E) with a weatherproof outer surface coating (3) on the outside, preferably of a mixture of concrete and polystyrene, and on the inside a treatable surface coating, e.g. also a mixture of concrete and polystyrene as well, of plaster, and/or of cellulose and lime; a sound and/or heat insulation between the inside and the outside of the steel frame; and that the rectangular steel frame (E) is restricted in a downward direction by vertical projections (D) intended to be inserted into the lower U-beams (5) of steel.

Description

Manually managable building module, method for packing, unpacking and assembling said modules, and a building comprising said assembled building modules.

The present invention relates to manually managable building modules, a method for packing, unpacking och assembling said modules, and a building comprising these assembled building modules.

All over the world there is a big need for simple buildings being easily and rapidly assembled. This is applicable especially when such buildings are used as temporary or permanent dwellings in connection to natural catastrophes or at camps for refugees. Also there exists a great demand for simple buildings for a temporary living at shanty-built towns in the neighbourhood of many of the big capitals of the world, preferably in developing countries outside Europe. In order to have these building fulfilling their missions in all respects it is nescessary that they are cheap to produce and transport, have a low weight and preferably comprise compact units being manually managable without complex lifting or power driven assistance. They must be durable as well, i.e. withstand a container handling at the same time as the material used should be insensible to weather exposure, keeping its shape and not being affected by noxious animal. Thus untreated wood cannot be used for many geographic areas where vermin, such as termites exist. When considering the weight wood is about 50 % heavier than modules manufactured of galvanized steel. Then if the modules are transported in logically packed "smart" packages this is of a big advantage, as the modules with outmost simple and distinct instructions can be managed and assembled by untrained workers, by preference by the persons who are supposed to use the building themselves. "Smart" packages means e.g. that it is not possible to take the building elements out of the package in a "wrong" sequence, but first when a previous module has been taken out of the package and has been assembled it is possible to take the next module out. In connection to each building module there can be a picture of how the building is going to look, i.e. how far the assembling of the building has come and exactly where the current building module is going to be placed. Numerals, colors and symbol markings can be used to clearly tell the workers how the assembly of the building shall take place.

The building elements can be isolated and have a certain heat inertia which is useful at climate zones where big temperature fluctuations exist between day and night and/or indoors and outdoors. Preferably the U-beams of metal located under och above the wall elements and accordningly can be exposed to the cold have a slitted rib structure which to a great extend will break the thermal bridge over the rib.

A certain flexibility regarding the design of each building according to wishes from the users of the building is of importance, especially when the buildings are going to be used at places where natural catastrophes has occured, e.g. in connection to earth quakes when the orginal buildings have more or less been destroyed. Also there is a big advantage if the coating material both in- and outdoors have impact strength och can be treated and/or painted in a suitable way and maybe in a fashion characteristic and traditional for the actual place.

The objects stated above will presume light building modules with a high degree of accuracy to size, strength to withstand transportation and the handling from untrained workers.

Buildings consisting of modules forming part in a system belongs to prior art. SE-A-432 275 discloses a system for erecting structures, especially box shaped structures. Thus complex and expensive frame and side edge elements are used making an exact precision of the fabricated moduls nesessary. By the several different parts included in the system it is not sure that these parts really can be handled by untrained workers.

US-A-4 106 245 discloses prefabricated, selfsupporting building elements in steel in the shape of wall and ceiling modules being joined together. The modules are so strong that any supporting buildning structure is not necessary. Nor these modules can be regarded as simple when it comes to manufacturing, handling or assembling.

US-A-4 165 591 discloses different prefabricated building elements of wood being used together with a supporting structure.

US-A-4 578 909 discloses a complicated building system using modules especially directed to improve the insulation at corners and between the walls and the ceiling.

GB-A-2 275 944 discloses a overlapping building system with modules, perferably for small buildings of about 10 sq m and intended to be managed without power driven lifting assistance. This reference forms the part of the prior art according to the preamble of claim 1.

