NL2029543B1

NL2029543B1 - foundation assembly of a plurality of buoyant bodies

Info

Publication number: NL2029543B1
Application number: NL2029543A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Petrus Martinus Keijzers Mark; Wilhelmus Maria Broos Johannes; Gibert Suñé Emma; Francis Nicola Schut Jesse; Pieter Berdenis Van Berlekom Simon
Original assignee: Koninklijke Bam Groep Nv
Priority date: 2021-10-28
Filing date: 2021-10-28
Publication date: 2023-05-26

Abstract

Assembly comprising a plurality of interconnected buoyant bodies, a said buoyant body comprising a vertically arranged column having, viewed in the horizontal plane, 5 an octagonally shaped perimeter, a first, second, third and fourth pair, each pair comprising mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, together forming the octagonal perimeter of the column, each pair, viewed in the circumferential direction, having side surfaces of equal widths, the columns being arranged next to each other side by side, with per column the side surfaces of the first pair of that column against a said side 10 surface of the first pair of an adjacent column, and the side surfaces of the third pair of that column against a said side surface of the third pair of a further adjacent column, such that the second and fourth pairs of side surfaces of the columns define interspaces, each surrounded by four said columns. 15 ~

Description

P35357NL00

Title: foundation assembly of a plurality of buoyant bodies

This invention relates to buoyant bodies that can be combined to form a buoyant assembly.

Specifically, it relates to buoyant bodies that can be assembled to enable modular construction comprising a plurality of interconnected buoyant bodies.

A plurality of buoyant bodies according to the invention may be used to facilitate construction, maintenance, etc. in or near a body of water such as a river or a lake; for example construction or maintenance of a bridge, waterfront, etc., reaching this location from the waterside. A plurality of buoyant bodies according to the invention may also be used in or near a body of water as construction elements themselves, for example as a foundation for a building, to facilitate temporary parking for an event, as a temporary bridge, etc. A plurality of buoyant bodies according to the invention may, according to another embodiment, be disassembled after a use and reused later in a next use. Using a plurality of buoyant bodies according to the invention near a (body of) water provides a buoyant capability in case water reaches the buoyant body, such as near a river which can be expected to overflow. Further, the use of a plurality of buoyancy elements according to the invention further makes the overall buoyancy less sensitive to leakage of a buoyancy element.

As such buoyant bodies are known. Also a buoyant body as foundation for a house is known, for example a houseboat. A plurality of interconnected buoyant bodies is as such known, for example (empty) oil drums or other hollow elements interconnected by ropes and a wood or metal frame to provide a raft or other floating construction. As a further example, a plurality of plastic floating bodies is known, which have basically a square horizontal cross section and are arranged as tiles on the water to provide a floating dock in a marina for mooring boats and providing walkways for passengers of the boats. As another of prior art a modular pontoon barge of — viewed in horizontal direction — 12 m by 24 m can be mentioned, which pontoon barge is basically composed of a number of see-containers which are side by side attached to each other and float on the water to serve as a base for waterworks.

When building temporary or permanent buildings or civil structures, a solid foundation to support the building or civil structure is required. When building on water, on ground which is instable due to presence of water, or ground which may be flooded with water, piles supporting the building or civil structure are commonly used to provide the solid foundation required. When the soil is very soft it is known to use so called friction piles as foundation.

When the soil is so soft that also friction piles are unable to support the building load, it is known to use a so called floating foundation. A floating foundation makes the building like a boat that obeys Archimedes’ principle, i.e. it is buoyed up by the weight of the earth and/or water displaced in creating the foundation. In general floating foundations consist of flat concrete slabs or mats or of tubs with walls turned up around the edge of the mat to create a larger volume.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative assembly of buoyant bodies which may serve as a foundation for superstructures, such as buildings or civil structures.

