ZA201001041B

ZA201001041B - Method of constructing a structure and structural members for use in said method

Info

Publication number: ZA201001041B
Application number: ZA2010/01041A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Clement Edward Nell
Original assignee: Clement Edward Nell
Priority date: 2008-11-12
Filing date: 2010-02-12
Publication date: 2011-03-30

Description

I, SUN

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A STRUCTURE AND STRUCTURAL MEMBERS FOR

USE IN SAID METHOD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to construction. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of constructing a structure and structural members for use in said method.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A variety of building blocks, structural members or items of construction such as, for example commonly known bricks made from cement, clay, shale, soft slate, calcium silicate, concrete, or shaped from quarried stone, are known. Reinforced cementitious panels may also be used as building blocks in constructing larger structures. Although, each different type of building block introduces features which make it attractive and unique when used in construction, the ever increasing costs of material used to : construct said building blocks, the cost of labour and mass of these building blocks, often mean that more affordable alternatives need to be considered.

Nowadays, low cost houses are built by building contractors in the fastest and most effective way. Normally, the magnitude of such a low cost housing project is such that budget planning and efficient building project management governed by deadlines are typically the order of the day. Therefore, recipients of low cost houses, after building completion, often do not have a say in the shape, layout, colour scheme, or even the quality of building, and expectedly, a sense of ownership which would normally make any homeowner proud, is absent.

Especially in developing countries, a great need exists for affordable building blocks which could be used in manufacturing low cost structures. In particular, if low cost structures such as entry level houses can be manufactured without the need of skilled labour, sub-contractors, and the like, and at a high rate without negating the importance of safety whilst using lightweight building blocks, it could prove to be beneficial to all concerned.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of constructing a structure and structural members for use in said method, which addresses the abovementioned shortcomings and which at least partly, achieves the advantages set out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention there is provided a structural member suitable for use in constructing a structure, the structural member comprising: a rigid body having a base and at least one side wall that extends from the base to define a cavity; a protruding part extending outwardly from the base; and a receiving part opposite the protruding part proximate the cavity, the protruding part can be coupled to a receiving part of a superjacent similar structural member

“ whilst the receiving part can be coupled to the protruding part of a subjacent similar structural member, the coupling being effected by way of an interference fit between the respective protruding and receiving parts as a result of an increase in weight of one structural member relative to another caused by operatively filling said cavity with a weight increasing filler.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect of the invention there is provided for the filler to be a fine grained soft wet deposit such as mud; alternatively, compacted soil, further alternatively, a combination of soil and rocks; still further alternatively, a combination of soil with waste material; yet further alternatively, a liquid-like castable material.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect there is provided for the protruding part extending outwardly from the baseto be a tubular stud protruding from the base; alternatively, the protruding part is a polygonal figure extending outwardly from the base.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect there is provided for the at least one side wall to form a tubular member defining a cavity in the body; alternatively, side walls form a polygonal figure defining a cavity in the body.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect there is provided for the structural member to comprise at least two protruding parts, each having four side faces defining a quadrilateral protruding cavity which extends through the structural member; the protruding parts, defining between them a slot for operatively locating a tongue of a receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member, are surrounded by the base in the form of an outer ledge which is flush with extremities of flanking limbs of the receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member when said receiving part is secured to the protruding parts.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect there is provided for the structural member to comprise at least two receiving parts, each having three limbs with a tongue, functioning as a fourth limb for insertion into a slot of a protruding part of the subjacent structural member, separating adjacent quadrilateral receiving cavities, defined by the limbs and which is slightly larger than the quadrilateral protruding cavities of the protruding parts, from each other; the receiving parts are surrounded by an inner ledge which is flush with extremities of side walls of the protruding parts when said receiving parts are secured to said protruding parts.

The tongue may have a generally n-shaped form to allow the weight increasing filler to extend between adjacent receiving cavities for increased stability of the structural unit after construction.

The subjacent structural member may comprise a body with only a base which forms a substantially planar base with at least one side wall and at least one protruding part extending outwardly from the base, the subjacent structural member being adapted to be coupled to at least one receiving part of a superjacent structural member.

The base of the subjacent structural member may also comprise at least two protruding parts, each having four side faces defining a quadrilateral protruding cavity which is located between the side faces; the protruding parts, defining between them a slot for operatively locating a tongue of a receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member, are surrounded by a outer ledge which is flush with extremities of flanking limbs of the receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member when said receiving part is secured to the protruding parts.

