EP2126247A1

EP2126247A1 - Building element formed as a vertically directed load carrying column provided with ducts for heat -carrying media and communication.

Info

Publication number: EP2126247A1
Application number: EP08712846A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sten Engwall; Per Åke ENGWALL; Lars Wennebring
Original assignee: We Build Better WBB AB
Current assignee: We Build Better WBB AB
Priority date: 2007-02-27
Filing date: 2008-02-27
Publication date: 2009-12-02
Also published as: SE0700503L; SE530994C2; WO2008105734A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a building element formed as a vertically directed column (4) having an upper and a lower end. The column (4) is placed within the climatic barrier of a house body provided with walls and a roof. The column (4) is formed to carry the load (5b, 6, 16b). According to the invention, the column (4) is provided with a longitudinal cavity. In the cavity, at least one duct for heat -carrying media is arranged. Furthermore, at least one duct for communication (7) is arranged in the column (4).

Description

Building element formed as a vertically directed load carrying column provided with ducts for heat -carrying media and communication .

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the area of building construction and par- ticularly to a building element and to devices at such a building element and methods therefor.

Background of the Invention

Heating within a house body has previously been effected by heat sources being placed in those rooms where heating is to take place, either by electrical radiators or water heating elements. Alternatively, separate heat sources may also be placed and operated in the space in the house body that is to be heated.

Other communication between floor levels of a house body has previously been formed separately for each unit, e.g., ventilation ducts have been installed separated from water ducts and separated from drain ducts.

A problem of such separated units is that installation, maintenance and repair of equipments often require interference in several spots within the house body.

Other problems are that the heating of the different spaces of the house body is difficult to regulate because of separate heating units being placed in the house body.

In addition, such a conventional construction technology implies that the time for initial operation of the heating of the house body is late in the building construction stage.

The Object of the Invention

The present invention aims at providing a building element that allows a transportation of heat-generating media in the vertical direction within a house body as well as allows additional vertical communication facilities for the operation of the house body.

The object is further to complete such heat generation as well as such additional communication at an early stage of the erection of the house body. An additional object is to provide a building element that facilitates the subsequent progress of the entire building process by the design thereof for the carrying function, with resulting decreased material consumption.

The object is furthermore that the building element can be put in place as 5 soon as a foundation for the same has been cast.

In addition, it is an object of the invention that the building element can constitute a centre from which measuring for the mounting of the house then takes place.

i o Summary of the Invention

By the present invention such as the same is defined in the independent claims, the above-mentioned object is met. Suitable embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The invention relates to a building element formed as a vertically directed 15 column having an upper and a lower end, the column being placed within the climatic barrier of a house body provided with walls and a roof as well as formed to carry loads, the column being provided with a longitudinal cavity in which, on one hand, at least one duct for transportation of heat-generating media, and on the other hand at least one duct for communication are arranged. 20 In one embodiment, the cavity is provided with at least one heat source connected to said medium-transporting duct.

Preferably, the duct for transportation of heat-generating media extends, in one embodiment, out through the column and into a floor structure in order to be able to supply hot air to the floor structure.

25 In one embodiment, the communication duct comprises water conduit, lightning conductor, antenna, electric wire and duct for central vacuum cleaner.

Furthermore, the column is, in one embodiment, placed at a distance from the walls of the house body.

In one embodiment, the lower end of the column is preferably placed on a 30 foundation on ground level while the upper end of the column is provided with a load-carrying support surface on which a load-distributing element connected to the roof of the house body rests.

The foundation of the column is, in one embodiment, provided with prein- stalled pipes or ducts, for instance for drainage, water, air and electricity, which pipes/ducts are provided with connection devices that are reachable from the outside of the column via an access door.

In one embodiment, the column comprises an outer shell and an inner shell between which shells an outer column volume is situated, which outer col- umn volume consists of load-carrying material, for instance reinforced concrete; that the inner shell delimits said longitudinal cavity from the load-carrying material. The longitudinal cavity may comprise one or more flue-gas ducts and one or more air ducts for heating and/or ventilation.

In one embodiment, a water heater is placed in the longitudinal cavity on or adjacent to the foundation, which water heater is arranged to be maintained through an access door in the column.

Furthermore, the longitudinal cavity may, in one embodiment, comprise a storage volume accessible from the outside of the column through a storage door.

In one embodiment, exhaust-air connections may be connected to the air ducts and placed on the outside of the column.

