Modular building construction system

Details Modular building construction system Modular building construction system

2000-04-10

2002-12-17

Mai, Lanna (Department: 3637)

Static structures (e.g., buildings)

Preassembled subenclosure or substructure section of unit or...

With retaining or attaching means

C052S079300, C052S591100, C052S591200, C052S592100, C052S234000, C052S236300, C052S079100, C052S250000, C052S251000, C052S079400, C052S608000, C052S583100, C052S587100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06493996

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to modular building construction systems and, more particularly, to prefabricated room modules which may be used to construct room units, optionally including bathrooms or kitchens, for such construction systems, and which may be used, for example, in the construction of dormitory and hotel type accommodation, apartments, social housing and educational buildings.
Room modules for modular building construction systems are conventionally manufactured and prefinished in a factory before being transported to and assembled on site. An advantage of using room modules instead of other traditional building methods is that much of the work is carried out in a factory where labour costs are cheaper. Also, work carried out in a factory is unaffected by adverse weather conditions, unlike work carried out on site.
Bath and shower rooms including toilet facilities, as well as kitchens, may either be installed in the room modules at the construction site in the traditional manner or in a factory, off site. They may be prefabricated in the form of three dimensional components commonly known as “pods”. Hitherto, pods have been transported to the construction site and hoisted into position in the modules in which they are to be installed.
In order for a modular building construction system to be economically viable, it is important to maintain transportation and cranage costs for the room modules, as well as the fabrication costs, at a minimum. In order to maintain such costs at a minimum, the room modules are subject to certain constraints with regard to dimensions and weights. Hence, the maximum width which can presently be transported economically is 3.5 m in certain countries. The maximum load permitted per vehicle is presently 26 tonnes. Consequently, if a room module including a fitted bathroom or kitchen exceeds about 13 tonnes in weight, only one module can be transported at a time, thereby virtually doubling transportation costs. Moreover, the weights of room modules have a direct bearing on cranage costs at a construction site. Modules weighing less than 8 tonnes can be hoisted by a variety of cranes which are relatively cheap to hire, whereas modules weighing 13 tonnes or more need to be hoisted on rather more expensive, specialised cranes. As to fabrication costs, whilst precast concrete of thinner cross section uses less concrete and also weighs less, the cost of such concrete tends to be more per cubic meter because of the increased labour costs involved. Much greater care requires to be taken in making and handling thin concrete components.
Multi-storey buildings erected using a modular construction system typically comprise a plurality of room units assembled from precast concrete modules positioned side-by-side and stacked one on top of another. Such systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,050,215 and 4,194,339. Both these systems utilize (a) a series of rectangular room modules, each of which has only two load bearing walls joined by a floor panel and are open at ceiling level, and (b) a series of rectangular tubular room modules, each of which has two opposite load bearing walls for transmitting vertical loads joined via floor and ceiling panels. The (b) modules are used only on the top storey of a building construction, and the (a) modules are used for all the lower storeys. The modules in successive storeys are arranged so that the walls for transmitting vertical loads above are aligned with those below. In the system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,215, the room modules on each level are installed with conjugation of the location of the load bearing walls i.e. so that the load bearing walls of any one module in one storey lie perpendicular to the load bearing walls of all immediately adjacent modules in the same storey. In the system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,339, the modules in each storey are installed end-to-end so as to form a continuous living space in a longitudinal direction and side-by-side so as to form a separate series of living spaces with double party walls separating the living spaces in the transverse direction.
A problem with precast concrete frame and/or panel construction systems is that if a load bearing wall or column fails, it can cause the progressive collapse of the entire structure above it. Another problem is that these room modules are formed in expensive moulds which are required for casting the opposed walls so as to be mutually parallel. Additionally, the moulds may also be required to form mutually parallel floor and ceiling panels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an objecT of the present invention to alleviate the above problems and provide a room module having a more stable modular construction.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a prefabricated room module for use in the construction of a modular building, comprising a slab of generally rectangular shape in plan, and load bearing walls, characterized in that the slab is a floor or ceiling slab and that said load bearing walls are formed at adjacent sides of the slab and mutually adjoin at a common corner.
The room module of the invention may be of monolithic precast and reinforced concrete construction. Such a module integrally formed from precast concrete is inherently much stronger than other known room modules and enables a reduction in the use of materials and waste.
It may be desirable for one of the walls of the room module to be prefabricated with at least one door or window opening and this wall, in the modular building, may form an outside wall or corridor wall section, depending on the type of opening, with the other load bearing wall forming a party wall.
Conveniently, the room module can include a prefabricated bathroom or kitchen pod.
A module according to the invention and, preferably, cast with a floor slab, is suitable for use in erecting low cost accommodation, such as, dormitories and two star hotels. A suitable room unit for such accommodation may be provided by a room module which is approximately 6 m×3 m. The load bearing wall along the shorter side of the floor slab is cast with a window opening and forms the inner skin of an outer cladding system of the building. The other load bearing wall is a party wall. Such modules may be stacked one on top of the other up to a height of 10 storeys with the same load bearing wall thickness for all storeys. For example, up to 10 storeys the load bearing walls will generally be of the order of 100 mm thick unless for acoustic purposes they need to be made up to 150 mm thickness. Floors up to 3.2 m spans may be of the order of 100 mm thick and longer spans, up to ±4 m, will be 120 mm thick. If greater acoustic properties are required for floors, a floating floor may be provided on top of the floor slab. The modules are stacked with the load bearing walls of the modules aligned in vertical planes.
Conveniently, a third wall of less width than the module is cast along the corridor side of the floor slab, opposite the wall having the window opening, and in adjoining relation with the adjacent party wall, whereby a bathroom pod may be accommodated between this third wall, which forms a corridor wall, and the party wall. Such a module affords constructors an added advantage in that the bathroom pods can be delivered to the factory in which the modules are precast and where they can be installed in the module prior to delivery to the construction site. This has a number of advantages, the main one being the saving of time at the site as the pod is hoisted into position as part of the module and not as a separate element. The maximum weight of this module, including the bathroom pod, is advantageously less than 13 tonnes.
Fixing points for mechanical fastening devices may be cast into the floor or ceiling slab and load bearing walls at or adjacent their free edges so as to enable the module to be tied to adjacent modules both horizontally and vertically. At least the free edge of the floor or ceiling slab opposite the load bearing wall serving as a

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