GB2445871A

GB2445871A - Building with side panels suspended from the roof formation

Info

Publication number: GB2445871A
Application number: GB0800951A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven Wayne Aldom
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-01-19
Filing date: 2008-01-18
Publication date: 2008-07-23
Also published as: GB0800951D0; GB0701050D0

Abstract

A building comprising a supported roof 12 and at least one side panel 14, 16 suspended from the roof. The building may further comprise at least one roof support column 20 which may extend upwardly and may be positioned centrally within the area covered by the roof. The side panels may be rigid and may extend approximately half way between the roof and the ground. The column may have a base formed as an extension 22 of said column extending below ground level. The column and roof may be permanently secured together and may be formed of metal, plastic or a glass material or a combination of these. They may be covered by rigid or flexible material of sheet or woven material. The area may be partially exposed or enclosed depending upon the arrangement of panels. Each panel may be in the form of a door 16 or a window. A method of erecting such a building is also included.

Description

1 2445871 Buildi This invention relates to buildings particularly, but

not exclusively, prefabricated buildings having a roof formation mounted on one or more columns, and side panels suspended from the roof.

It is common to provide a steel framed building structure into which a roof and side walls are mounted, supported by the frame. These structures require peripheral foundations around the frame and consequent work to produce these foundations. The foundations need to be inspected and approved by the appropriate authority. Lighter-weight structures have been made which require fewer groundworks. Examples of such structures have roof and building sides of flexible material held up by posts and cables e.g. in the manner of a tent.

However these structures are not particularly strong and are often complicated to manufacture and erect.

Embodiments of the invention detailed below address the deficiencies mentioned above by providing a structure which requires few foundations and yet provides a durable and strong building which is simple to manufacture and erect. It is envisaged that a building according to the invention will not require planning permission in the UK or that such permission will be easier to obtain.

According to one aspect the invention provides a building comprising: a supported roof formation; and at least one building side panel suspended from S. S : the roof formation.

The term suspended is intended to include an arrangement whereby the weight of said side panel is at least partially supported by the roof formation.

Conveniently, there is further provided at least one roof support column carrying said roof formation, extending upwardly, preferably approximately centrally of a area covered by said roof, wherein said roof and column form a self supporting structure from which the or each side panel is suspended.

Preferably the or each column is positioned on or adjacent a central axis of the roof formation.

Preferably the roof of the building has linear extremities in plan.

More preferably said extremities have a plurality of said panels suspended therefrom.

Preferably said panels are rigid.

Preferably the or each said panel extends approximately half way between the roof and the ground on which the roof is supported.

Conveniently, said column has a base formed as an extension of said column extending below a ground level.

The column and roof formation may comprise members permanently *" secured together to form said structure, and these members may be of metal S....' material secured together e.g. by welding.

Alternatively the members may be of a plastics or glass material suitably secured or a combination of such materials.

Said members may be covered by rigid or flexible material e.g. rigid or flexible sheet material or woven material.

Said area may be partially enclosed by a plurality of said panels and partial exposed with fewer or no panels.

The panels may be rigid and may be of transparent material; opaque material or a combination and may be formed from frames of the materials mentioned in the preceding paragraph in-filled with the transparent and/or opaque material.

The panels may form one or more doorways and/or windows.

According to a second aspect the invention provides a building comprising: at least one roof supporting column; a roof formation attached to an upper part of the or each column, said formation having at least a periphery which is rigid; and building side panels hung from at least a part of said periphery of said roof.

Said panels may formed as rigid panels, and may be formed from the materials mentioned above.

The invention extends to a method of erecting a building comprising, in any suitable order, the steps of: forming a building base area; erecting at least one roof supporting column; erecting a roof at an upper part of the column over *:*:* said base area; and hanging at least one building side panel from said roof

S

around at least a part of the periphery of said roof.