The superjacent structural member may comprise only a base which forms a substantially planar lintel with at least one side wall defining a cavity for a receiving part below the base, the receiving part of the superjacent structural member being adapted to receive at least one protruding part of a subjacent structural member.

The base of the superjacent structural member may also comprise at least two receiving parts, each having three limbs with a tongue, functioning as a fourth limb for insertion into a slot of a protruding part of the subjacent structural member, separating adjacent quadrilateral receiving cavities, defined by the limbs and which is slightly larger than the protruding cavities of the protruding parts, from each other; the receiving parts are surrounded by an inner ledge which is flush with extremities of side faces of the protruding parts when said receiving parts are secured to said protruding parts.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect there is provided for the body to be a lightweight precast unit shaped in accordance with a building plan layout defining for example a one or more rooms; alternatively, for the body to be lightweight precast building brick.

In an example embodiment of the first aspect the body can be aligned side by side, superjacent or subjacent a body of a similar structural member, before being secured to the similar structural member by way of an increase in weight of one structural member . relative to another caused by operatively filling the cavity with a weight increasing filler so that corresponding protruding and receiving parts are coupled.

In accordance with a second aspect of this invention there is provided a method of constructing a structure with structural members, the method comprises: arranging a first structural member, having a first protruding part and a first receiving part that defines at least one cavity, on a subjacent similar structural member, so that the first receiving part can operatively receive a subjacent protruding part defined on the subjacent similar structural member; filling the cavity with a filler to increase the weight of the first structural member relative to the subjacent similar structural member so as to anchor said first member to the subjacent similar structural member with an interference fit between corresponding protruding and receiving parts; walling up the structure by positioning at least one superjacent similar structural member relative to the first structural member so that a superjacent receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member is connected to the protruding part of the first structural member; and securing the superjacent similar structural member to the first structural member by filling a cavity in said superjacent similar structural member with a filler to increase the weight thereof so that an interference fit is achieved between the protruding part of the first structural member and the receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member.

In accordance with the second aspect of the invention there is provided for the first structural member to further comprise: a rigid body having a base from which the protruding part extends outwardly; and at least one side wall that extends from the base to form the receiving part that defines the cavity, whereby the protruding part can be coupled to a receiving part of superjacent similar structural member whilst the receiving part can be coupled to the protruding part of a subjacent similar structural member, the coupling being effected by way of an interference fit between the respective protruding and receiving parts as a result of an increase in weight of one structural member relative to the another caused by operatively filling said cavity with a weight increasing filler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying non-limiting drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a body of a structural member ready for positioning side by side, superjacent or subjacent a body of a similar structural member used to construct a structure, in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the body of the structural member of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a schematic sectional view of the body of the structural member of Figure 1 taken along line A-A as depicted in Figure 2;

: in

Figure 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a body of the structural member of Figure 1 positioned between and prior to securement with subjacent and superjacent structural members having bodies with similar receiving and protruding parts than that of the structural member of Figure 1;

Figure § shows a schematic perspective view of the body of the structural member of Figure 1 positioned and secured between the subjacent and superjacent structural members of Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows schematic sectional views of the bodies of the structural member, the subjacent structural member and superjacent structural member of Figure 4 taken respectively along lines B-B, C-

C and D-D as depicted in Figure 4;

Figures 7ato 7c shows schematic perspective views of different embodiments of a structural member, in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 8 shows a schematic perspective view of the bodies of structural members of the invention being built into a structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the figures, reference numerals 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 100, 200, and 300 generally indicate a structural member suitable for use in constructing a structure such as a wall, fence, partition, room, house or the like, in accordance with the invention.

Typically, the structural member 10.1, illustrated in Figure 1 and being a first embodiment of the invention, is a rigid body 12 with more than one plane face. The body 12 includes a first face 14 which is open and opposite a generally flat base 16 with a protruding part 18.1 extending outwardly from the base 16. In this embodiment of the invention four side walls 20 extend between the open face 14 and the base 16 and form a square, when viewed in plan view, as depicted in Figure 2 of the drawings. However, it will be appreciated that the body 12 could also comprise only one side wall 20 which has a tubular geometric shape, or alternatively, a plurality of side walls 20 which forms a polygonal figure. The body 12 also defines a cavity 22 extending through or partially through said body.

