ROOM MODULES FOR BUILDINGS

Abstract

The invention relates to a room cell for use in the modular construction of buildings, which comprises a base plate and side walls enclosing a usable interior space, wherein the load-bearing components of some and preferably all side walls are formed by panels of cross-laminated timber, wherein the room cell comprises a duct for accommodating cables and pipes passing through the room cell from top to bottom, wherein the duct is confined on its bottom by a duct floor or on its top by a duct ceiling, and wherein the duct floor or the duct ceiling comprise a step projecting upwards or downwards, respectively, into the duct.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A room cell for use in the modular construction of buildings, which comprises a base plate and side walls enclosing a usable interior space, wherein the load-bearing components of some side walls are formed by panels of cross-laminated timber, and wherein the room cell comprises a duct for accommodating cables and pipes passing through the room cell from top to bottom, wherein the duct is confined on its bottom by a duct floor or on its top by a duct ceiling, wherein the duct floor or the duct ceiling comprise a step projecting upwards or downwards, respectively, into the duct, wherein a free volume is defined in a recess that is carved out from the duct by the step.

13. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the duct is confined on its bottom by a duct floor, wherein the duct floor comprises a step projecting upwards into the duct.

14. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the duct has an open top in case the duct is confined on its bottom by a duct floor or has an open bottom in case the duct is confined on its top by a duct ceiling.

15. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the duct floor, apart from the step, and the base plate of the room cell are at the same level.

16. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the room cell has load-bearing properties and is able to withstand a vertical load corresponding to more than double of its own weight.

17. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the duct accommodates a plurality of standpipes and/or cable pipes for housing cables, wherein the standpipes and/or cable pipes pass through the duct in the region of the step.

18. The room cell according to claim 17, wherein the standpipes and/or cable pipes penetrate to the outside through the step and comprise connection elements for connection to standpipes and/or cable pipes of an adjacent room cell in the recess carved out from the duct by the step.

19. The room cell according to claim 18, wherein the ends of the standpipes and/or cable pipes comprise mating connection elements that correspond to the connection elements within the recess.

20. The room cell according to claim 19, wherein the connection elements and mating connection elements are configured to form a reversible connection.

21. A building comprising at least two room cells according to claim 12, and stacked directly on top of each other, wherein the room cells are stacked such that the ducts of the room cells are in alignment.

22. The building of claim 21, wherein the building is a multilevel building comprising more than two.

23. The room cell of claim 12, wherein said load-bearing components of all of said side walls are formed by said panels of cross-laminated timber.

24. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the room cell has load-bearing properties and is able to withstand a vertical load corresponding to more than five times its own weight.

25. The room cell according to claim 12, wherein the room cell has load-bearing properties and is able to withstand a vertical load corresponding to more than eight times of its own weight.

26. The room cell according to claim 18, wherein the ends of the standpipes and/or cable pipes comprise mating connection elements that correspond to the connection elements within the recess, and wherein the standpipes and/or cable pipes or their mating connection elements protrude from the duct and extend beyond the height of the room cell, or can be moved between a retracted position, where this is not the case, to an extended position, where this is the case.

27. The room cell according to claim 19, wherein the connection elements and mating connection elements are configured to form a reversible connection and are capable of being connected and disconnected without the use of tools.

28. The building of claim 21, wherein the building is a multilevel building comprising more than five levels.

29. The building of claim 21, wherein the building is a multilevel building comprising more than eight levels.

Description

[0023] Further details and advantages of the invention become apparent from the working example, which is described in the following with reference to the figures. The figures show:

[0024] FIG. 1: a view onto the uncovered ducts of two stacked room cells according to one embodiment of the invention; and

[0025] FIG. 2: a detailed view on the area around the step, wherein standpipes and cable pipes have been added vis-à-vis the illustration of FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a view onto the uncovered ducts 10 of two stacked room cells 100 according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0027] The ducts 10 are located on one side of the room cell 100 and extend over its entire width, i.e. from one side wall 101 to the opposite side wall 101 of the room cell 10. A further side wall limiting the ducts 10 to the back is not shown in the figure so as to not obstruct the view onto the ducts 10. Each of the ducts 10 is hence delimited by three side walls 101 and one duct wall 102.