The main object of the presentent invention is to provide a light building module with a good measure accurancy withstanding transportation and being managable and assemable by untrained labour. More precisely the invention concerns a system of building modules permitting a quick, correct and simple assembling. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method to pack, unpack and assemble said building modules in a logical sequence.

Yet another object of the invention is to assemble a building at a low cost and which building are suited for a permanent living also in a grim winter climate, i.e. the roof of the building is capable to carry heavy snow loads.

The above mentioned objects are obtained according to the present invention by a building module, by a way of packing and unpackning and assembling several of said building modules and by a building given the characterizing clauses mentioned in the claims.

By a building module comprising a rectangular steel frame with a weatherproof outer surface coating, preferably of a mixture of concrete and polystyrene, and at the inside a treatable surface coating, e.g. of a mixture of concrete and polystyrene as well, of plaster, and/or of cellulose and lime, each module will be self supporting and can take the load from ceiling modules as well and if necessary the load from wind and snow. A heat and/or sound insulation provided between the inside and the outside of the steel frame will create the necessary conditions for a very good indoor climate. The modules will be very easy to put together by having the bottom of the rectangular steel frame demarcated by vertical projections being inserted into the bottom U profile shaped steel beams.

According to the present invention more building modules are set up from both sides into the frame system and being pushed together and secured by an overlapping grove and tenon arrangement with the adjoining building modules. The facing of both inside and outside of the modules will reach all the way down to the upper edges of vertically erected legs of the U-beams forming the frame system. The different elements being different kinds of modules, e.g. wall modules, window modules, or door modules, are located as desired and when all the modules are located the building will be closed. Then a bar, preferably of metal sheet can be located upon all the combined modules to assist in obtaining a stabilization and keeping these modules connected. Ancoring of the wall modules at the ground by using the frame system and the ancoring between the roof (ceiling) and the wall modules can be done in an usual way. Then the roof, which can be trapetzprofiled metal sheets with a cellular syntetic insulation in the form of sandwich elements is located and ancored. The roof is divided in parts of manually managable sizes and will assist in the stabilation of the whole structure when located.

By having all wall modules and all wall/window modules with the same hight there is a possibility to choose design of the completed building by permitt- ing the modules to be placed at individually chosen locations within the building. According to the invention there is also a possibility to arrange for a wedge shaped insulation giving an inclination of the outer roof and an inside constant uniform ceiling height of the building. One alternative embodiment is to use outer wedge shaped building modules integrated with the upper rails or profiles holding the the wall modules. Then the roof elements will have an uniform thickness. This will form a spacious inner space of the building.

Also the roof modules can be separated from the outer facing of the roof. In a simpler case, at smaller buildings or in cases where any snow loads does not have to be carried a simple beam system can be centrally located, or at either side on the top of the building. At bigger floor areas and/or when huge floor loads have to be handled a supporting beam system can be set up directely upon the upper sides of the wall modules. Then crossbeams are set up to carry a simple system of roof strusses. The isolated roof elements does not have to be dimensioned to carry more than its own weight, which means that roof elements with a huge span can be used.

The invention will now be described in connection to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment of the invention, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a horisontal section through a building when assembling the different building elements and the modules and also showing their mutual positions;

Fig. 2a - 2c shows how the wall elements are built together by wall modules, and how a roof element consisting of two roof modules in the shape of sandwich elements are set up upon the wall elements, respectively;

Fig. 3a - 3d shows a perspective view of different examples of positioning the wall modules, the wall/window modules and the door modules in the wall elements;

Fig. 4a - 4c shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a wall element, and a part view from above of two wall modules during joining, and a section of a wall where a covering set up of the ends of the legs of the framework is also shown; Fig. 5a and 5b are diagrammatic perspective views of a building according to the present invention during set up, where fig. 5a shows one embodiment with a simpler roofing and wherein fig. 5b shows an embodiment with a roofing being capable of supporting an essentially bigger load.