In general, a receiving part 24.1 is located opposite the protruding part 18.1 proximate the cavity 22, the protruding part 18.1 can be coupled to a receiving part 24.2 of a superjacent similarly shaped structural member 10.2 whilst the receiving part 24.1 can be coupled to the protruding part 18.3 of a subjacent similarly shaped structural member 10.3. The coupling between the protruding and receiving parts 24.1,18.3 and 18.1,24.2 is effected by way of an interference fit resulting from an increase in weight of structural member 10.1 relative to 10.3 and 10.2 relative to 10.1 caused by operatively filling cavity 22 with a weight increasing filler (not shown).

The weight increasing filler is a fine grained soft wet deposit such as mud, alternatively, compacted soil, further alternatively, a combination of soil and rocks; still further alternatively, a combination of soil with waste material. In fact any material may be used as filler as long as it increases the specific gravity of the structural members. The aim of the filler is not only to increase the weight of one structural member relative to another so as to anchor them together but also to function as a low cost, readily available and easy to use building element which allows all and sundry to lay out their structural members 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 100, 200, and 300 and the like in accordance with their own building needs before filling the cavity 22 to provide rigidity to the structure built with said structural members.

Instead of using low cost, readily available filler such as mud, a liquid-like castable material may be used as filler. The liquid-like castable material may include, for example, a cementitious mixture, being a mixture comprising any chemical binder that makes masonry units adhere to it or to each other, and which is capable of setting like a cement; a concrete mixture which is a composite material consisting of sand, coarse aggregate (gravel, stone, or slag), cement, and water, and which when mixed and allowed to harden, forms a stone-like material, concrete mixture with concrete admixture wherein the concrete admixture is a special substance or chemical added to a concrete mixture to control setting, entrain air, impart colour, control workability, or to waterproof the concrete mixture; reinforced concrete which refers to concrete containing adequate steel reinforcement designed on the assumption that the steel and concrete act together -in resisting forces; or prestressed concrete comprising members with internal tendons : that have been tensioned to put a compressive load on the members so that when a load is applied to a prestressed member, compression is decreased where tension would normally occur.

Referring again to Figure 1 of the drawings, the protruding part 18.1,18.3 when viewed from above, extends outwardly from the base 16, and has a square geometric shape; alternatively, it could be in the form of a tubular stud; further alternatively, it could take the shape of any polygonal figure such as a pentagon or triangle. The essence of shape is important since all protruding parts 18.1,18.3 used when constructing or assembling a specific structure need to be similarly shaped so that it could be accommodated by receiving parts 24.1,24.2 which on their part also need to be similarly shaped. The respective receiving and protruding parts are, thus, complementary shaped and this allow an interference fit between any two structural members 10.1,10.2.

In Figure 1, structural member 10.1 comprises two protruding parts 18.1a and 18.1b, each having four side faces 26a to 26d and 28a to 28d. Both sets of side faces 26a to 26d and 28a to 28d define a quadrilateral protruding cavity 22.1,22.3 which extends through the structural member 10.1,10.2,10,3. Defined between side faces 26d and 28d is a slot 30 for operatively locating a tongue 3 2 of ther eceiving part 24.2 of the superjacent similar structural member 10.2 depicted in Figures 3 and 6 of the drawings.

Further, in Figure 1, the two protruding parts 18.1a and 18.1b are surrounded by an outer ledge 34 which is flush with extremities of flanking limbs 36 and 38 of the receiving part 24.2 of the superjacent similar structural member 10.2 when said receiving part is secured to the protruding parts 18.1a and 18.1b. In Figure 1, the outer ledge 34 is the visible portion of the base 16.

Figure 4 of the drawings shows a schematic perspective view of a body 12.1 of the structural member 10.1 of Figure 1 positioned between, and prior to securement with, subjacent and superjacent structural members 10.3 and 10.2 having bodies 12.3,12.2 with similar receiving and protruding parts than that of structural member 10.1 of Figure

1. Figure 5 depicts a schematic perspective view of the body 12.1 of the structural member 10.1 of Figure 4 positioned and secured between the subjacent and superjacent structural members of Figure 4, in accordance with the method of the invention described below. Evident from Figure 5 is that the body 12.3 of the subjacent structural member 10.3 is almost completely concealed within the body of structural member 10.1.

Also, the protruding part of structural member 10.1 is completely concealed within the body 12.2 of the superjacent structural member 10.2.

