EP1000210A1

EP1000210A1 - Transportable building

Info

Publication number: EP1000210A1
Application number: EP97945870A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Günter W. LÜTZE
Original assignee: Uti Holding and Management AG
Current assignee: Uti Holding and Management AG
Priority date: 1996-10-24
Filing date: 1997-10-24
Publication date: 2000-05-17
Also published as: WO1998017882A1; AU5120998A; ZA979510B; DE19644261A1; TW373049B

Abstract

The invention relates to a transportable building with a transporting weight of less than 30 t, which can be positioned at the setting-up site on a foundation and in which exterior walls, a roof and floor slab confine a living area closed off from the surroundings. The invention provides a building that is stable and can be better transported over extended distances in that the exterior walls, the roof and the floor slab are formed from weather-proof material, that the exterior walls are of a self-supporting design and that when the building is transported the entire weight of the building weighs on the exterior walls. Furthermore, the invention specifies a method for producing such a building.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

Transportable Building

DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a transportable building according to the precharacterizing portion of Claim 1 , with a transporting weight of less than 30 t, which can be positioned at the setting-up site on a foundation and in which exterior walls, a roof and a floor slab confine a living area closed off from the surroundings.

PRIOR ART US-A-41 10 952 shows a single-storey prefabricated house which is produced as a complete unit in a factory and the roof structure and exterior and interior walls of which consist of wood and are set up and secured on a floor subassembly, likewise of wood. The prefabricated house is transported on special trailers, mobile supports or the like from the factory to its setting-up site. Provided there is a prefabricated foundation construction consisting of concrete. Although the wood used offers advantages with respect to the transporting weight, since it is very lightweight, it does not compare with a house of mineral material with respect to weatherproofness and fire resistance. Therefore, it is also necessary to provide the factory close to the setting-up site, since even brief rain or morning dew are sufficient to cause moisture damage. Furthermore, in addition to the transporting expenses for the house, considerable distances have to be covered in order to provide, for example, the interior fittings, infrastructural lines, roof tiles etc. The entire structure of the timber house, arranged on a stable floor subassembly, is not in itself stable and self-supporting. Therefore, for transporting the building by means of lifting equipment, cables have to be laboriously brought up to the floor subassembly and connected to it. The centre of gravity of the timber house then lies unfavourably above the connection points, resulting in great sensitivity to side winds, ruling out transportation over extended distances or at elevated heights. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a complex load- bearing harness which leads cables down through the wooden walls.

EP-A-0 282 425 shows the airborne transportation of a house which was produced as a complete unit in a factory and is transported with the aid of an airship to its setting-up site and is set down there. In the case of this arrangement, when a load is loaded and unloaded, a corresponding counterweight is installed such that the airship stays at the setting-up site. In the case of this arrangement as well, the load-bearing harness acts on the floor slab of the building. The house is open at the bottom, or provided with an opening through which a floor tank can protrude.

DE-U-295 15 42 shows a prefabricated house produced by a quick- assembly method from individual components, which are only assembled in complete form at the setting-up site. At the factory, only large wall parts with pre- integrated window and door openings, interior and exterior plastering, installation lines and the like are produced, these then being transported individually to the setting-up site. The parts of the building comprise panel-like components which are filled with a concrete-like material and are therefore too heavy to be transported in the assembled state. The walls are filled only a little with the filling material before transportation, in order not to increase the transporting weight excessively. Only at the setting-up site does the final static construction work take place, by the on-site sealing of the required, still open locations in the walls. Completing the house at the setting-up site additionally requires numerous journeys and distances to be covered, which add to the cost of the repeated transporting operations for the parts of the house. The same applies to the interior work. DE-A-44 04 305 shows a building which is transportable and comprises a supporting truss; arranged in a shingle type of construction between the individual supporting structures are exterior wall elements. The beam construction is of a tortionally rigid design and allows the interior work on the housing to be performed in a modular type of con-struction. The interior walls are covered with heavy gypsum panels, with the result that the entire construction is relatively heavy and very difficult to transport. Provided between the panels are reinforce-ments filled with mineral wool. The floor subassembly of the house comprises a frame construction, on which the structure of the house is arranged. The interior of the frame is still open during transportation. Only at the setting-up site is the downwardly open frame filled.