The term hung or hanging is intended to include an arrangement or method whereby the weight of said side panel is at least partially supported by .: 20 the roof formation. *s S

* *: The erecting of said column and said roof may be carried out in one step by means of employing a unitary column and roof structure.

A lower part of the or each panel may be anchored to said base area. * I

The invention extends to a building or method of erecting a building as described herein with reference to the drawings.

Whilst the invention has been summarised above, it further extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description and drawings of illustrative embodiments of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein: Figure 1 shows a side view of a building according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a section of the building shown in figure 1 along the line Il-Il in figure 1; Figure 3 shows a plan view of the building shown in figure 1; Figure 4 shows a side view of an incomplete building; Figure 5 shows a side view of a building according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows an end view of the building shown in figure 5; S...

S... Figure 7 shows a plan view of the building shown in figure 5; Figures 8&9 show side views of portions of the buildings shown in the previous Figures.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a building 10 having a roof

S

: structure 12 supported by column 20 (Figure 2). Suspended from the roof 12 are building side panels 14 and doors 16.

The column 20 has an extension 22 extending into foundation 24 such that the column 20 and roof formation 12 together form a self-supporting a I structure which requires no other support. Around the area covered by the roof a relatively shallow foundation 18 is formed (e.g. approximately 100-400mm deep).

Between the roof and the foundation 18 are placed building side panels 14 or doors 16. The doors are suspended on the roof so that none or very little of their weight is supported on the shallow foundation 18. The panels 14 or 16 are joined together to form a complete building structure together with the roof 12 and supporting column 20.

Figure 3 shows the building of Figures 1 and 2 in plan. In this building side panels 14 and 16 form a complete enclosure with supporting column 20 in a central position.

Figure 4 shows an incomplete building with just one side panel 14 hung in position.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show a further embodiment of the invention. Like the first embodiment, a roof formation 112 is supported on, in this case, two columns 120. Each column 120 has its own foundation 124. The roof 112 and columns S...

together form a self-supporting structure. Again, around the area covered by the roof a shallow foundation 18 is formed.

In this embodiment the area covered by the roof is partially enclosed with panels 114 and doors 116 and partially exposed to form a canopy having a open * area thereunder.

In a similar manner to the first embodiment the panels 114 and 116 are hung from the roof formation 112 and supported thereby such that little or none of their weight is supported by the shallow foundation 118 underneath the panels.

Figure 8 shows one way in which the panels may be suspended from the roof formation 12,112. In this drawing roof 12,112 has a U-shaped channel section 50 fixed to its underside such that the open part of the U faces downwards. Panel 14, 114, 16, 116 is inserted upwardly into the channel and a bolt 52, or other securing element is used to hold the panel within the channel 50 such that seal 54 abuts the top of the channel to prevent draughts. Gap 60 at the base of the panel is sealed by a draught excluder 56 and the panel is prevented from moving sideways by a fixture 58 secured into the foundation 18, 118.

Figure 9 shows an alternative side panel in the form of a half panel 15 which is suspended from a roof structure 12,112. The half panel 15 extends to fill only about half the gap between the roof 12,112 and the base 18,118.

Individual movement of panels 15 can be restricted by a further channel 17 which runs along the base of more than one panels of the 15. The half panels 15 can be attached also to further panels, for example door panel 16,116 as

SS

illustrated, to restrict their movement Panels of any length which do not touch the ground are also envisaged, for example quarter or three-quarter panels could be employed.

Panels 12,112,16,116 and 15 are all intended to be interchangeable so * that if needed the layout of enclosed or exposed parts of the building can be altered to suit changing requirements.

The preferred material for the column and roof members is metal, particularly galvanised steel or anodised aluminium. The material of the roof may include sheet metal, sheet plastics e.g. polycarbonate, glass or more conventional materials such as wood or tiles. The roof may be formed partly from a flexible material such a canvas or a synthetic equivalent. The building side panels may be formed of similar materials depending on the use to which the building is put. The building described above could be used for conventional accommodation, conservatory, auxiliary accommodation such as a smoking room or other temporary accommodation.