In Figure 4, the respective protruding and receiving parts of the structural members 10.1,10.2,10.3 are complementary, but the bodies, 12.3 of the subjacent structural member 10.3 and 12.2 of the superjacent structural member 10.2, differs slightly in overall shape from the body 12.1 of the structural member 10.1 of in Figure 1, positioned : here between them. Figure 6 depicts schematic sectional views of bodies 12.1,12.2,12.3 shown in Figure 4, taken respectively along lines B-B, C-C and D-D.

In Figures 4 and 6, the body 12.1 of the structural member 10.1 comprises two receiving parts 24.1a and 24.1b, each having three limbs 36a to 36c and 38a to 38c with the tongue 32, functioning as a fourth limb for insertion into the slot 30 of the protruding part 18.3 of the subjacent structural member 10.3, dividing two quadrilateral receiving cavities 40.1, defined by the limbs 36a to 36¢c and 38a to 38c. The cavities 40.1 are slightly larger than the quadrilateral protruding cavities 22.1,22.3 of the protruding parts 18.1a,18.1b. The receiving parts 24.1a and 24.1b are surrounded by an inner ledge 42, shown in Figure 6, which is flush with extremities of side faces 26a to 26d and 28a to 28d of the protruding parts 18.1a and 18.1b when the receiving parts 24.1a and 24.1b are secured to the protruding parts18.1a and 18.1b. The tongue 32 may have a generally n-shaped or other form to allow the weight increasing filler to extend between adjacent receiving cavities 40.1 for increased stability of the structural unit after construction since it tends to bind the filler in the structural members together.

In this embodiment of the invention, the subjacent structural member 10.3, shown in

Figures 4 and 6, comprises a body 12.3 with a base 16.3, which forms a substantially planar base and two protruding parts 18.3a and 18.3b. Each of the protruding parts 18.3a and 18.3b has four side faces 44a to 44d and 46a to 46d defining a quadrilateral protruding cavity 22.3 which is located between the side faces as the side faces 44a to

44d and 46a to 46d extend outwardly from the base 16.3. T he base 16.3, which ~ functions as a base in this instance, can be loaded with the filler when the cavities 22.3 are filled. The subjacent structural member 10.3 is further adapted to be coupled to receiving parts 24.1a and 24.1b of a structural member 10.1 and superjacent structural member 10.2. Defined between side faces 44d and 44d is a slot 30 for operatively locating a tongue 32 of the receiving part 24.1 of the structural member 10.1 or of the receiving part 24.2 of the superjacent structural member 10.2. Further, from Figure 4 can be seen that the two protruding parts 18.3a and 18.3b are surrounded by an outer ledge 34 which is flush with extremities of flanking limbs 36a to 36¢ and 38a to 38c of the : receiving part 24.2 of the superjacent structural member 10.2 when said receiving part is secured to the protruding parts 18.3a and 18.3b.

In this embodiment of the invention, the body 12.2 of the superjacent structural member 10.2, partially shown in Figures 4 and 6, comprises a base 16 which forms a substantially planar lintel when secured matingly with other structural members in accordance with the invention. The body 12.2 further comprises two receiving parts 24.2a and 24.2b, each having three limbs 46a to 46c and 48a to 48c with the tongue 32, functioning as a fourth limb for insertion into the slot 30 of the protruding part 18.1 of structural member 10.1 or into the slot 30 of the protruding part 18.3 of subjacent structural member 10.3, dividing two quadrilateral receiving cavities 40.2, defined by the limbs 46a to 46c and 48a to 48c. The cavities 40.2 are slightly larger than the quadrilateral protruding cavities 22.1,22.3 of the protruding parts 18.1a,18.1b. The receiving parts 24.2a and 24.2b are surrounded by an inner ledge 42 which is flush with extremities of side faces 26a to 26d and 28a to 28d of the protruding parts 18.1a and 18.1b when the receiving parts 24.2a and 24.2b are secured to the protruding parts18.1a and 18.1b. The tongue 32 may have a generally n-shaped or other form to allow the weight increasing filler to extend between adjacent receiving cavities 40.2 for increased stability of the structural unit after construction since it tends to bind the filler in the structural members together.

Although not shown in the drawings, it will be noted that the rigid body in accordance with of the invention may be a larger lightweight precast unit shaped in accordance with a building plan layout defining for example one or more rooms of a house. Such a unit will be lightweight and, therefore, can be positioned in place quite easily before securing superjacent or subjacent similarly shaped units to it. Alternatively, the rigid body of the structural members 100,200,300 may take the shape of a variety of differently shaped lightweight precast building bricks of varying sizes as shown for example in figures 7a to 7c. These bricks are foreseen to be used like ordinary known masonry bricks in constructing a structure such as a wall, fence, partition, room, house or the like, and may have varying lengths.