US-A-5 265 385 shows a transportable part of a building which is installed in a stationary building. The part is prefabricated as a complete unit in a factory and transported to the subsequent site of the building. The parts of the building are designed as built-in units, which are transported to their setting-up site on a load-bearing cable. Here to, the load-bearing device is fastened to the base area of the units.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the invention to provide a transportable building according to the precharacterizing portion of Claim 1 which is stable and can be transported over extended distances. This object is achieved according to the invention by the characterizing features of Claim 1 , in that the exterior walls, the roof and the floor slab are formed from weather-proof material, that the exterior walls are of a self- supporting design and that when the building is transported the entire weight of the building weighs on the exterior walls. The building according to the invention forms a weather-proof and fire-resistant shelter with respect to its surroundings, with the result that it can readily be set up, transported or stored outdoors. Production can take place in a workshop or the like up to that phase in which the water-proof living area has been completed and thereafter can also take place outdoors. The climatic zones, time zones or distances which have to be spanned for transporting the building according to the invention no longer represent any restriction for the building. Furthermore, the building according to the invention advantageously consists of a refractory material, for example in that it is provided with a mineral outer layer. This makes it possible, for example, to avoid natural or atmospheric humidity penetrating into load-bearing parts which consist of wood, for example, and damaging the building. Furthermore, a plurality of buildings according to the invention can be set up in direct proximity to one another, without having to observe fire regulations for the spreading of fire from one to the other. The building according to the invention does not have to be packed or encased for transportation and also does not require any pallet or load-bearing support which makes transportation troublesome. Rather, the exterior walls of the building according to the invention are of a self-supporting design, with the result that the entire load of the building weighs on them during transportation. It is therefore possible also to transport high buildings, for example multi-storey buildings, without the weight of the intermediate floors and/or of the roof causing problems in terms of statics. The exterior walls also preferably surround the preferably hollow floor slab and consequently reach down to the ground. The floor slab preferably projects into a tight recess, for example a horizontal groove, in the exterior walls and transfers it weight to the latter. Alternatively, the exterior walls and floor slab are connected to one another by a joint filling material, for example concrete, tar or mortar, establishing an uninterrupted bond between the components of the building. This has the result that the set-up building, at a temporary or final setting- up site, also weighs with its exterior walls on the underlying base, in particular the foundation.

The design of the building according to the invention makes it possible for the building, for example a prefabricated house, to be produced as a module entirely in a factory in series production as a turn-key entity and inexpensively under continual control. Since the house according to the invention makes it possible for it to travel large distances undamaged, a factory which produces the buildings according to the invention on an industrial scale with short throughput times and standardized processes can be utilized cost-effectively.

Production on an industrial scale while utilizing the quality assurance procedures known, for example, from the production of mass consumer goods, such as motor vehicles, such as statistical process control, control cards and others, make it possible to produce a building of the highest quality. Further potential for optimization which can be advantageously used exists with regard to independence from the effects of weather, logistics, environmental protection, tied-up capital and modularity. _ _

Even taking into consideration the effort required for a load of several tonnes (1 ton = 1000 kg), the costs which arise from the fact that the house according to the invention is transported over great distances are significantly less than those which arise from covering the multitude of individual distances when erecting a house by the conventional method of construction. About 400 to 2000 trips by vehicles to and from the site can be saved. The saving relates both to the costs and to the time expended. The coordination of different suppliers and subcontractors at one building site, which is hampered again and again by the effects of weather and unforseeable delays, is also no longer needed, with the result that it is advantageously possible to promise a binding delivery time. Since the house according to the invention advantageously encloses a weather-proof living area, it is possible to provide the house even before delivery with virtually complete interior fittings, which can thus also be transported at the same time along with the house. Interior fittings include, for example, carpets, tiles, interior paintwork and the like, as well as interior floors, water lines, built-in cupboards, preferably adjustable interior walls, kitchen equipment etc. Further developments and improvements in domestic engineering, for example with respect to running the house and also energy utilization and generation, can be taken into consideration directly ex-works. Central purchasing of the parts for interior fittings keep the costs low, and the cost advantage can be passed on to the customer. The building according to the invention is preferably a residential house. Such a residential house can be produced and set up anywhere desired in the world, with the result that a global market can be served. Variable ground plans and both single-storey and multi-storey detached houses and terraced houses can be created, as well as finished complete living units for building by storeys.

