Building

• US 3,932,970 A
• Filed: 10/07/1974
• Issued: 01/20/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John D. Winders, Marian F. Grzesik
• Original Assignee: John D. Winders, Marian F. Grzesik
• Inventors: Grzesik, Marian F., Winders, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perham, Alfred C.
• Application Number:
  US05/512,873
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 52/79, 52/86, 52/90, 52/91, 52/169, 52/182, 52/185, 52/741, 52/745, 52/223, 52/228, 52/236
• US Class Current: 52/169.1
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/34 Extraordinary structures, e.g. with suspended or cantilever parts supported by masts or tower-like structures enclosing elevators or stairs; Features relating to the elastic stability E04B1/342, E04B1/343, E04B1/348 take precedence; for floors E04B5/43; buildings for special purposes, e.g. withstanding earthquake, E04H
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/04 Apartment houses arranged in two or more levels

Abstract

A multi-storey building is erected over an appreciable area on which it is either not desired or possible to build directly. The building consists essentially of a load bearing frame which spans the area without any intermediate supports and on which the storeys of the building are erected. The frame comprises a number of axially spaced arches and two series of staggered giant steps between each pair of neighbouring arches, the two series being on opposite sides of the apex of the frame and each step being formed by at least one concrete slab and being fixed to its adjacent arches. The storeys of the building are formed by a large number of individual accommodation units which are erected on both sides of the frame. Each accommodation unit is formed in part by one or the giant steps, and usually, each unit will be overlapped to some extent by the unit which is erected on the next step up the frame so that the storeys will appear to be generally staggered up each side of the frame towards the apex. The frame is pitched so that almost the whole of the weight of the accommodation units is borne by the frame.

Claims

1. A method of building a multi-story structure over an area on which it is not desired or not possible to build directly, comprising the steps of erecting a plurality of arches spanning said area without intermediate support, said arches having vertical side walls between sloping upper and lower surfaces and being pitched so that the distance between said upper and lower surfaces of said arches, measured vertically, defines the height of each storey of said structure, erecting a plurality of horizontal platforms and vertical webs between each pair of said arches in alternating and continuous manner to form a series of staggered steps between said pair of arches on at least one side of the apices of said arches for carrying the storeys of said structure, the height of each of said vertical webs being equal to the storey height of said structure, fixing said horizontal platforms and said vertical webs to said side walls of said arches adjacent said platforms and said webs, erecting an accommodation unit having a floor, a plurality of walls, and a roof on a lowest of said steps using said vertical web of said lowest step to provide one of said walls of said unit, said platform of said lowest step to provide at least part of said floor of said unit, and the facing side walls of said arches adjacent said lowest step to provide part of two more of said walls of said unit, and erecting further accommodation units in similar fashion on others of said steps to form the storeys of said structure, whereby said accommodation units are keyed into and integral with said structure and said structure is monolithic.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein first and second of said arches are erected, a first series of said staggered steps is erected and fixed between said first and second arches, a third of said arches is erected axially spaced from said second arch, a second series of staggered steps is erected and fixed between said second and said third arches, and so on.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of erecting said arches includes the steps of suspending a temporary support across said area, using said temporary support to support and position prefabricated sections for forming a first of said arches, fixing together said prefabricated sections to form said first arch, shifting said temporary support into position for erecting a second of said arches, and so on.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps of erecting and fixing each of said series of staggered steps comprises positioning and fixing said horizontal platforms and said vertical webs of said steps in ascending order whereby each erected platform provides a working support for the erection of the next vertical web and the next horizontal platform.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, including the step of providing means on said upper surface of at least every alternate arch for enabling access to said storeys of said structure.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of erecting said accommodation units includes the step of using part of said roof of each of said accommodation units in forming part of said floor of said next accommodation unit up said structure, whereby said storeys of said structure overlap.

7. A monolithic multi-storey building over an area on which it is not desired or not possible to build directly, comprising a load bearing frame having an inverted substantially V-shaped profile and spanning said area without intermediate support, and a plurality of accommodation units, each of said units including a floor, a plurality of walls, and a roof, erected on said frame in a staggered formation towards the apex of said frame to form the storeys of said building, said frame consisting of a plurality of axially spaced arches, said arches having sloping upper and lower surfaces and vertical side walls between said upper and lower surfaces, pitched so that the distance between said upper and lower surfaces of said arches, measured vertically, is equal to the height of each of said storeys of said building, and the weight of said building is supported substantially wholly by said arches, a plurality of horizontal platforms and vertical webs extending between each pair of said arches in alternating and continuous manner to form a series of staggered steps between said pair of arches on at least one side of the apices of said arches, the height of each of said vertical webs being equal to the storey height of said building, and means fixedly mounting said platforms and said webs on said side walls of said arches adjacent said platforms and said webs, each of said accommodation units being erected on one of said steps with said vertical web of said step providing one of said walls of said unit, said platform of said step providing at least part of said floor of said unit, and said side walls of said arches adjacent said step providing part of two more of said walls of said unit, whereby said accommodation units are keyed into and are integral with said frame.

8. A building as claimed in claim 7, wherein said horizontal platforms and said vertical webs comprise reinforced precast concrete slabs.

9. A building as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of said arches is of concrete construction, is formed in two parts which are post tensioned, and includes means connecting said two parts together at the apex, each of said two parts including a plurality of precast sections and means fixing said sections end to end.

10. A building as claimed in claim 7, wherein access means to said accommodation units of said storeys is constructed on said upper surface of at least every alternate arch of said arches.

11. A building as claimed in claim 7, wherein said arches are hollow and utility services for said accommodation units are carried in said hollow arches.

12. A building as claimed in claim 7, wherein part of said roof of each of said accommodation units forms part of said floor of said accommodation unit immediately above in the next storey of said building, whereby said storeys overlap one another.

13. A building as claimed in claim 12, including a ground floor enclosure extending along each side of said frame outside of said area spanned by said frame, and wherein said accommodation units which are erected on the lower most steps of said frame overlap said ground floor enclosures.

14. A building as claimed in claim 13, wherein said ground floor enclosures are of a height greater than that of each of said storeys erected on said frame.