Further, protruding and receiving cavities 22.1,22.3 and 40.1,40.2 may also have varying sizes and shapes as long as the receiving cavities 40.1,40.2 remain slightly larger than the protruding cavities 22.1,22.3.

Typically, the structural members 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 100, 200, and 300 will be manufactured from, but not limited to, plastics material such as PVC.

In use the rigid bodies of structural members 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 100, 200, and 300 of can be aligned, side by side, superjacent or subjacent each other or side by side, superjacent or subjacent a body of a similarly shaped structural member also falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, before being secured to each other by way of an increase in weight of the structural member relative to the other caused by operatively filling the cavity with a weight increasing filler so that corresponding protruding and receiving parts are coupled to form a structure as shown in Figure 8.

A second aspect of this invention provides a method of constructing a structure with structural members as described above is described. It will be appreciated that the essence of the method as described below will remain, although various different structural members may be used in said method.

The method typically includes arranging a first structural member 10.1, which defines a first protruding part 18.1 and a first receiving part 24.1, on a subjacent similar structural member 10.3, so that the first receiving part 24.1 can operatively receive a subjacent protruding part 18.3 defined on the subjacent similar structural member 10.3. The method also includes filling at least one cavity 22.1 defined in the first structural member 10.1 with a filler thereby to increase the weight of the first structural member 10.1 so as to anchor 10.1 to the subjacent similar structural member 10.3 with an interference fit between corresponding protruding and receiving parts 18.3 and 24.1. Thereafter, the method involves walling up the structure by positioning at least one superjacent similar structural member 10.2 relative to the first structural member 10.1 so that a superjacent receiving part 24.2 of the superjacent similar structural member 10.2 is connected to the protruding part 18.1 of the first structural member 10.1. Finally, the superjacent similar structural member 10.2 is secured to the first structural member 10.1 by filling a cavity 22.2 in the superjacent similar structural member 10.2 with a filler thereby to increase the weight thereof so that an interference fit is achieved between the protruding part 18.1 of the first structural member 10.1 and the receiving part 24.2 of the superjacent similar structural member 10.2.

While the invention has been explained in relation to preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications, including, but not limited to methods, moulds and processes for manufacturing a structural member as fall within the scope of the appended claims, and to cover insubstantial variations thereof.

It is believed that the method of the present invention of constructing a structure and structural members for use in said method, at least in part, addresses shortcomings in conventional structure construction methods and structural members used therein in that buildings, and in particular, entry level houses can be manufactured at a high rate by means of this method without the assistance of skilled labour, sub-contractors, and the like. Since one person alone can physically build his own house by using the method in accordance with the invention, the method uniquely provides the builder with a personal sense of ownership.

Claims

-15- NE Go — CLAIMS

1. A structural member suitable for use in constructing a structure, the structural member comprising: : a rigid body having a base and at least one side wall that extends from the base to define a cavity; a protruding part extending outwardly from the base; and a receiving part opposite the protruding part proximate the cavity, the protruding part being operable to be coupled to a receiving part of a superjacent similar structural member while the receiving part is operable to be coupled to a protruding part of a subjacent similar structural member, the coupling being effected by way of an interference fit between the respective protruding and receiving parts as a result of an increase in weight of one structural member relative to another caused by operatively filling said cavity with a weight increasing filler.

2. The structural member of claim 1, wherein the filler is a fine grained deposit.

3. The structural member of claim 2, wherein the fine grained deposit is compacted soil or a liquid-like castable material.

4, The structural member of claim 1, wherein the filler is a combination of soil and rocks and/or a liquid-like castable material.

5. The structural member of claim 1, wherein the filler is a combination of waste material and soil and/or rocks and/or a liquid-like castable material.

6. The structural member of any of the preceding claims, wherein the protruding part extends outwardly from the base to form a tubular stud that protrudes from the base.

7. The structural member of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protruding part has a polygonal outline.

8. The structural member of any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one side wall has a tubular shape thereby defining a tubular cavity.

9. The structural member of claim 8, further comprising at least two protruding parts, each having four faces defining a quadrilateral protruding cavity which extends through the structural member.

10. The structural member of claim 9, wherein the two protruding parts define between them a slot for operatively locating a tongue of a receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member.

