WO1997004186A1

WO1997004186A1 - Building arrangement for constructions or technical installations

Info

Publication number: WO1997004186A1
Application number: PCT/NO1996/000184
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thor A. FRØYSTAD
Original assignee: Froeystad Thor A
Priority date: 1995-07-19
Filing date: 1996-07-17
Publication date: 1997-02-06
Also published as: NO952859L; NO952859D0; AU6633896A

Abstract

Building arrangement for constructions or technical installations in building, which contains a minimum of one floor with a number of rooms, and at least one utility room on every floor. The building is equipped with technical installations for water, drain pipe, ventilation, heating and electrical utilities, etc. On every floor there is at least one utility room which is mainly located directly above or below the utility room on the floor below or above. The utility rooms will present a continuous chain of units from the top floor to the bottom floor, preferably in the centre of the building, and that utility rooms are adapted/prepared for arrangement/conveyance of technical installations. At the same time it can be used as a storage room now and in the future. Technical equipment is centralised to or in connection with the utility room between rooms. The invention changes the rules for building. The technical aspect sets the rules. Adjustments for technical installations have already been made. The function of the utility rooms in the basement has been taken over by those between rooms on every floor. And the square meter cost will be no higher, and there will be no stairs to walk. The invention reduces both indirect and direct costs concerning technical installation in buildings.

Description

Building arrangement for constructions or technical installations

Arrangement in building, which contains a minimum of one floor with a number of rooms, and at least one utility room one every floor. The building is equipped with technical installations for water, drain pipes, ventilation, heating and electrical utilities, etc. The present invention is meant to meet the need for a building-technique that facilitates the upgrading ofthe original building over time. Buildings and the use of them change over time. They are dynamic, not static. More and more technical installations are needed every year in our buildings. Where to install this technical equipment is therefore a pressing question.

Traditionally architectural design sets the rules. This has not allowed enough room for technical installations, which has led to unnecessary costs. This applies especially to buildings in use. More total planning is required to establish a more perfect correlation between the actual building and the technical installations. The fact that the buildings outlast furniture and installations must be given due consideration, since the lifetime of installations is from 5 to maximum 30 years. Normally we build houses without thinking of possible extensions or upgrading of technical installations and building constructions. An example of this is: the lack of room in the fuse-box for an extra electric circuit which leads to a subsequent necessarily replacement. To get access to pipes for water, ventilation and sanitary equipment we have to tear apart building construction, etc.

In the event of removal of walls, problems often arise with regards to pipes for water, ventilation, sanitary equipment and the electric wiring. Earlier open electric wiring was used and this was easily accessible. The cost concerning later technical installations is increasing more than necessary, since so much is built into walls without following any standard. Where pipes and wiring go is only guesswork. There is seldom room for many wires in one conduit, which is dimensioned to contain a limited number of wires. The answer to this problem is a set standard and the invention, which is a new type of open wiring, which gives easy access in the case of new wiring or other technical installations.

One must also during maintenance have accessibility to pipeline for central vacuum cleaner, pipeline for ventilation and pipeline for sanitary equipment. Traditionally architectural design locates storage rooms in the basement to gain maximum square metres on the main floor. The traditional way of building leads to higher cost of installing, maintaining and upgrading technical installations, and these costs are due to problems arising from the original architectural design rules. The construction must later be altered to find room for technical installations.

The invention changes the rules for building. The technical aspect sets the rules. Adjustments for technical installations have already been made. The function ofthe utility rooms in the basement has been taken over by those between rooms on every floor. And the square meter cost will be no higher and there will be no stairs to walk. Food can be stored on the same floor as the kitchen and clothes can be kept in a walk-in closet. Some ofthe bulky cupboards can be shifted from living rooms and bathrooms to the utility room, with lower square meter price. We can use part ofthe utility room as laundry with sink, washing machine and tumble drier.

Using the invention means planning for future changes. The invention takes into account that fittings and installations have a much shorter lifetime than the building, from 5 to maximum 30 years. The invention ensures good communication between the building and the technical installations. The original fitting and later upgrading of installations is facilitated through the invention. Adaptability to different uses is given top priority. The fact that the building has been adapted to later changes also reduces the need for building materials in connection with alterations. The fact that the building thus can easily and inexpensively be kept "modern" at any time will also lengthen its lifetime. In the evaluation of resources spent on buildings, adaptability and flexibility may be more important than the building's recycling value after demolition.

The invention ensures that the building can easily be adapted to a wide range of uses. The invention has some similarity with a central-chimney house with its chimney accessible from all rooms. This house ofthe invention has a utility room between as many rooms as possible. This gives easy access to technical installations and chimney from most rooms. The invention gives us good accessibility for installations and service of existing installations.

If we choose to wait with installations, the utility rooms are there ready for them at a later stage. Good accessibility is provided for future technical equipment. We may not know what this equipment will be, but we know that it will need space. We can therefore easily upgrade a building. The idea ofthe invention can be illustrated with the trunk of a tree and its branches or the arteries from the heart.

The invention solves many of today's problems, and it will also meet the challenges ofthe future. The utility room must not be as small as possible, nor must it be too big. It must be big enough to keep all the advantages of the invention. In the utility room there should be ample room for today's and the future's technical installations at the same time as it can be used as a storage room now and inn the future.

