WO2000066846A1

WO2000066846A1 - Survival house

Info

Publication number: WO2000066846A1
Application number: PCT/SE2000/000859
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rolf Einar Helin
Original assignee: Rolf Einar Helin
Priority date: 1999-05-03
Filing date: 2000-05-03
Publication date: 2000-11-09
Also published as: SE9901567L; SE9901567D0; AU4791500A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a house for temporary erection, comprising a plurality of panel-shaped elements of a light and insulating material, such as cellular plastic. The house is distinguished in that, in its erected state, it comprises a lower first layer of substantially vercically arranged panel elements and a second layer, which is arranged on the lower layer and in which the panels have been arranged to incline towards the middle of the house, and an upper third layer which is arranged on top of the second layer and which at least partially covers the upper openings of the second layer. By this construction, a relatively high ceiling is obtained, the house is stable and firm and the inner space is practical and usable as well a energy-efficient. The house according to the invention has been designed so as to be as simple and efficient as possible while taking into account that also people in distress with a reduced capacity in exposed situations should be able to put it up. In particular, the house is easy and cheap to transport in a dismounted state.

Description

SURVIVAL HOUSE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a survival house or house module for temporary erection, comprising a plurality of panel -shaped elements of a light and insu- lating material, such as cellular plastic, the house module comprising, in its erected state, a lower first layer of substantially vertically arranged panel elements .

Background

In aid contributions to assist people in emergency situations in connection with catastrophes and other critical situations, it is important that temporary houses be available as accommodation and the like. It must be possible to manufacture these houses at a reasonable cost, at the same time as they provide a satisfactory protection for a shorter or a longer period of time. In order to make it possible to afford direct assistance by air, it is also desirable that the houses can be dis- mounted to form small lightweight packets, while providing a great volume of living in its erected state.

Traditionally, tents or the like are used in this type of situations. They are, however, relatively expensive to manufacture, while offering a very limited pro- tection against cold, poor foundations, etc. Therefore, there is a need for a house according to that stated above which can be erected for several years in refugee camps etc and which is nicer and cosier than a tent, has a better insulation, is at least equally cheap, etc.

Object of the Invention

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a house for temporary erection which complete- ly or at least partially obviates the drawbacks and disadvantages from which prior-art solutions suffer.

This object is achieved by means of a house according to the appended claims.

Summary of the Invention

The invention relates to a house module for temporary erection, comprising a plurality of panel -shaped elements of a light and insulating material, such as cellular plastic. In its erected state, the house module comprises a lower first layer of substantially vertically arranged panel elements, a second layer, which is arranged on the lower layer and in which the panels have been arranged to incline towards the middle of the house, and an upper third layer which is arranged on top of the second layer and which at least partially covers the upper opening of the second layer. By this construction, a relatively high ceiling is obtained over the major part of the inner space, which can thus be better used. More- over, the inclined second layer makes the house stable and firm. The third layer ensures that the ceiling will be high also near the edges, at the same time as the ceiling will not be unnecessarily high in the middle. As a result, the inner space is practical and usable as well as energy-efficient. Furthermore, the panel elements are thus used in an efficient manner, which reduces the manufacturing cost. Above all, it makes the house easy and cheap to transport in a dismounted state.

Advantageously, the panel elements are detachably joined together, and preferably at least partially joined by means of tape. Owing to this, the house can easily be taken down when it is to be moved and then put up again at another occasion.

Preferably, the panel elements comprise an insulat- ing layer, for instance, of cellular plastic and a reinforcing layer, for instance, of glass-fibre fabric arranged on at least one side. Thanks to this, the panels are light and have satisfactory insulating properties, at the same time as the reinforcing layer provides an increased strength and also a resistance to wear and the like. In addition, the house module according to the invention is preferably made of panel elements having substantially the same size. However, the panels in the second layer have at least one bevelled side. This makes the house easy and cheap to manufacture, while providing a satisfactory possibility of packing the parts.

Moreover, it is preferred that the house comprises, in its erected state, a floor layer which is arranged substantially horizontally on the base. Owing to this, the insulation of the house is drastically increased, which makes it possible to warm up the house in a simpler and more efficient manner.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail by means of examples of embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a house according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 shows a house consisting of two interconnected house modules.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

The invention relates to a house for temporary erection, comprising a plurality of panel-shaped elements of a light and insulating material, such as cellular plastic. The construction of the house according to the invention has been designed so as to be as simple and efficient as possible while taking into account that also people in distress with a reduced capacity in exposed situations should be able to put it up.