The building, for example a residential house, may be provided with all types of installations during its production in the factory and then, on site, need only be connected in one go to correspondingly prepared lines, such as for example water, power, waste water, telephone etc. Apart from the transport costs, no further costs arise at the setting-up site for the erection of the building. There are no longer any costs for tradesmen, site supervisors, design engineers or _ _

domestic engineers or costs for their time and travel to the site and supplying to them. Furthermore, no coordinating and work scheduling services are required at the building site, in other words at the erection site, and their risks in terms of time and costs are completely eliminated. Thus, the owner of the building may benefit not only from the cost advantage based on the centralized industrial production, but in regions where wages are high also from the saving of expensive wages for tradesmen and the overheads during an otherwise customary time taken to construct a building. Furthermore, on account of its transportable nature, in other words because it is not "immovable property", the house according to the invention can be written off against tax with more attractive percentages.

At the setting-up site of the building according to the invention one foundation suffices, for example in the form of four foundation bases, for the four corners of the building, or else six or eight foundation bases if the underlying conditions are difficult or the building is of large dimensions. If necessary, the foundation bases may comprise a pile foundation, which ensures that the weight of the building is taken well even on difficult terrain. However, the low weight of the building according to the invention allows less complex measures here. This simple arrangement advantageously causes only little transporting effort and work at the setting-up site. Preferably, not only the exterior walls rest on the foundation, in the lower corner regions, but also parts of the floor slab. It is possible to dispense with a complex cellar construction and the corresponding excavation, but in principle this can be provided. Further add-on structures, which can be added on to the building according to the invention in a modular manner and may likewise be buildings according to the invention, open up a low-cost way of providing space.

The building according to the invention can be extended later at any time in a simple manner by add-on structures, such as balconies, bay windows, projecting roofs, carports, winter gardens etc. This modular concept has the effect of lowering the initial costs of the first-time installation and of creating the possibility of extending the limited space available according to the number and generation of the inhabitants, depending on the availability of funds or on requirements. The releasability of the simple anchorage of the building on strip footings or corner foundations means that the building according to the invention remains mobile, with the result that when desired, even after years, it can be moved to a different location just by leaving the foundations. As a result, the building according to the invention can also be advantageously set up temporarily in regions in which natural disasters make permanent settlement appear hazardous. This is so since it is possible in the event of floods, volcanic eruptions, acts of war or the like for the building according to the invention to be quickly taken away. In regions at risk of earthquakes, predetermined breaking points can be provided on the foundations, with the result that the building with its self- supporting exterior walls remains intact above the moving surface of the earth.

The living area of the building is advantageously closed off by a ceiling. The building consequently has a living space which is bounded on its upper side by a flat ceiling and is preferably free from roof slopes. It is possible for the ceiling to be designed as a flat roof and to bound the living area from above. However, the ceiling will expediently bound a roof structure from below, while the roof bounds the roof structure from above. As a result, the building can also be used as a residential house or a prefabricated house or as a container used for accommodation.

The building according to the invention may also be advantageously designed as a multi-storey house with one or more intermediate floors, for example if at least one ceiling is designed as an intermediate floor of the building, the building being able to extend over a plurality of storeys. Until now, such transportable buildings or prefabricated houses could only be realized in a form in which individual parts of the building are prefabricated and these individual parts are transported with the aid of a transporting means to the setting-up site, where they have to be joined together in a costly and very labour-intensive operation.

The ceiling is preferably designed as a slab element and has the same or a similar structure to that of the floor slab. Being designed as slab elements means that the parts referred to have a low density, but are stable and torsionally rigid and can be easily fixed in inwardly directed recesses in the exterior walls. The ceiling slabs and the floor slabs can be pushed in like shelves for stabilizing the cage formed by the exterior walls. Alternatively, however, the recess is not designed as a narrow guide but permits play of the parts in relation to one another.

At least one pair of opposite exterior walls is expediently designed as a gable wall, in other words the said walls have an upper region which essentially has a triangular shape with an upwardly directed peak. The joining line of the opposite peak defines the ridge of the roof. In the case of an essentially rectangular base area of the building, the upper regions of the other two, lateral exterior walls are at the level of the base of the triangular shape, with the result that a rest is formed for a peaked roof, common in many regions. The upper edges of the exterior walls form the rest for two roof halves, which butt against each other along the joining line. The roof halves may be, but do not have to be, identical with regard to their dimensions and slopes. It is possible to adapt these parameters according to requirements, in that for example one roof half is designed to be larger and/or inclined with a shallower slope than the other. It is possible to design the roof such that it can be partially or completely released and removed from the rest formed essentially by the exterior walls. As a result, the transporting weight can be reduced. On the other hand, in particular if the overhang of the roof can be folded away over the exterior walls, for example upwards about a pivot axis parallel to the roof ridge, the lifting equipment can be favourably attached on the exterior walls. It is advantageously possible for the lifting equipment then also to act inside the exterior walls, allowing particularly favourable leverages to be utilized. A removable roof is also expedient whenever, for example, the height of the factory workshop or of bridges etc., does not readily allow the building to be transported with the roof. Designing the roof elements such that they can be separated from the exterior walls provides favourable flexibility in production, with the result that production of the building can take place similarly to the modular systems of automobile production, in that a number of building base areas can be freely combined with a number of roof designs. The same applies to other components of an industrially fabricated building, which have already been mentioned above.