The square metre price ofthe utility room will be similar to that ofthe basement. The utility room walls are mainly load-carrying walls and fire¬ walls. Piping for water, ventilation, heating and electrical wiring is installed inside the utility room. Open fire place, heating devices and other technical equipment are connected to the outer-walls ofthe utility rooms. Most ofthe rooms have one wall adjacent to the utility room. Pipelines installed inside the utility room are led through the wall and connected to the sanitary equipment, etc. on the utility room's outer-wall. Gullies in washrooms and bathrooms can be mounted against the utility room's outer- walls. Inside the utility rooms there is also a gully installed in case of water leaks. Extensive research is carried out on magnetic fields to find out how harmful they can be to our health. The invention makes it possible to concentrate most ofthe 220 v ac installations in the utility room. Magnetic fields in the utility rooms will then be shielded from the surroundings. Connections for 220 v ac are mainly installed on the utility room's outside wall (one ofthe walls in the surrounding rooms) for television Hi-fi and white goods and other technical equipment which can not use reduced power. Reduced power is maximum 42 V dc. Outside the utility room mainly 12 and 24 V dc may be used.

The walls ofthe utility rooms should all mainly be inside the house, not necessarily in the centre, (as shown on drawing 1) nor should they be closer to the outside wall than shown on the drawing. A central position gives best accessibility to the utility rooms. The floor in the utility room simplifies service and installations because the floors are built with easily access to utility rooms below. As an example: the floor is built of modules which can easily be removed and adapted for new installations. The shape ofthe utility rooms can vary. It can be square, rectangular, oval, round, five- and six-sided, etc. It can have more than one door. A square utility room with one door is the best solution for most buildings. In houses where it is difficult to find a place for the utility room it can be given two doors and act as passageway.

Advantages ofthe invention:

1. * It simplifies installation and servicing of technical equipment.

2. * It reduces the risk for water leaks.

3. * It reduces the extent of damages caused by possible water leakage's.

4. * Water leakage's can easily be detected.

5. * It prevents the growth of mould and fungi inside construction due to dampness caused by condensation on piping.

6. The utility rooms are prepared to meet future needs both in the field of technology and changed life situations.

7. Floor plans can easily be changed to satisfy new needs.

8. More energy efficient equipment can easily be installed in the future.

9. Good accessibility to the chimney from all rooms.

10. Good accessibility to ventilation shafts.

11. Good accessibility to piping for central vacuum cleaner.

12. Good accessibility to all drain pipes.

13. Good accessibility to pipelines for hot and cold water.

14. Good accessibility to electrical wiring.

15. * Reduced length of pipelines.

16. * Short transportation of hot and cold water.

17. * Short transportation of hot drained grey water to heat-exchanger

(Water heater for waste heat-recovery) 18 * Walls between rooms can later easily be moved, since water-, ventilation-, pipelines drain pipes from sanitary installations and electrical installations do not obstruct this operation.

19. All rooms with a wall against the utility room can later easily be altered to a bathroom toilet etc.

20. The floor in the utility room simplifies servicing and installation because the floor is constructed to give easy access to the utility room below in the event of installation and servicing.

21. Gullies can easily be installed in most rooms later.

22. It is possible to install a fireplace in most ofthe rooms later, as the utility room's load- bearing walls are also fire-walls.

23. It is not necessary to go down into the basement to get to the utility rooms since these have been "lifted" up.

24. The chimney can be installed at a later date. 25. If one decides to wait with the installation of central vacuum cleaner, mechanical ventilation, etc., one can more easily install these later. There will be no cost of demolition.

26. One can easily install a hypokausten-oven (New development ofthe tiled stove). These are common in countries such as Germany and Finland.

27. Reduces noise from water-, ventilation- and drain pipe and other technical equipment. The noise is effectively shielded by the utility room walls.

28. One can concentrate 220 V ac installations in the utility room. Outside utility rooms, one can use mainly 12/24 V dc for lighting and control power. Because in the future there will be more focus on the possible harmful effect of magnetic fields.

29. Some ventilationsystems require relatively large spaces close to the floor, which the utility rooms provide

30. Reduces the risk for frost damage to technical installations.

31. In the case of fire in the technical installations in the utility room the fire-proof walls, ceiling, floor and doors will prevent the fire from spreading.

* A precondition for 1 ,2,3,4,5, 15,16,17 and 18 is that sanitary equipment is fixed directly on the outer wall or in connection with the utility rooms. Example: Wall-mounted sinks and WC, etc.

Claims

Claim

1. Building arrangement for constructions or technical installations in a building (1) which contains a minimum of one floor (2) and with more than one room (2), and which contains at least one utility room (3) on each floor, and technical installations for water, ventilation, drain pipes, heating and electrical equipment, etc.

M A I N C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S:

On every floor there is at least one utility room (3) which is mainly located directly above or below the utility room(3) on the floor below or above. The utility rooms (3) will present a continuous chain of units from the top floor to the bottom floor, preferably in the centre ofthe building (1), and that utility rooms (3) are adapted/prepared for arrangement/conveyance of technical installations.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1 , is characterised by the walls (4) in the utility rooms (3) being mainly load-carrying walls.

3. Arrangement according to claim 1-2, is characterised by the chimney (7) being placed totally or partially in the utility room (3).

4. Arrangement according to claim 1-2, is characterised by the chimney (7) being located in connection with the utility room (3).

5. Arrangement according to claim 1-4, is characterised mainly by the easy access to the utility room (3) below through an opening in the floor (5) which is basically covered.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1-4, is characterised mainly by the making of a hole in the floor (5) to get access to the utility room (3) below.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1-4, is characterised by the floor (5) mainly consisting of modules which can be removed to give access to utility room (3) below.

8 Arrangement according to claim 1-7, is characterised by gullies mainly being placed directly against the wall (6) ofthe utility room (3).