The foundation is, in one embodiment, situated in an air volume in the substructure under the house body, the column extending through a sealed floor lead-through in the floor of the house body up to the roof of the house body.

In one embodiment, the column extends up through a floor structure between two floor levels of the house body.

The column is, in one embodiment, provided with floor-structure supports for the transfer of forces from the floor structure to the column.

In one embodiment, the column has preferably a circular cross-section, but may also be formed with other cross-section shapes. In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the column within each floor level is constant in the vertical direction, but the diameter thereof within one floor level is smaller than the diameter of the column within the closest subjacent floor level.

The flue-gas ducts extend, in one embodiment, past the upper end of the column and the load-carrying support surface and out through a chimney on the roof of the house body.

In one embodiment, the foundation is provided with measure indications from a vertical measuring axis in the foundation. The invention also relates to a building construction method wherein a building element, according to what has been indicated above, is placed vertically on a foundation, in turn placed with a vertical measuring axis within the substructure elements of the house; that measuring for the positioning of the substructure elements of the house is made from the measuring axis via the foundation.

In the method, there are placed pressure plates for the substructure elements of the house measured from a measuring axis in the building element via the foundation. The substructure elements are then mounted on the pressure plates, whereupon floor joists are mounted between the building element and the substructure elements. Next, lines and connections are mounted, whereupon the floor is mounted. The other wall elements and floor structures are then mounted. Finally, roof elements, roof ridge and chimney are mounted.

In one embodiment, the wall elements and floor structures are supported from the building element during the mounting procedure. Furthermore, the invention relates to a heating device, which is formed as a building element according to what has been indicated above, at least one heat source being contained in the building element, which in addition is provided with a door through which the heat source is arranged to be supplied with fuel, the heat source being connected to a supply-air duct for incoming outdoor air as well as to a flue-gas duct for emission of flue gases through the chimney.

In one embodiment, the building element is at least partly provided with an outer shell that acts as a convection surface for the heating.

The heat source is, in one embodiment, preferably formed as a fireplace heating stove or as a pellet stove. In addition, the invention relates to a cooling device, which is contained in a building element according to what has been indicated above.

Finally, the invention relates to a staircase device formed as a building element according to what has been indicated above, which is provided with a plurality of step mounting fittings on the outside of the building element, on which step mounting fittings, steps are arranged to be mounted so that a staircase is formed around or along the building element.

Additional functions and uses of the building element as column are indicated in the following: The column may constitute the centre for dimensioning of the building, and is placed at an early stage of the house construction on the location thereof well anchored. The column is dimensioned to carry radially placed steps. The column has a unloading function for floor structures and/or roof, which does not concern the heat source or chimney. The column constitutes the centre for different lines/ductings between different levels. The column contains different functions such as distribution or collection of cables, e.g., distribution board, distributing pipes and/or conduits for water and drainage. The column contains ducts for supply and/or exhaust air. The column contains a storage of fuel, which may be filled by vacuum feeding, e.g., pellets. The column contains water heater, expansion vessel and/or heat exchanger. The column may be provided with installations of different types such as a shelf for fancy goods, built-in aquarium as well as be decorated in various ways. The column may be provided with an elevator or lift for disabled persons. The column is externally arranged with thin sheet, and is pro- vided with a steel plate inside the thin sheet. Between the sheet-metal plates, a space may be filled with concrete, not until on the building site to increase the supporting capacity and decrease the transport weight. The holders of the steps and the holders for floor structures may simultaneously constitute spacer members between the sheet-metal plates and the supporting capacity of which also may be increased by the concrete between the sheet-metal plates. The stove may be entirely or partly turnable.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a first embodiment example of a building element according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a detail in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section through a building element according to Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section through a building element according to Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections through a building provided with a second and a third, respectively, embodiment example of a building element according to invention.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section through an additional embodiment example of a building element according to the invention. Figs. 8-13 are perspective views of a building construction in different execution steps and illustrate how the building element is utilized for the erection of the building.

Description of the Invention

Fig. 1 illustrates a first embodiment example of a building element according to the invention. The element comprises a vertically directed column 4, which is formed of an inner shell 8 and an outer shell 9, each of which is in the form of a cylindrical tube. The space between the tubes, i.e., between the outer and the inner shell, is filled with concrete 11 or another material adapted to carry vertical load. Suitably, the inner tube has a greater material thickness than the outer tube. In the example shown, the column 4 is made with a lower 4a and an upper 4b section. The lower section 4a, which extends from the substructure up to the floor structure between the ground floor and the first floor, has a greater diameter than the upper section 4b, which extends from the lower section up to the roof ridge.