The roof if preferably designed as a single unit. This means that the covering, the roof cladding and the roof arrangement can be adapted to the _ _

individual wishes of the inhabitants of the building. For example, solar collectors can be structurally incorporated, or else cast in, from the outset. This arrangement makes it possible for the building to meet environmental requirements by being provided with solar power, in general and in special arrays of solar-thermal collectors or photovoltaic elements of large format or the size of the roof or of a wall, even in tile, slate or shingle roof forms and of the same colour. The roof may, furthermore, be provided with a swing-out roof balcony.

The exterior walls are preferably of a sandwich type of structural design comprising two parallel layers of a cladding material, preferably lightweight concrete, between which a honeycomb structure, for example of polypropylene or aluminium, is arranged as the load-bearing element. This construction advantageously combines a stability adequate for house building with a low weight. The lightweight concrete, or the lightweight concrete layer, forms a weather-proof outer skin, which offers protection against water, fire, wind, solar radiation etc. The lightweight concrete has a density of less than 1 ,200 kg/m³. Densities of up to 30 kg/m³ are possible. The resultant low weight enhances the transportability of the building and consequently the destinations open to selection. For better adherence of the bond with the lightweight concrete, the honeycomb structures advantageously have flattened-off honeycomb ends, which anchor each individual honeycomb in the concrete in a liquid state and thereby make it possible for the exterior walls to take the form of a load-bearing structure, which can additionally bear the weight of the floor slab, ceiling and roof. Other sandwich constructions, for example with steel or aluminium beam reinforcements, corrugated-core beam or timber frame constructions, etc. are also possible. The lightweight concrete cladding may be reinforced with suitable materials known from the prior art. Once the setting-up site has been reached, it is possible to weigh down the exterior walls by filling.

The building is advantageously transported over land or by ship on inland waterways or other waters. The building according to the invention may weigh on wheels or rollers which are fitted on the underside of the exterior walls and lend the building a mobility which is of use at an early time, in particular also in series production as on a production belt. Consequently, in addition to _ -

transportation by means of lifting equipment, transportation may also take place on a loading area, for example the loading deck of an inland craft, the platform of a low loader on roads or rails, or, as already described above, on a set of wheels. It is advantageous to allow lifting equipment to act directly on one of the regions of the exterior walls which is favourably accessible from above. As a result, the height of the fastening locations at which the lifting equipment can be attached to the exterior walls can be expediently adjusted in such a way that, for example, they lie approximately at the height of the building's centre of gravity. Alternatively, an adjustment in which the lifting equipment is attached above the centre of gravity, and preferably in the upper region of the exterior walls, may also be provided. The building according to the invention thus advantageously permits raising from above, for example by a crane, but also by other lifting equipment.

The transportation of the building preferably takes place by means of an airborne transporting means. The entire building has a total weight of, at most, 30 tonnes and preferably a total weight in the range between 10 tonnes and 15 tonnes (1 tonne = 1 t = 1000 kg), whereby air transportation with known aircraft is possible. This possibility for transportation means that the building can be transported directly as a turn-key entity anywhere in the world from the production works to an intended building site which is 250 to 10,000 km away, or with stop- overs for refuelling, even many times more from the nearest navigable river or water or the production works.

The building according to the invention makes it possible to construct a single-storey or multi-storey building in such a way that it has so low a weight that it can be transported by a customary transport helicopter, and consequently to any desired location in the world. There, it can be set up directly at the final setting-up site. Transportation by helicopter has the advantage that the helicopter can then be used as a kind of suspended crane and precise setting down of the building, accurately to within millimetres, at the intended setting-up site is made possible. In this way, it is preferably possible to set up a building at the desired location even in regions which are already highly developed or difficult to access. Transportation preferably takes place with the aid of an airship. The airship can be used as a suspended crane and can bring the building to the _ _

intended setting-up location accurately to within centimetres. Storage of fuel does not generally present any restriction. Suitable as an alternative expedient possibility for transportation is transportation with the aid of a balloon. The same advantages as in the case of an airship are also achieved in the case of this transporting means. It has to be understand that transportation over different stages of a journey may also be performed using different transporting means.