This object is achieved according to a first aspect of the invention by providing an assembly comprising a plurality of interconnected buoyant bodies; wherein a said buoyant body has, viewed in the horizontal plane, an octagonally shaped perimeter, defining: — afirst pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, — a second pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, — a third pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, and — a fourth pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, which pairs of side surfaces together form the octagonally shaped perimeter of the buoyant body; wherein each pair, viewed in the circumferential direction, has side surfaces of equal widths; and wherein the bodies are arranged next to each other side by side, with per body: — the side surfaces of the first pair of side surfaces of that body against a said side surface of the first pair of side surfaces of an adjacent body, and — the side surfaces of the third pair of side surfaces of that body against a said side surface of the third pair of side surfaces of a further adjacent body, such that the second and fourth pairs of side surfaces of the bodies define interspaces, each surrounded by four said bodies.

Providing a buoyant foundation made from an assembly of individual buoyant bodies, such as modular buoyant bodies, the bodies can be made in a factory and transported over water or the road. The assembly may be disassembled and the buoyant bodies may be used in another location and/or for another use.

According to the invention the buoyant body is a body with — viewed in the horizontal plane, an octagonal perimeter having four pairs of opposing side surfaces. The in total eight side surfaces extend vertically and adjoin in horizontal direction to provide a so to say ‘vertical truncated column’ {truncated indicating that the vertical length may be shorter than its horizontal dimension) having — in the horizontal direction - an octagonal circumferential surface. The vertical side surfaces of the first pair each lie between a vertical side surface of the fourth pair and a vertical side surface of the second pair, the vertical side surfaces of the second pair each lie between a vertical side surface of the first pair and a vertical side surface of the third pair, the vertical side surfaces of the third pair each lie between a vertical side surface of the second pair and a vertical side surface of the fourth pair, and the vertical side surfaces of the fourth pair each lie between a vertical side surface of the third pair and a vertical side surface of the first pair.

According to the invention, the buoyant bodies are arranged next to each other side to side in a dense/compact pattern. Except for buoyant bodies at the outside of a plurality of buoyant bodies, each buoyant body can be considered as a central buoyant body surrounded by four other buoyant bodies. One side surfaces of the first pair of the central buoyant body lies against a side surface of the first pair of a first one of the other buoyant bodies, and the other side surface of the first pair of the central buoyant body lies against a side surface of the first pair of a third one of the other buoyant bodies. One side surfaces of the third pair of the central buoyant body lies against a side surface of the third pair of a third one of the other buoyant bodies, and the other side surface of the third pair of the central buoyant body lies against a side surface of the third pair of a fourth one of the other buoyant bodies. Doing so four open interspaces are defined, each one being surrounded by the central buoyant body and three of the four other buoyant bodies. These interspaces have, viewed in the horizontal plane, a parallelogram shaped cross-section, such as a rectangular or square cross-section.

These interspaces may serve as venting passages allowing gases to escape from the water instead of being trapped under the assembly of buoyant bodies, may serve as venting passages allowing the water between and under the buoyant bodies being aerated, and may serve as passages allowing water to rise and fall in order to reduce the effect of waves acting on the assembly of buoyant bodies. These interspaces may also be used for passing through of sewage pipes, cables etcetera. In this respect it is very convenient that these interspaces have a parallelogram shaped cross-section, because sewage pipes, piles and cables in general have a round cross-section and thus will not fill the entire cross-section so that sufficient free space is left for venting purposes. Further, compared to the surface of the octagonal cross-section of the buoyant body, the surface of the cross-section of the interspaces is relatively small so that buoyancy of the buoyant bodies is so to say maximized while still leaving interspaces.

Further the octagonal cross-section of the buoyant bodies allows arrangement of the buoyant bodies in a grid of rows of buoyant bodies and columns (or said differently cross-rows) of buoyant bodies perpendicular to the rows of buoyant bodies.

The side surfaces of the buoyant bodies are outer surfaces of a vertical wall comprising or made of a first material. The first material is or comprises concrete, which concrete may be reinforced or non-reinforced concrete. The walls may be constructed using a mould or formwork and then joined. Alternatively or in addition the walls may be formed integrally connected to each other as from the start of forming. The construction of the concrete walls may be by traditional pouring the concrete into a mould, but can also be done by 3D printing of a concrete or a concrete-like material or a fiber reinforced polymer.

According to another further embodiment, the buoyant body may have a bottom of concrete.