The purpose of the column is twofold. One is to form a load-carrying element. The other one is to contain different types of installation equipment.

In order to carry load, the column rests on a foundation 1 , which is cast in the substructure 2 of the house. The foundation 1 is provided with a chase 3 adapted to receive the ring-shaped wall of the column formed of the two tubes and intermediate concrete.

On the outside thereof, the column is provided with load-carrying devices, which are not shown in this figure. The load-carrying devices may consist of sup- porting elements that project from the column and/or grooves in the column. By the same, in the example shown, the bottom floor structure 5a and the floor structure 5b between the ground floor and the first floor, as well as the roof 6, are entirely or partly supported.

In addition to a roof and floor structure, also a winding staircase is sup- ported by the column 4, which has been schematically indicated with a number of steps 16, which are attached to special staircase fasteners 16b arranged on the column 4.

Installation equipment is arranged in the cavity formed inside the inner shell 8. In the example shown, it is a fireplace heating stove 12, including sheathed space 13. The smoke pipe of the stove 7 is also entirely contained in the column.

In Fig. 2, there is illustrated an additional detail of the element in the example in Fig. 1. A first pipe 18 connects the substructure 2 with a heat exchanger unit (not shown) in a heat-exchanging relationship with the fireplace heating stove 12. From the heat exchanger, a second pipe 19 leads back down to the substructure 2. A fan at the mouth of the pipe 18 forces air flow through the pipe system and the heat exchanger so that cool air from the substructure is sucked up, heated and directed down as hot air to the substructure. Thereby, underfloor heating is obtained for the ground floor.

In Fig. 3, the attachment of a step 16 to the column 4 is shown by means of a staircase fastener 16b formed as a bracket, which in a premounted way is welded to the column 4.

In Fig. 5, there are illustrated some further examples of how the building element is utilized to contain different types of installation equipment. In the column 4, a TV aerial or antenna cable 17 is arranged, furthermore a water conduit 19 and water heater 20, where the water conduit leads heated water from a solar panel 18 to the water heater 20. Via a water conduit 22, the latter is also connected with a heat exchanger 21 , which receives the heat thereof from the fire- place heating stove 12 shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, in the column 4, an air conduit 23 is arranged, which connects the substructure 2 with a floor level.

Fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment where heat sources, e.g., a fireplace heating stove 12 and a pellet stove 24, arranged in the column 4 are connected to conduits 25, 26 for hot air, which bring out heat from the respective heat source to the spaces of the building. The conduit 25 from the fireplace heating stove 12 directs the hot air down to the substructure 2 and from the same up through the external walls of the building. The conduit 26 from the pellet stove 24 directs the hot air out to the floor structure between the ground floor and the first floor. Above the pellet stove 24, a pellet storage 27 is arranged in the column 4. The heat source may naturally also be of another type, e.g., a heat pump.

In Fig. 7, additional examples of installation and communication equipment possible to be contained in the column 4 are presented, which in the shown case are a conduit 34 to central vacuum cleaner, sewer 33, supply-water conduit 23, water conduit 22 between the fireplace heating stove and the water heater, supply- air conduit 32, exhaust-air conduit 31 , hot-air conduit 26, electric wire 30, aerial wire 17, lightning conductor 29, data-communication wire 35, conduit 40 for compressed air for a compressor arranged in the column for refrigerator and freezer, and flue-gas duct 7. It should be appreciated that many kinds of other types of components and communication lines may be arranged in the column to provide for also other service needs in the building. In Fig. 7, it is also illustrated that the column 4 may be provided with an insulating layer 28.

Moreover, the building element according to the invention constitutes a significant component upon the erection of a building and allows this to be effected very efficiently, in quick time and without high qualification requirements on the workforce. Figs. 8-13 illustrate some steps in how a building is erected by means of a building element according to the invention.

As a first step, shown in Fig. 8, a foundation 1 is cast having a central recess for the mounting of the column. In the next step, shown in Fig. 9, the column 4 is delivered and erected on- site by means of a crane lorry. The column 4 has preferably the most of the equipment thereof preinstalled already when delivered. Pressure plates 36 for the substructure and walls of the building are placed out by means of measure indications 37 in the foundation 1. In Fig. 10, it is shown how the substructure elements 38 of the walls then are mounted on the pressure plates. Suitably, the substructure elements reach up to the underside of the windows. Beams 39 are laid between the substructure elements 38 and the column 4.