Certain embodiments only have been described but it will be apparent to the skilled reader that other modifications and variants are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, flat-sided buildings have been shown but other shapes are possible including curves. Buildings having just one or two supporting columns have been shown but other numbers of columns are possible, in any position, and any combination of enclosed and open sided structures is possible. Just one method of hanging side panels to the roof has been il'ustrated but other methods will be apparent to the skilled addressee for example complementary shapes to the underside of the roof and the upper part of the panel are possible such that the complementary shapes engage one another to hold the panel to the roof. Additionally, other securements are possible for example the panel could be adhered to or welded to the roof formation. The side panels are said to suspended or hung from the roof. In practice this will mean that all or at least a majority (e.g. more than about 50% of the weight of the side panels is supported by the roof. The amount of weight supported by the roof may vary, e.g. in windy conditions where there is movement of the whole building the load on the ground because the roof is moving. An example of where weight would be shared by the roof and the ground immediately below a side panel is where a resilient seal is used under the panel. Compression of the seal during assembly of the building would cause a force reaction in the ground immediately below a side panel and so some of the weight of the panel would be transmitted into the ground at the seal, rather than being supported wholly by the roof. * ** * S * * ** **** * * **** *

* S.. SI * I II * * . . * SS I. S

I I * I*

Claims

Claims 1. A building comprising: a supported roof formation; and at

least one building side panel suspended from the roof formation.
2. A building as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one roof support column carrying said roof formation, extending upwardly.
3. A building as claimed in claim 2 wherein said roof support column is positioned approximately centrally of an area covered by said roof.
4. A building as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said roof and column form a self supporting structure from which the or each side panel is suspended.
5. A building as claimed in claim 2,3 or 4 wherein the or each column is positioned on or adjacent a central axis of the roof formation.
6. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein said roof has linear extremities in plan.
7. A building as claimed in claim 6 wherein said extremities have a plurality of said panels suspended therefrom.
8. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein the or each said panel is rigid.
9. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein the or ::::120 each said panel extends approximately halfway between the roof and the * ground on which the roof is supported.
10. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims 2 to9 wherein said column has a base formed as an extension of said column extending below a ground level.
11. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims 2 to 10 wherein the column and roof formation comprise members permanently secured together to form said structure
12. A building as claimed in claim 11 wherein, said members are formed from a metal, a plastics, or a glass material suitably secured together or a combination of such materials.
13. A building as claimed in claim 11 or 12 wherein said members are covered by rigid or flexible material of sheet or woven material.
14. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein said area is partially enclosed by a plurality of said panels and partial exposed with fewer or no panels.
15. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein said panels are rigid, formed from a transparent and/or opaque material or a combination thereof and formed with frames of a metal, plastics or glass material in-filled with said transparent and/or opaque material.

**
16. A building as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein the or each panel is in the form of one or more doorways and/or windows.
17. A building comprising: at least one roof supporting column; a roof formation attached to an upper part of the or each column, said formation having at least a periphery which is rigid; and one or more building side panels hung from at least a part of said periphery of said roof.
18. A building as claimed in claim 17 wherein said panels are formed as rigid panels. t
19. A method of erecting a building comprising, in any suitable order, the steps of: forming a building base area; erecting at least one roof supporting column; erecting a roof at an upper part of the column over said base area; and hanging at least one building side panel from said roof around at least a part of the periphery of said roof.
20. A method of erecting a building as claimed in claim 19 wherein the erecting of said column and said roof is carried out in one step by means of employing a unitary column and roof structure.
21. A method of erecting a building as claimed in claim 19 or 20 wherein a portion of the base area is selectably enclosed or partially enclosed by the or each panel and the remaining area is covered by said roof but otherwise exposed.
22. A method of erecting a building as claimed in claim 19 or 20 wherein a lower part of the or each panel is anchored to said base area.
23. A building or method of erecting a building substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings. S... * * *

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