It is advantageous if fastening locations for the acting of lifting equipment are provided in the exterior walls, for example at the upper corner points of the building. These fastening locations for transportation may be provided, or cast in, already during the production of the building or its components. If the fastening locations are designed, for example, as bolts or the like passing through the exterior walls, they perform a dual function, in that they also serve as a stabilizing element. In order to ensure that the cargo to be transported is received easily and quickly on a suspension device, load-bearing bars or cables of lightweight metal, plastic or other suitable material may be built in and cast in at the outset, during the production operation, at the four corners or at further locations on the load-bearing construction of the building or of the spatial unit, the said bars or cables having a quick-action closure and also remaining in the building according to the invention for subsequent transporting operations. The means for acting on the building expediently comprise a load- bearing device like a load-bearing harness, which ensures a favourable balancing out of the weights during raising of the building.

At the same time, such a load-bearing harness serves as a coupling element between the building and the lifting equipment, for example a helicopter, as described above. The load-bearing harness consequently makes it possible to standardize the transportation operations for different transporting means and different buildings. Attaching the lifting equipment can be carried out easily in the case of the building according to the invention. There is no longer any risk during transportation of the building of its structure swaying or being sensitive to side wind if there is a gust.

The building according to the invention can be advantageously joined together with other buildings to form complete residential units. Such units joined together by the modular principle and able to be extended correspondingly are space-saving and offer the possibility of varying the arrangement of the individual residential units in a corresponding way. Thus, add-on elements can be arranged on the exterior walls of the building according to the invention without any problem.

The interior division of the building according to the invention is flexibly adaptable by means of variable dividing walls and, as a result, can be adapted to the respective number of persons and to requirements. This makes diverse variants possible. An expedient development of the invention comprises a beam construction in the form of a plurality of members designed to form a stable truss. The two-dimensional beam construction comprises individual components which are respectively intended to become specific components of the building. In the case of the gable side, for example, this load-bearing construction is the corners and edges right up to the roof ridge, in the case of the exterior walls likewise the terminations and, if appropriate, depending on the size of the plot, also a further third gable wall as a further load-bearing construction. This produces the skeleton of a cage, the joining lines bounding the surface areas for the exterior walls which form the lateral, gable and longitudinal sides. The space for a floor slab is surrounded at the longitudinal edges of the latter by the floor beams of such beam constructions, preferably in a common plane. The initially free plane of the cage constructions may be filled with an inner facing of non-bearing further material, such as takes place in the case of panelled structures. The facing boards are connected impermeably to the beams, with the result that they mutually stiffen the beams of a load-bearing constructions and seal their free area.

It should be noted that one or more facing boards can be used for this, according to choice. It is alternatively possible to line the load-bearing construction with a reinforcement, for example a steel reinforcement, beam reinforcement or a honeycomb reinforcement of plastic or metal and to seal the load-bearing construction and reinforcement with, for example, a liquid, curing mineral material, which then forms the weather-proof exterior wall. It is possible also to provide for this purpose timber frames, resin-reinforced or otherwise reinforced natural fibres, aramid fibres, carbon-fibre or graphite-fibre inclusions. Preferably, all the exterior walls are produced at the same time in a horizontal plane, with the result that they are simultaneously made ready in the form, inclined by a 90° angle with respect to their final position, in which they are finally set up. Openings for windows, doors or the like are expediently already provided in the exterior walls or other walls at the appropriate locations and, after production and before delivery, the said windows, doors or the like are already built into or cast into the corresponding elements at the outset, together with other parts, to form the building according to the invention. The exterior walls are advantageously connected at joints to the floor slab via hinges. This arrangement has the advantage that the exterior walls can initially be laid horizontally next to the floor slab, be fastened on the latter and finally be swung up vertically through 90°. An intermediate floor laid in against the exterior walls then stabilizes and braces the building according to the invention thus produced, which is completed by a roof. Concrete or some other joint filling agent is let in at the edges where the exterior walls abut, preventing mutual shifting or relative movement of the walls with respect to one another, with the overall result that the exterior walls are self-supporting.