11. The structural member of claim 10, wherein the at least two protruding parts are surrounded by an outer ledge, of the base, which is flush with extremities of flanking limbs of the receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member when said receiving part is secured to the protruding parts.

12. The structural member of claim 10 or 11, further comprising at least two receiving parts, each having three limbs with a tongue, functioning as a fourth limb for insertion into a slot of a protruding part of the subjacent structural member, separating adjacent quadrilateral receiving cavities, defined by the limbs and which is slightly larger than the quadrilateral protruding cavities of the protruding parts, from each other.

13. The structural member of claim 12, wherein the at least two receiving parts are surrounded by an inner ledge, of the base, which is flush with extremities of side walls of the protruding parts when said receiving parts are secured to said protruding parts.

14. The structural member of claim 13, wherein the tongue has a generally n-shaped form to allow the weight increasing filler to be operatively distributed within, and between, the adjacent receiving cavities so as to increase stability of the structure after construction.

15. A subjacent structural member, for use with a structural member as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, comprising a substantially planar base having at least one protruding part extending outwardly from the base, the at least one protruding part being adapted to be coupled to at least one receiving part of a superjacent structural member.

16. The subjacent structural member of claim 15, further comprising two protruding parts, each having four side f aces defining a quadrilateral protruding cavity located between the side faces, the protruding parts defining between them a slot for operatively locating a tongue of a receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member.

17. The subjacent structural member of claim 16, wherein the four side faces are surrounded by a outer ledge which is flush with extremities of flanking limbs of the receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member when said receiving part is secured to the protruding parts.

18. A superjacent structural member, for use with a structural member as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, comprising a base which forms a substantially planar lintel with at least one side wall defining a cavity for a receiving part below the base, the receiving part of the superjacent structural member being adapted to receive at least one protruding part of a subjacent structural member.

19. The superjacent structural member of claim 18, further comprising two receiving parts, each having three limbs with a tongue, which functions as a fourth limb for insertion into a slot of a protruding part of the subjacent structural member, separating adjacent quadrilateral receiving cavities, defined by the limbs and which is slightly larger than the protruding cavities of the protruding parts, from each other.

20. The superjacent structural member of claim 19, wherein the receiving parts are surrounded by an inner ledge which is flush with extremities of side faces of the protruding parts when said receiving parts are secured to said protruding parts.

21. A structure comprising a plurality of structural members as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, fitted to subjacent and superjacent structural members as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17 and 18 to 20 respectively, before being operatively aligned side by side and on top of one another to form walls of at least one room of a building plan layout.

22. The structure of claim 21, wherein the structural members as well as subjacent and superjacent structural members are lightweight precast units that can be handled and maneuvered by one person.

23. A method of constructing a structure with structural members, the method comprises: arranging a first structural member, having a first protruding part and a first receiving part that defines at least one cavity, on a subjacent similar structural member, so that the first receiving part can operatively receive a subjacent protruding part defined on the subjacent similar structural member; filling the cavity with a filler to increase the weight of the first structural member relative to the subjacent similar structural member so as to anchor said first member to the subjacent similar structural member with an interference fit between corresponding protruding and receiving parts; walling up the structure by positioning at least one superjacent similar structural member relative to the first structural member so that a superjacent receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member is connected to the protruding part of the first structural member; and securing the superjacent similar structural member to the first structural member by filling a cavity in said superjacent similar structural member with a filler to increase the weight thereof so that an interference fit is achieved between the protruding part of the first structural member and the receiving part of the superjacent similar structural member.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first structural member further comprises: a rigid body having a base from which the protruding part extends outwardly; and : at least one side wall that extends from the base to form the receiving part that defines the cavity, whereby the protruding part can be coupled to a receiving part of superjacent similar structural member whilst the receiving part can be coupled to the protruding part of a subjacent similar structural member, the coupling being effected by way of an interference fit between the respective protruding and receiving parts as a result of an increase in weight of one structural member relative to the another caused by operatively filling said cavity with a weight increasing filler.

25. A structural member, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any of Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

26. A subjacent structural member, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any of Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

27. A superjacent structural member, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any of Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

28. A structure, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 5 or 8, read with Figures 4, 6 and 7 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

29. A method of constructing a structure, su bstantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 5 or 8, read with Figures 4, 6 and 7 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

DATED THIS 12™ DAY OF FEBRUARY 2010 MAN GILFILLAN INC.

FOR THE APPLICANT