As a matter of fact fig. 1 shows a whole building during assembling. It comprises several building modules la - lp, where A, B and C, respectively show the design of the long sides of each module 1. Thus A is a notched recess and B is a tongued projection cooperating in an overlapping joint of adjoining building modules in an assembled position. C shows the design of the long sides of the modules positioned at each corner block, i.e. they are closed and just show the side 2a of a galvanized steel frame 2, and the end edges of the outer 3 and inner 4 wall coating, respectively at the building module, lb is a building module with a door. On the inside of each building module there is a distinct marking system showing which building modules being allowed to insert side by side. Thus the edge blocks comprises modules having one long side not being graved or tenoned and where it is clear from the marks how they must be connected to eachother with the insides directed inwards.

Fig. 2a shows diagrammatically how a wall module la can be brought in place down into a part of a horisontal frame system 5 and thereafter being pushed horisonally to an overlapping bearing onto an adjoining building module lg. A wall element comprising four wall or building modules is shown in fig. 2b. Fig. 2b shows how a securing and uniting rail profile 6 is put upon the connected wall modules, and fig. 2c diagrammatically shows how a roof element comprising two roof modules 7a and 7b are located upon the wall element.

Fig. 3a - 3d disclose different variations of how the building modules can be combined. If required also other type of building modules exist, e.g. a hygiene unit not just being an one level element, but a complete building module which easily can be hooked on place from the very beginning, or later on. It can be advantageous to use hidden channel means (not shown) in the building modules, into which channel means utilities as electric cables, pipes for fresh water and heating can be arranged.

Fig. 4a - 4c disclose how the overlapping connection of the buildning modules takes place and where the upper rail 6 and the U-profile of the underlaying frame work can be seen. The outside and inside wall coatings 3 and 4, respectively can be of different character and structure. An outer coating comprising a plate of polystyrene mixed with concrete will provide both strength, heat inertia, insulation and a weight/area ratio making the modules manually manag- able. The coating can be made treatable, e.g. it shall be able to apply plaster and/or to paint. Also the inner coating can comprise said plates, but also plasterboards, plates of cellulose and lime can be made strong and well suited for this purpose. In cases where a heat inertia is not called for plates of wood, as weather resistant plywood, can be used.

Fig. 5a is a diagramatic perspective view of a building according to the invention during assembling in one embodiment with a simple roofing, and fig. 5b is an embodiment with a roofing being capable of withstanding an essentially heavier load.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawings but modifications can be done within the scope of the preceding claims.

Claims

1. Manually managable and prefabricated building module for a building to be placed, partly overlapping with anothter building module, between open upper and lower U-beams of steel, characterized in a rectangular steel frame (E) with a weatherproof outer surface coating (3) on the outside, preferably a mixture of concrete and polystyrene, and on the inside a treatable surface coating, e.g. also a mixture of concrete and polystyrene, of plaster, and/or of cellulose and lime, a sound and/or heat insulation between the inside and the outside of the steel frame, and that the rectangular steel frame (E) is restricted in a downward direction by vertical projections (D) intended to be inserted into the lower U-beams (5) of steel.

2. Building module accordning to claim 1, characterized in an arrangement (A, B) with notched recesses and tongued projections.

3. Building module accordning to any of claims 1 to 2, characterized in a weight between 45 to 75 kg.

4. Method to pack, unpack and assemble building modules according to claim 1, characterized in that the modules are packed in a reversed sequens compared to the sequens when assembled, i.e. in a way that when unpacl╬▒iing the modules and fittings first needed will be exposed, these modules being connected in an overlapping fashion along their long sides by a system with notched recesses or tongued projections at each building module.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the modules are connected according to an instructive marking system at the inside or outside of the modules.

6. Building comprising wall, wall/window, door and roof modules according to claim 1 being managable principally without power lifting assistance, and which modules are assembled onto a horizontal frame arrangement with an upwardly open rail, as in a method according to claim 4.

7. Building according to claim 6, characterized in that it has groundconnected floor heating (cooling).

8. Building accordning to claim 6, characterized in that the included building modules have integrated channels for utilities such as electric wiring, heat pipes, etc.