There is an accompanying favourable weight reduction if the building has a so-called hypocaust system, i.e. the heating-air and cooling-air ducts are arranged in a hollow wall, for example in wall cavities.

Further advantageous improvements of the invention can be taken from the dependent claims and from the following description.

The invention will be explained in more detail hereinbelow, by way of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a building according to the invention in a perspective illustration. Fig. 2 shows a second and a third embodiment of a building according to the invention in a perspective illustration. Fig. 3 shows one of the buildings from Fig. 2 in an enlarged illustration.

Fig. 4 shows the detail IV from Fig. 1 in a partially sectional illustration. Fig. 5 shows a cage construction in a perspective illustration, before completion to form a building according to the invention.

Fig. 6 shows a production arrangement in plan view for a building according to the invention before erection.

Fig. 7 diagramatically shows a possibility for transporting a building according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a building according to the invention, which is designated by 10. The building 10 has a rectangular base area, and is confined at the bottom by a horizontal floor slab 11 , indicated by a dashed line. Framing the floor slab 11 are the exterior walls, namely two gable walls 12 and two side walls 13, which are perpendicular to the floor slab 11. The floor slab is fastened or suspended on the exterior walls 12, 13, and the mutually abutting exterior walls are connected to one another to form a self-supporting frame and, in the present embodiment, consist of lightweight concrete. In the present embodiment, the walls are connected to one another as a unit and are of an essentially torsionally rigid design.

Doors 14 and windows 15 have been let into the exterior walls 12, 13, with the result that the building 10 can be used as a residential house. Indicated by dashed lines parallel to the floor slab 11 , at the level of the upper edge of the side walls 12, is an intermediate floor 16. This plane at the same time defines the start of a roof 17, which essentially spans the building 10 and comprises two panel-like, rectangular roof halves. A window 15 has been let into one roof half. The roof 17 is deigned as a solar roof, i.e. a multiplicity of solar collectors 17 in the form of roof tiles are provided on the roof. A triangular upper part 18 of the gable walls 13 closes off the peaked roof 17, with the result that the roof, exterior walls and floor slab define a living area 19 which is closed off from the surroundings. Both people and items or animals, for example mice, can stay in the living area 19 without being exposed to the inclemency of the weather. _ _

The house 10 consists only of extremely light-weight, but stable materials, with the result that it has a total weight of about 15 tonnes. This makes it possible, on the one hand, to arrange the house on strip footings 19. The exterior walls preferably rest with their lower regions on the foundations 20, since the floor slab 11 is merely suspended in the exterior walls 12, 13 or firmly connected to the latter, but is not intended to bear the total weight of the building 10. This is the task of the exterior walls 12, 13, which thanks to their self- supporting design as a virtually monolithic hollow block of mineral material can absorb weights and torsional forces. On the other hand, the low weight of the building 10 advantageously also makes it possible for it to be transported while suspended in the air, for example from a crane or an aircraft. The crane or the respective means for lifting equipment to act on the building 10 is coupled onto the exterior walls, with the result that it can act relatively higher than on a level with the floor slab 11 and thus establish favourable statics. When the building 10 is transported by air, the self-supporting exterior walls 12, 13 take the entire weight of the building 10, as they do when it is supported on the ground.

It should be noted that the house 10 described above has exterior walls 12, 13 of a multi-layered material, of which only the outer materials consists of concrete, in this case lightweight concrete, while the other layer or layers enclosed by the outer layers have a very low density, in order to keep the total weight of the building low. The floor slab 11 and the intermediate floor 16 are designed as slab elements.

Fig. 2 shows another building 10', according to the invention, in which the same designations as in Fig. 1 designate the same parts. Flanged onto the building 10' is a combined, smaller building 10" likewise according to the invention, which will be explained in still more detail with reference to Figure 3.