Such a buoyant body may according to the invention be a hollow body delimited by a bottom, the vertical side walls and optionally a roof, i.e. closed top side. In absence of a roof, the buoyant body could be seen as a tub. The side surfaces may be made of concrete, and when an optional bottom surface or optionally a bottom surface and a top surface are present, these may also be made of concrete. The bottom surface and the side surfaces may be made of the same material or of a different material.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the interspaces may also serve as passages for anchoring piles configured to anchor the assembly of buoyant bodies with respect to the ground whilst allowing the buoyant bodies to rise and fall with rising and lowering of the water.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, a horizontal plate is arranged on top of the plurality of buoyant bodies, the horizontal plate being configured to cover the plurality of buoyant bodies and to provide a basis (or floor) for at least one superstructure, such as a building and/or civil structure and/or a heavy-duty equipment, such as a heavy duty crane, to be placed on it. Such a horizontal plate provides a basis or floor for a load on top of the buoyant bodies.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the widths of the side surfaces of the second pair are equal to the widths of the side surfaces of the third pair. This results in the interspaces being square, which is very convenient when these interspaces are to be used for passing piles, pipes and cables.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the widths of the side surfaces of the first pair are greater than or equal to the widths of the side surfaces of the other pairs. In case of ‘greater than’, this results in elongated buoyant bodies, which may be practical for transportation purposes.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the widths of the side surfaces are equal for the first, second, third and fourth pair. The resulting octagonal shape then is a convex regular octagon, i.e. each two consecutive side surfaces have equal lengths and define an equal angle. This simplifies placing the buoyant bodies in a grid against each other, because placed against each other is allowed in 8 different positions of rotation around the vertical. For strength considerations, the regular octagonal cross-section is relatively close to a circular cross-section, allowing the vertical octagonal wall to better withstand outside water pressure.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the ratio of the mass of the assembly, in kg, to the volume of the assembly, in liters, is smaller than 0.6 kg/l, such as smaller than 0.5 kg/liter. According to a further embodiment the mass to volume ratio may be in the range of 0.25 to 0.6 kg/liter, such as in the range of 0.25 to 0.5 kg/liter or in the range of 0.3 to 0.5 kg/liter. Since water has a density of approximately 1 kg/liter, the ratio between mass and volume should be below 1 for a body to be buoyant. So, in order to provide support to additional weight, the ratio should be substantially below 1, such as below 0.6 or below 0.5 kg/liter. The heavier the structures to be supported by the assembly of buoyant bodies, the lower the ratio of mass may be.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the buoyant bodies may further comprise a filling made of a second material, different from the first material. It is envisaged that the first material may be used for the vertical side walls and not for the bottom of the buoyant body and/or for the top of the buoyant body. Considering the vertical side walls of the first material being a frame for the buoyant body, this frame may thus be a hollow frame with optionally: an open bottom and/or open top. Irrespective whether the bottom and/or top of the ‘frame’ are open, the hollow frame may be filled with a second material. The second material may for example be a foam, such as a foam which is known for use in buoyant bodies.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the vertical height of the buoyant bodies are less than approximately 5 meter, such as less than 4 meter. The octagonal buoyant body may for example have a vertical height in the range of 2 to 4 m, such as a vertical height of 2.5 to 3 m, for example a vertical height of about 3 m. Buoyant bodies with a vertical height of 2.5 to 3 m may for example be transported over the road when laying on their side with their vertical direction transverse to the length direction of the truck on which it is transported

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the octagonal shaped perimeter may be in the range of 2 to 10 meter, such as in the range of 3 to 7 meter or in the range of 4 to 7 meter. The circumscribed circle may for example be in the range of 5 to 6 meter. Referring to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumscribed_circle - a circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon.