As shown in Fig. 1, the house comprises, in its erected state, a lower first layer 1 of substantially vertically arranged panel elements, which layer serves as side walls for the house. Furthermore, the panel elements in the lower layer are arranged either parallel or perpendicularly to each other. Preferably, four separate panel elements of substantially equal size are used for the lower layer arranged at right angles to each other. The house also comprises a second layer 2 which is arranged on the lower layer and in which the panels have been arranged to incline towards the middle of the house. The panel elements in the second layer preferably have substantially the same size as those in the lower layer, but the panels in the second layer have at least one bevelled side, and preferably both the vertical sides are bevelled, the second layer having the shape of a truncat- ed pyramid. The panel elements in the lower first layer and the second layer arranged thereon can advantageously be connected already in advance in a pivotable manner, i.e. before the house is erected. This facilitates the erection of the house. According to the invention, the panels in the second layer are, however, inclined only to such an extent as to leave an uncovered space at the top. This space preferably comprises between two thirds and half of the bottom area of the house. To cover the entire space, or if desired part of this space, a third layer 3 is also arranged on top of the second layer. This layer preferably comprises four triangular panel elements and thus also has a pyramid shape, but a considerably greater inclination than the second layer. An opening or the like may be arranged in the third layer.

Preferably, the house also comprises a floor layer 4 which, in its unfolded state, is arranged substantially horizontally on the base. The floor can preferably be folded up and consists of two laminate panels which are interconnected by means of a hinge.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment the house consists of a self-supporting construction composed of only six parts: a floor, four walls having raisable ceiling sections and a roof top. If the panels in the first and second layers are not interconnected in advance, the number of parts is instead ten, and possibly also the third layer may comprise several separate parts.

One of the side walls preferably comprises a cut-out opening which serves as the opening of a door. A corresponding panel can also be pivoted to the roof panel above and thus function as a door. The door is mounted and attached in the upper edge of the wall and is opened/ closed in the vertical plane. Alternatively, other door constructions, such as doors of conventional type, can be used in the house according to the invention. The width should be large enough to allow a stretcher to pass through the doorway. The threshold should be high to prevent small animals and reptiles as well as water, sand or snow from entering the house. Furthermore, the threshold and its base can be reinforced. This can, for instance, be done by arranging a panel of aluminium or the like as a reinforcement. Furthermore, the door can be provided with a fixed plexiglass window as well as interior and exterior handles and a simple latch.

The lower edges of the walls can also be provided with sealing strips in order to provide additional seal- ing . It is suitable that at least the panel elements resting on the ground are provided with means for interior or exterior anchorage to the ground of the house . These means can be fastening rings or the like which can, for instance, be attached to the ground by means of tent pegs or the like.

Advantageously, adjustable ventilating valves are arranged in one, two or more of the wall panels. A ventilating valve can also be placed in the roof top. The house preferably has an exhaust and supply air ventila- tion system which by natural ventilation provides air circulation by the supply of fresh air. The panel elements are preferably joined together in an easily detachable manner to facilitate mounting and above all dismounting. This can, for instance, be accomplished by using reinforced tape when joining the parts. Also the pivotable connection of some panel elements that is performed in advance can be accomplished by means of tape. Other ways of attaching the panel elements to each other are, however, also feasible. Use can, for instance, be made of rivets with barbs or the like to prevent extraction thereof. Such rivets or the like can also be used as a complement to the tape.

One dimension of the panel elements which is used for the manufacture of the house is panels having a height of 1-2 m and preferably a width of 2-4 m. A height of about 1.2 m and a width of 2.4 m is most preferred, in particular the height being adjusted for the length of a standard pallet.

The house does not have any projecting parts which is important in order to be able to fold up and pack the house to form a compact unit. To facilitate and simplify the storage and the load handling, the house is, for instance, kept in a transport cover with handles. As concerns the space, each house according to the embodiment requires half the space of a pallet. Thus, two houses can be packed per EUR pallet. The compact packing size and the low total weight make the house suitable for air transport .

In the preferred embodiment, the house can be put up and taken down, respectively, without any tools in about 20 minutes. The house is also compact yet spacious and only weighs about 90 kg. The house has an area of almost 6 m² with a full standing height and can accommodate four people or alternatively be used by ten people sitting down. The panel elements of the house according to the invention are preferably made from an insulating layer, for instance, of cellular plastic and a reinforcing layer, for instance, of glass-fibre fabric arranged on at least one side. The panels are advantageously made of a non-flammable double laminate which is difficult to ignite and composed of modern environment-friendly, lightweight insulating materials. The double laminate can, for instance, comprise channel plastic and extruded cellular plastic in polystyrene which together form the high-insulating, self-supporting shell which renders the house stability. The outer plastic layer provides an outer protection against mechanical action, while having a stiffening function. The laminate is not affected by water, humidity or mould and has a high resistance to climatic effects and vermin. In addition, the material is advantageously recyclable. The small number of components of the house makes it very easy to put up and take down the house without any tools. The survival house is preferably erected by:

Putting up and attaching the wall panels to each other at an angle so as to form a quadrilateral . • Putting up and attaching the roof sections to each other .