[0028] The supporting components of the side walls 101 are formed by panels of cross-laminated timber. To form the side walls 101, the panels of cross-laminated timber may be coated or clad on one or both sides thereof. Through the use of stable cross-laminated timber elements in the side walls 101, the room cell overall has load-bearing capability and can withstand a vertical load corresponding to at least eight times its own weight. These load-bearing properties make it possible to stack eight or even more than eight room cells in a multi-level building.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows the lower area of the duct 10 of the upper room cell 100 and the upper area of the duct 10 of the lower room cell 100. The ducts 10 of both room cells 100 are identical, so that the lower area of the duct 10 of the lower room cell 100 corresponds to the illustrated lower area of the duct 10 of the upper room cell 100 and the upper area of the duct 10 of the upper room cell 100 corresponds to the illustrated upper area of the duct 10 of the lower room cell 100.

[0030] The duct wall 102 separates the duct 10 from the usable interior space of the respective room cell. The surfaces of the duct wall 102 and the portions of the side walls 101 enclosing the ducts 10 are fully covered with a fire protection cladding in the form of, for example, gypsum plasterboards, or with a fire protection coating or impregnation.

[0031] The duct 10 of the upper room cell 100 is confined on its bottom by a duct floor 11. The duct floor 11 is at level with the base plate of the room cell 100. The ducts 100 pass through the room cells 100 from top to bottom.

[0032] The duct floor 11 of the upper room cell 100 comprises a step 20 having a vertical ramp 21 and a horizontal plateau 22. Starting from the level of the duct floor 11 the step 20 projects upwards into the duct 10 of the upper room cell 100. On its, with reference to FIG. 1, left side the step 20 leans against side wall 101 of the room cell 100, such that it comprises only one ramp 21. A free volume 30 with open bottom is defined in the recess that is carved out from the duct 10 by the step 20.

[0033] The duct 10 of the lower room cell 100 has an open top and is hence open towards the free volume 30 of the room cell 100 positioned above.

[0034] As apparent from the detailed view of FIG. 2, which shows the transition area between the room cells 100 and particularly the area around the step 20, a number of corresponding standpipes 40 and cable pipes for housing cables are accommodated in the ducts 10. These need to be connected after stapling of the room cells 100 to form continuous lines or pipes, respectively, running from one level of the building to the next. The standpipes 40 can be water pipes or ventilation pipes. The cable pipes 50 can encompass electrical cables and data cables.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, at the lower end of the upper room cell 100 the standpipes 40 and cable pipes 50 penetrate through the horizontal plateau 22 of the step into the free volume 30 and end at a position slightly above the level of the bottom of the room cell 100. Fire protection sleeves 60 are provided at the penetration points of the standpipes 40 and cable pipes 50 through the horizontal plateau 22.

[0036] As further shown in FIG. 2, standpipes 40 and cable pipes 50 protrude from the top of the duct 10 of the lower room cell 100 and hence extend beyond the height of the lower room cell 100. They end in the free volume 30 below the step 20 of the upper room cell 100 at exactly the position where also the corresponding standpipes 40 and cable pipes 50 of the upper room cell 100 end.

[0037] The corresponding standpipes 40 and cable pipes 50 are connected at their meeting points by mating connection elements 41 and 51, respectively, which may be interlockable sleeves and flange elements.

[0038] To facilitate easy access to the duct for possible maintenance work, maintenance openings can be provided in the duct wall 102 or in portions of the side walls 101 enclosing the ducts 10. Preferably, at least one maintenance opening is provided in the wall parts enclosing the free volume 30.

[0039] The inventive design of the ducts 10 facilitates horizontal decoupling, with respect to fire and sound propagation, of the ducts 10 of stacked room cells 100 by action the duct floors 11, ramps 21 and plateaus 22 of the steps 20. The free volume 30 of the step, which is open towards the lower room cell 100, forms an idle space in the level newly formed after stacking adjacent room cells 100, where standpipes 40 and cable pipes 50 of stacked room cells 100 can be connected in a simple manner. The free space 30 below step 20 of the upper room cell 100 represents kind of an extension of the duct 10 of the lower room cell 100.