As distinct from the building 10 from Fig. 1 , the building 10' has two roof halves 17a, 17b of different sizes and different slopes, the roof half 17b being drawn down far below the level of the upper edge of the associated side wall 12 in such a way that it reaches over the smaller building 10". The roof half 17b can be swung together along the axis designated by 21 , with the result that the lower section of the roof half 17b can be folded into the vertical, or even onto the upper _ _

section of the roof half 17b, without however, exposing the living area 20 in the process. After swinging up the lower section of the roof part 17b, lifting equipment can favourably act on the exterior walls 12, 13 for transportation by air. There are catch pockets or compartments specially design for this purpose. Fig. 3 shows the building 10" enlarged. The building 10" likewise has exterior walls 12, 13 and a floor slab 11 as well as a flat roof 17", which is designed such that it can be swung up in order to create access to the living area 2 from above. The roof halves are articulated on a pair of opposite side walls 13 such that they can be pivoted. The building 10" does not serve as a residential house but as a garage or an energy centre. The energy centre may be optionally added to a residential house 10 or 10'. It is extremely lightweight and therefore, if appropriate, can be transported in or next to a building 10 or 10' in the air. Eyelets 22 for clipping spring safety hooks, shackles or the like of lifting equipment are incorporated in the masonry of the upper region of the exterior walls 12, 13. Fig. 4 shows in a partially sectional illustration details of the interaction of floor slab 11 , exterior walls 12 and 13 and foundation 19. It can be seen that the side wall 13 (and also the side wall 12) is designed as a sandwich comprising an inner and an outer layer of concrete, between which small hollow tubes define a spacing. The floor slab 11 is also designed as a honeycomb structure. The floor slab 11 is suspended around the periphery by a continuation in an internal recess in the exterior walls. The joint is sealed off in a weather-proof manner. When transported by air, the weight bearing on the recess already forms a weather-proof termination. When resting on a foundation 19, there is essentially a direct transfer of weight from the exterior walls to the foundations, while the floor slab 11 essentially weighs indirectly on the foundation 19 and only in certain cases weighs directly on a foundation.

A preferred method of production for a building according to the invention is explained in more detail with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.

A basic beam arrangement is produced in a first step S1. The basic beams are essentially made up of members 28, which bound the edges of the exterior walls. It is possible to provide additional transverse or diagonal members in the planes of the exterior walls. The members or beams 28 may be preferably - -

produced by casting in a formwork designed for this purpose, as frame elements which are joined together and respectively bound an exterior wall. Fastening locations with eyelet-like clipping-in fittings or the like, which are suitable for later transporting by air, are expediently already provided during the production of the frame elements. It is similarly possible to provide recesses for affixing the floor slab and/or the intermediate floor slabs.

In a next step S2, the frame elements or the surface areas bounded by the members 28, are filled with wall elements, which either fill a surface area completely or else together with other wall elements or window and/or door elements.

It is alternatively possible also to fill the intermediate space between the elements referred to by sealing with a compound such as lightweight or foam concrete, whereby previously introduced elements can be solidly and jointlessly bonded to the beams, for example in a corresponding formwork, which may also have been obtained by modification of the formwork for the frame elements. During the steps presented above, the said parts preferably lie in a common horizontal plane, as indicated in Figure 6. Then, it is necessary to wait until the concrete has set.

In a subsequent step S3, the exterior walls are moved into the vertical and connected to one another to form a single self-supporting part. In an advantageous case of the arrangement as in Figure 6, the vertical arranging is performed by a pivoting movement, if appropriate whilst still in the formwork, the exterior walls 12, 13 brought into the vertical already assuming a correct relative position with respect to one another. The floor slab is preferably laid on the exterior walls beforehand, by means of a crane, with the result that during the pivoting operation the said floor slab snaps into the recess provided for this purpose during production in two opposite exterior walls, while the other pair of opposite exterior walls is adjusted.

In a next step S4, an intermediate floor is optionally let down by means of a crane in such a way that, before assembly of the exterior walls, the intermediate floor locks into the recess provided in them for this purpose and braces the exterior walls with respect to one another. In a final step S5, depending on requirements, the building is also closed from above by a flat or peaked roof, with the result that the interior of the building provides a living area which is protected from the outside in a weatherproof manner. Fig. 7 shows the transporting by air of a multi-storey building 10"' according to the invention, with a living area of about 120 m², on a load-bearing harness 22, which is suspended from a helicopter 23. The building 10"' with a weight of about 15 tonnes is suspended on the load-bearing cradle 22 at four fastening locations 29 close to the upper four corners of the exterior walls. The house 10"' is being lifted off a ship 24, on which it was transported as far as the transfer point. Alternatively, a mobile pallet 26 or a swanneck transporting vehicle 27 could also have been used for this purpose.