In case of a regular octagon, one may also define the dimensions of the octagonal shaped perimeter by means of the inscribed circle, i.e. each of the vertical sides define a tangent of this circle. The inscribed circle may for example be about 5 m, which corresponds with a circumscribed circle of about 5.4 m.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the assembly comprises four said buoyant bodies arranged adjacent one another around a said interspace, and wherein the assembly comprises a coupling system configured to keep said four adjacent buoyant bodies together and against each other around the said interspace. Said four buoyant bodies thus may, so to say, be kept attracted to each other around the interspace.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, wherein the coupling system comprises a coupling element, the coupling element comprising: — afirst pair of grippers configured for engaging at the upper edge of a second side surface of a first of four adjacent buoyant bodies and at the upper edge of a second side surface of a third of said four adjacent buoyant bodies, and — a second pair of grippers configured for engaging at the upper edge of a fourth side surface of a second of said four adjacent buoyant bodies and at the upper edge of a fourth side surface of fourth of said four adjacent buoyant bodies, and the coupling element being configured to keep said four adjacent buoyant bodies attracted to each other around the said interspace.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, a superstructure, for example comprising a building and/or civil structure and/or heavy duty vehicle/equipment may be placed on the plate.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the superstructure may comprise one or more of: a road, a building, a rail track, a house, or a commercial or agricultural construction. In this case, the assembly may be seen as a sort of foundation on which a superstructure can be arranged. This may be especially advantageous when the assembly is located in a body of water or on dry or floodplain territory which may overflow with water. The buoyant bodies may be placed on the ground, such as so called ‘heavy ground’ When water accumulates above this ground the buoyant bodies will provide flotation and a superstructure placed on the buoyant bodies will float on the water.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the assembly may comprise two or more layers of buoyant bodies arranged vertically above each other. This may increase the buoyancy of the assembly, e.g. in case when a load on the buoyant bodies is foreseen for which a single layer of buoyant bodies would not provide enough buoyancy. In this case, water should be prevented from accumulating in the buoyant bodies, especially in the lower layer(s). In the case of buoyant bodies provided with a filling material, no special provisions may be needed, but in the case of buoyant bodies with an open-ended top, provisions may be required. These can comprise provisions such as fixing the layers above each other in a watertight manner, providing a watertight coupling element between buoyant bodies, providing a lower buoyant body with top edges which can receive the bottom surface of the buoyant body placed immediately above it, or providing a plate between two layers of buoyant bodies — essentially sealing the top surfaces of lower layer(s). It is also possible to provide a higher layer which mirrors a lower layer; in other words, the higher layer is rotated by 180 degrees around a horizontal axis.

Alternatively or in addition, receiving a higher layer with a lower layer may be performed using atongue and groove joint between two buoyant bodies stacked on top of each other. The edges of the buoyant bodies may also be provided such that the top edge of a lower layer and the bottom edge of a higher layer, can be sealed together by providing a sealing agent.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the plurality of buoyant bodies may be supported on ground and may be configured to float when the ground overflows with water. This may be used in locations where flooding events or heavy rainfall may cause a layer of water to accumulate on the terrain. When this happens, the buoyancy of the assembly may prevent or restrict possible water damage.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the plurality of buoyant bodies may be arranged floating in water. In these embodiments, the assembly is a floating assembly In this way it is possible to provide e.g. temporary parking near an event, a temporary floating body on which construction tooling or parts can be arranged, or a floating permanent building or floating permanent civil structure such as a road or rail track.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides to a buoyant body intended for use in an assembly according to any of the previous claims.

According to a third aspect, the invention provides a use of an assembly according to the first aspect of the invention as a buoyant foundation for a building or civil structure.

The invention will be further described in relation to the figures, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of an octagonal buoyant body according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an octagonal buoyant body according to the invention;

Fig. 3a is a schematic side view of an assembly of buoyant bodies according to the invention according to the invention, which comprises two layers of buoyant bodies supporting a crane;

Fig. 3b is a schematic horizontal cross-section of an assembly of buoyant bodies according to the invention, as for example a cross-section of one layer of buoyant bodies in of

Fig. 3a;

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of an assembly of buoyant bodies according to the invention on which a building construction is arranged, in this case two houses;

Fig. 5a is a schematic top view of a buoyant body according to the invention, in which the perimeter of the buoyant body is a non-regular octagonal buoyant body with constant angles;

Fig. 5b is a schematic top view a buoyant body according to the invention, in which the perimeter of the buoyant body is a non-regular octagonal buoyant body with variable angles.

Fig. 6a is a schematic top-view of a further assembly according to the invention.