Next, the floor is laid, as is shown in Fig. 11 , when all precut lines includ- ing connections have been laid.

Fig. 12 shows how the rest of the elements being positioned and the intermediate floors are supported instantaneously.

During the building stage, provisional steps may be mounted on the column 4. As is shown in Fig. 13, they are subsequently replaced by the permanent steps before the moving in. A heat source, such as fireplace heating stove, may also be utilized during the building process as well as also the mounted sockets of the column.

Claims

1. Building element formed as a vertically directed column (4) having an upper and a lower end, the column being placed within the climatic barrier of a house body provided with walls and a roof as well as formed to carry loads, characterized in that the column (4) is provided with a longitudinal cavity in which, on one hand, at least one duct (18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 32) for transportation of heat-carrying media, and on the other hand at least one duct (7, 17, 23, 29, 30, 31 , 33, 34, 35, 40) for communication are arranged, that the cavity is provided with at least one heat source (12, 24) connected to said medium-transporting duct (22, 25, 26).

2. Building element according to claim 1 , characterized in that the duct (26) for transportation of heat-generating media extends out through the column and into a floor structure in order to be able to supply hot air to the floor structure.

3. Building element according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that said communication duct comprises water conduit (22, 23, 33), lightning conductor (29), antenna (17), electric wire (30) and duct (34) for central vacuum cleaner.

4. Building element according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the column (4) is placed at a distance from the walls of the house body.

5. Building element according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the lower end of the column (4) is placed on a foundation (1 ) on ground level, and that the upper end of the column is provided with a load-carrying support surface (6) on which a load-distributing element connected to the roof of the house body rests.

6. Building element according to claim 5, characterized in that the foundation (1) is provided with preinstalled pipes or ducts, for instance for drainage, water, air and electricity, which pipes/ducts are provided with connection devices that are reachable from the outside of the column via an access door.

7. Building element according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the column (4) comprises an outer shell (9) and an inner shell (8) between which shells an outer column volume is situated, which outer column volume consists of load-carrying material, for instance reinforced concrete (11); that the inner shell (8) delimits said longitudinal cavity from the load-carrying material (11 ).

8. Building element according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the longitudinal cavity comprises one or more flue-gas ducts (7) and one or more air ducts (26, 31 , 32) for heating and/or ventilation.

9. Building element according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that a water heater (20) is placed in the longitudinal cavity on or adjacent to the foundation (1 ), which water heater is arranged to be maintained through an access door in the column.

10. Building element according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the longitudinal cavity comprises a storage volume (27) accessible from the outside of the column through a storage door.

11. Building element according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that exhaust-air connections are connected to the air ducts and placed on the outside of the column.

12. Building element according to any one of claims 5-11 , characterized in that the foundation is situated in an air volume in the substructure (2) under the house body, the column extending through a sealed floor lead-through in the floor of the house body up to the roof of the house body.

13. Building element according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that the column (4) extends up through a floor structure between two floor levels of the house body.

14. Building element according to claim 13, characterized in that the column is provided with floor-structure supports (5b) for transfer of forces from the floor structure to the column.

15. Building element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the column (4) has a circular cross-section.

16. Building element according to claim 15, characterized in that the outer diameter of the column (4) within each floor level is constant in the vertical direc- tion, but that the diameter (4b) thereof within one floor level is smaller than the diameter (4a) of the column within closest subjacent floor level.

17. Building element according to any one of claims 8-16, characterized in that the flue-gas ducts (7) extend past the upper end of the column (4) and the load-carrying support surface (6) and out through a chimney on the roof of the house body.

18. Building element according to any one of claims 5-17, characterized in that the foundation (1 ) is provided with measure indications (37) from a vertical measuring axis in the foundation (1).

19. Building element, according to any one of claims 1-18, characterized in that the heat source (12, 24) is provided with a door through which the heat source is arranged to be supplied with fuel, the heat source being connected to a supply- air duct for incoming outdoor air as well as to a flue-gas duct (7) for emission of flue gases through the chimney.

20. Building element according to claim 19, characterized in that the building element is provided with an outer shell (9) that acts as a convection surface.

21. Building element according to any one of claims 19-20, characterized in that the heat source is formed as a fireplace heating stove (12) or as a pellet stove (24).

22. Building element according to any one of claims 1-21 , characterized in that a cooling device is contained in the building element.

23. Building element according to any one of claims 1-22, characterized in that the building element is provided with a plurality of step mounting fittings (16b) on the outside of the building element.