Claims

1 . Transportable building with a transporting weight of less than 30 t, which can be positioned at the setting-up site on a foundation and in which exterior walls, a roof and a floor slab confine a living area closed off from the surroundings, characterized in that the exterior walls, the roof and the floor slab are formed from weatherproof material, that the exterior walls are of a self-supporting design, and that when the building is transported the entire weight of the building weighs on the exterior walls.

2. Building according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the living area is subdivided by a ceiling into at least two subareas.

3. Building according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ceiling is an intermediate floor, which subdivides the living area into two stories.

4. Building according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the ceiling is designed as a slab element.

5. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the slab elements rest in recesses in the exterior walls and are held by the exterior walls.

6. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the slab elements are pushed in like shelves for stabilizing the building.

7. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the exterior walls comprise gable walls and side walls, which form a rest for the roof.

8. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the roof can be removed from its rest. _ -

9. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the angle of inclination of the roof is adjustable.

10. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the building has a beam construction in the form of a plurality of members designed to form a stable truss, the surface areas between the members containing the exterior walls, the floor slab and the roof of the building.

11. Building according to Claim 10, characterized in that the surface areas of the building are filled in the manner of a panelled structure by wall elements which bear against the beam construction and stiffen it.

12. Building according to Claim 11 , characterized in that the wall elements have at least one wall opening for windows, doors or the like, the wall openings being filled before the wall elements are fitted.

13. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 12, charaterized in that the weather-proof material is lightweight concrete with a density from 30 to 1 ,200 kg/m³.

14. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the exterior walls comprise two parallel layers of a cladding material, which enclose a load-bearing element arranged therebetween in the manner of a honeycomb structure.

15. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the foundation comprises a base or a strip footing which corresponds to the edge of the floor slab, and in that means are provided for fastening the floor slab and/or the lower regions of the exterior walls onto the foundation.

16. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the foundation comprises a pile foundation.

17. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the exterior walls and/or the floor slab, are designed in such a way that the building can be arranged on a loading area of a land vehicle and/or water craft.

18. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 17, characterized in that means for the acting of lifting equipment are provided on the exterior walls.

19. Building according to Claim 18, characterized in that the means for the acting of lifting equipment comprise a load-bearing device for lifting heavy loads, which is designed as a load-bearing harness, and in that fastening locations for fastening the load-bearing harness are provided on the building.

20. Building according to Claim 19, characterized in that the fastening locations are arranged in the upper region of the exterior walls.

21. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the building can be transported with the aid of an airborne transporting means.

22. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 21 , characterized in that the building can be transported with the aid of a helicopter.

23. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the building can be transported with the aid of an airship.

24. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the building can be transported with the aid of a balloon.

25. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the exterior walls are releasably connected to the floor slab by a connecting means.

26. Building according to Claim 25, characterized in that the connecting means are hinges, whereby it is possible for the exterior walls to be swung over from a horizontal position, parallel to the floor slab, into a vertical position, perpendicular to the floor slab, and vice versa, and in that means are provided which make it possible for the exterior walls to be fastened in the vertical position.

27. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 26, characterized in that the transporting weight is more than 10 tonnes and less than 15 tonnes.

28. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 27, characterized in that a plurality of buildings can be joined together to form complete residential units.

29. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 28, characterized in that add-on elements can be attached to all the surface areas of the building.

30. Building according to one of Claims 1 to 29, characterized in that at least one vertical interior wall subdivides the living area, the at least one interior wall being arranged adjustably within the building.

31. Method of producing a transportable building, preferably according to one of Claims 1 to 30, characterized by the following steps:

(a) Producing a beam construction for the exterior walls of the building;

(b) Filling the beam construction to form exterior walls in a horizontal form; (c) Arranging a prefabricated floor slab in the bottom region of the exterior walls; (d) Moving the exterior walls into the vertical and mutually fixing neighbouring exterior walls to form a self-supporting element, the floor slab being fastened on the exterior walls; and

(e) Placing a roof onto the exterior walls.

32. Method according to Claim 31 , characterized in that an intermediate floor is fastened within the exterior walls before the roof is placed on.

33. Method according to Claim 32, characterized in that the intermediate floor is pushed into a horizontal peripheral recess, provided for this purpose in the exterior wall, in the manner of a shelf.

34. Method according to one of Claims 31 to 33, characterized in that the finished building is set down from the air onto foundations, and in that the exterior walls rest on the foundations.

35. Method according to one of Claims 31 to 34, characterized in that the intermediate floor is affixed into the exterior walls after their completion, the intermediate floor occupying a larger surface area than the base area enclosed by the exterior walls.