Fig. 6b is a schematic top-view of a further assembly according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a buoyant body 1 with eight side surfaces 2 and a The eight side surfaces are subdivided in four pairs of each two side surfaces. The first pair has two parallel side surfaces 11, the second pair has two parallel side surfaces 12, the third pair has two parallel side surfaces 13, and the fourth pair has two parallel side surfaces 14. In the shown embodiment, all side surfaces have the same width w and are the outer surfaces of a wall of thickness t.

The bottom and wall are made of concrete with a wall thickness of 10 cm or more. In this example, the buoyant body has a vertical height of about 3 m and a circumscribed circle of about 5.5 m. The buoyant body may be seen as a tub (or tublike body).

Fig. 2 shows the buoyant body 1 of figure 1 in a perspective view. The buoyant body has a vertical height h.

In Fig. 3a an assembly 330 of buoyant bodies 301 is shown in side view. The shown assembly consists of thirty-two buoyant bodies 301, arranged in two layers each comprising a four by four grid of buoyant bodies 301. On top of the upper layer of buoyant bodies 301, a plate 320 is arranged, shown here with a dashed line. A heavy duty crane 21 is placed on plate 320. Assembly 330 floats in a body of water 331 above a water bottom 333. The boundary 332 between the water 331 and water bottom 332 is also shown.

Fig. 3b illustrates a horizontal cross-section of assembly 330 taken along the line IlIb-IIIb of

Figure 3a. Figure 3b may also be seen as an example of a any horizontal cross-section of an assembly according to the invention. The four by four grid of buoyant bodies 301, resulting in sixteen buoyant bodies 301 in one layer of the assembly 330 is visible, as well as nine interspaces 304.

Fig. 3c shows a vertical cross-section of the detail llic-llic as indicated in figure 3b. Figure 3b and 3c show an example of a coupling element 500 coupling four buoyant bodies arranged adjacent each other around an interspace 404. The coupling element 500 comprises a frame 505 with a first pair of grippers having a gripper 501 and 502 and a second pair of grippers having a gripper 503 and 504. As can be seen in figure 3c, each gripper may for example consist of a flange projecting downwards from the frame 505 to engage the inner surface of the vertical walls 2 and 4. Four such grippers consisting of flanges are an example of a construction configured to keep said four adjacent buoyant bodies attracted to each other around the said interspace.

In Fig. 4 an assembly 430 of buoyant bodies 401 is shown in side view. The shown assembly consists of sixteen buoyant bodies 401, arranged in one layer comprising a four by four grid of buoyant bodies 401. On top of the upper layer of buoyant bodies 401, a plate 420 is arranged, shown here with a dashed line. Two houses 22 are placed on plate 420. Assembly 430 floats in a body of water 431 above a water bottom 433. The boundary 432 between the water 431 and water bottom 432 is also shown.

Fig. 5a shows the perimeter of a non-regular octagon 101 having constant angles between adjacent side surfaces. The first pair has two parallel side surfaces 111, the second pair has two parallel side surfaces 112, the third pair has two parallel side surfaces 113 and the fourth pair has two parallel side surfaces 114. The width of the surfaces are the same within a pair, but may differ between pairs.

Fig. 5b shows the perimeter of a non-regular octagon 201 having variable angles between adjacent side surfaces. The first pair has two parallel side surfaces 211, the second pair has two parallel side surfaces 212, the third pair has two parallel side surfaces 213 and the fourth pair has two parallel side surfaces 214. The width of the surfaces are the same within a pair, but may differ between pairs.

Fig. 6a shows an assembly 130 comprising the non-regular octagons 101 with rectangular interspaces 104.

Fig. 6b shows an assembly 230 comprising the non-regular octagons 201 with variable angles. The interspaces 104 shown are square as in the shown embodiment side surfaces 211 and 213 have an equal width, but they may also be rectangular if this is not the case.

Itis noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments as described above in relation to figures 1-8. Within the scope of this invention, as determined by the claims, further variants within said scope are conceivable. For example, it is — within the scope of the invention - possible to divide a buoyant body according to the invention into two equal parts or more parts, which, at or near the place of use, are joined to form a said buoyant body in accordance with the invention has - in horizontal direction - an octagonally shaped perimeter.