Turning over the entire house and attaching the roof top . . Anchoring one wall to the ground. • Putting in the floor.

. Putting up the house over the floor and anchoring the remaining three walls to the ground. . Unfolding the floor.

It takes about 20 minutes to erect the house. The house is dismounted in the opposite order.

The house according to the invention is a house which is adapted for all kinds of weather and which has a solid construction and satisfactory thermal properties. The house is intended to function in varying climate and be usable in a tropical as well as an arctic climate. Its special design and dimensions make it very stable and resistant to weather effects and great stress in the form of wind, snow, rain, hail or sand. The house is primarily intended as a survival house and camp accommodation but it is suitable also in other fields of application, for instance, as group accommodation when going camping in the wilderness and in connection with sport activities. The house can advantageously be used as staff quarters, nursing space, holiday cottage, hunting and fishing cottage or storage.

As the house has a small air volume of slightly more than 10 m³, only a small amount of energy supply is required to warm up the house in case of a temperature below zero. The easiest way of warming up the house is to use a paraffin heater or a paraffin lamp or some other source of heat. The house is designed for active-service conditions and does not require any maintenance. The easiest way of dealing with mechanical damage is to replace, repair or cover the damaged parts with material from the repair kit of the house. The house is composed of modules and consists of replaceable units. Moreover, the construction is preferably modular and possible to extend by adding additional floor, wall and roof sections or by interconnecting entire house bodies. Thus, several house bodies can be built together to form connected units, thus gaining a significantly larger space. The house modules can be interconnected by juxtaposing separate house bodies and providing through openings between the same. Such openings can, for instance, be made in advance by rupture lines which are made in the side walls. The through openings can also be made bigger by arranging additional parts around them, thus obtaining standing height also in the transitions.

As an alternative, the modules may instead be interconnected by omitting the intermediate walls, such as shown in Fig. 2. However, in this solution the inclined panels in the second layer must be completed either by adding further supplementary panels in the gaps or preferably by using special, larger roof panels 2'. Such larger roof panels can, for instance, be panels in which the adjoining sides have not been bevelled. The panels 3' in the upper layer must also be made larger in a corresponding manner . By the house according to the invention, a great number of advantages are achieved compared with conventional technique, such as:

It is light while providing satisfactory insulation.

It can be mounted very quickly, in particular when tape is used as fixing means.

• The construction is production efficient, since standard panels (1200mm X 2400mm) can be used to the maximum with a minimum amount of waste .

• It has a user-friendly and simple construction with a small number of parts, which facilitates the erection.

The erection is particularly easy since certain panels are joined in advance by means of hinges. The house is composed of modules which makes it easy to adjust for size and expand if needed. • It is compact in the dismounted storage and transport state, preferably two houses being storable on a EUR standard pallet.

The inner space is used efficiently as a very large part of the inner space has a full standing height, at the same time as the ceiling is not unnecessarily high in any part of the house . It is usable in almost all environments and climates.

• It can offer satisfactory fire-protection properties by selecting materials which are difficult to ignite or which cannot burn at all.

Above, the invention has been described by means of examples of embodiments. It will, however, be appreciated that many variants of the invention are possible, such as different dimensions and design of the panels in the various layers, another number of panels in the various layers, other ways of joining the panel elements, use of other materials, etc. Such variants as well as other obvious variants of the invention must be considered to fall within the scope of the invention such as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A house module for temporary erection, compris- ing a plurality of panel-shaped elements of a light and insulating material, such as cellular plastic, the house module comprising, in its erected state, a lower first layer (1) of substantially vertically arranged panel elements, the house module further comprising, in its erect- ed state, a second layer (2) which is arranged on the lower layer and in which the panels have been arranged to incline towards the middle of the house module, and an upper third layer (3) which is arranged on top of the second layer and which at least partially covers the upper opening of the second layer, said panel elements being detachably joined together, and at least partially joined by means of tape.

2. A house module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panel elements in the lower layer are arranged substan- tially either parallel or perpendicularly to each other.

3. A house module as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , wherein the panel elements comprise an insulating layer, for instance, of cellular plastic and a reinforcing layer, for instance, of glass-fibre fabric arranged on at least one side.

4. A house module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the panel elements in at least the two lower layers have substantially the same size, but the panels in the second layer having at least one bevel - led side.

5. A house module as claimed in claim 4, wherein the panels have a height of 1-2 m and preferably a width of 2-4 m.

6. A house module as claimed in any one of the pre- ceding claims, wherein the two lower layers comprise only four panel elements each.

7. A house module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the house modules are intercon- nectable to form larger house units.

8. A house module as claimed in any one of the pre- ceding claims, wherein it further, in its erected state, comprises a floor layer (4) which is arranged substantially horizontally on the base.

9. A house module as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the panel elements in the lower layer comprises a cut-out opening.