Said two equal parts or said more parts may have — in horizontal direction — a non-octagonal shaped perimeter, but once assembled together they have — in horizontal direction — an octagonally shaped perimeter. Dividing the octagonal buoyant body according to the invention in parts (which can be assembled together to the octagonal buoyant body according to the invention) may be useful to facilitate transport of the buoyant bodies by road.

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

1. Assembly, such as a foundation assembly, comprising a plurality of mutually connected floating bodies, each floating body having an octagonal circumferential shape, viewed in the horizontal plane, which has: - a first pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, - a second pair of mutually mutually parallel parallel, vertical side surfaces, — a third pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces, and — a fourth pair of mutually parallel, vertical side surfaces defines, which pairs of side surfaces together form the vertical circumferential shape of the buoyancy body, where per pair, viewed in circumferential direction, the width of the side faces of that pair are mutually equal; where the floating bodies are arranged next to and against each other with per floating body: - the side surfaces of the first pair of side surfaces of that floating body in each case against a side surface of the first pair of side surfaces of an adjacent floating body, and - the side surfaces of the third pair of side surfaces of that floating body in each case against a side surface of the third pair of side surfaces of a further adjacent floating body, such that the second and fourth pairs of side surfaces of the floating bodies define interspaces, which are surrounded by four said floating bodies in each case; and wherein the side surfaces of the buoyancy bodies are outer surfaces of a vertical wall, the vertical wall being made of a first material comprising concrete.

An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said floating body further comprises a bottom of concrete.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interstices serve as passageways for anchor piles configured to anchor the buoyancy assembly to the ground while allowing the buoyancy bodies to raise or lower as the buoys rise or fall. the water.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a horizontal plate is mounted on top of the plurality of floats, the horizontal plate configured to cover the plurality of floats and to form a base (or floor) around a superstructure such as a building and/or a civil structure and/or a heavy-duty crane.

Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, in which the widths of the side surfaces of the second pair are equal to the widths of the side surfaces of the third pair.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the widths of the side surfaces of the first pair are greater than or equal to the widths of the side surfaces of the other pairs.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the widths of the side surfaces are equal for the first, second, third and fourth pair.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio between the mass of the assembly, in kg, and the volume of the assembly, in litres, is less than 0.6 kg/litre, such as less than 0.5 kg/ liter.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the floating bodies comprise a filling made of a second material, different from the first material.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the height of the floating bodies is less than 5 metres, such as in the range of 2.5 - 3 metres.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the circumscribed circle of the octagonal circumferential shape has a diameter in the range of 4 - 7 metres.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the assembly comprises four said buoyancy bodies arranged adjacent to each other about a said interspace, and wherein the assembly comprises a coupling system configured to hold said four adjacent buoyancy bodies together and against each other about said space.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling system comprises a coupling element, which coupling element comprises: - a first pair of gripping members configured for engagement at the upper edge of a second side surface of a first of four adjacent buoyancy bodies, as well as at an upper edge of a second side surface of a third of said four adjacent float bodies, and

- a second pair of gripping members configured for engagement at the upper edge of a fourth side surface of a second of said four adjacent buoyancy bodies, as well as at an upper edge of a fourth side surface of a fourth of said four adjacent buoyancy bodies; wherein the coupling member is configured to maintain said four adjacent floats attracted to each other about said interspace.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with claim 4, wherein a superstructure, such as a building and/or a civil structure and/or a heavy-duty installation, is placed on the slab.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with claim 4, wherein the superstructure comprises one or more of: a road, a building, a rail, a house, or a commercial or agricultural structure.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the assembly comprises two or more layers of floating bodies, which are arranged vertically above each other.

An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of buoyancy bodies rest on the ground and are configured to float when the ground is flooded with water.

An assembly according to any one of claims 1 - 16, wherein the plurality of buoyancy bodies is arranged floating in water.

19. Floating body intended for use in an assembly according to any one of the preceding claims.

Use of an assembly according to any one of claims 1-18 as a floating foundation for a building or civil structure.