Flood-resistant building equipped with flood barrier, and renovation method

Abstract

A flood-resistant building is equipped with a flood barrier which enables safe and long-term refuge during floods. In a site surrounding a building, a flood barrier is constructed which encloses nearly the entire periphery of the building. An opening sealing means is connected to an entrance hall and another section serving as an entrance and exit at normal times. The opening sealing means seals the openings of these sections in a watertight manner where the openings are sealed via the opening sealing means. The flood barrier is watertight and at least as tall as the inundation depth estimated to occur in a target area when flooding or storm surges arise. In order to enable long-term refuge, an emergency-use water receiving tank 4 and an emergency-use generator are installed on the roof of the building, and an emergency-use septic tank is installed underground on the site.

Claims

1. A flood-resistant renovation method for an existing building, wherein said existing building is one of a multiple dwelling housing, a hotel, an office building, a hospital or a factory, wherein the method comprises: constructing a water tight flood barrier; arranging said water tight flood barrier around said existing building such that the flood barrier encloses substantially an entire periphery of said existing building; forming an opening in said water tight flood barrier to define an entrance and exit; and arranging an opening sealing means for sealing the opening in a watertight manner; said opening sealing means comprising: a support arranged between a first side and a second side of the opening, a plurality of first panels arranged vertically between the support and the first side of the opening, and a plurality of second panels arranged vertically between the support and the second side of the opening.

2. A flood-resistant building, wherein said building is one of a multiple dwelling housing, a hotel, an office building, a hospital or a factory, said building comprising: a flood barrier, wherein said flood barrier is configured to be watertight and is arranged around said building, said flood barrier being shaped and dimensioned to enclose substantially an entire periphery of said building, wherein said flood barrier defines an opening serving as an entrance and exit, and said flood barrier further comprising an opening sealing means for sealing said opening of said flood barrier in a watertight manner, said opening sealing means comprising: a first support arranged between a first side and a second side of the opening; a plurality of first panels arranged vertically between the first support and the first side of the opening, and a plurality of second panels arranged vertically between the first support and the second side of the opening.

3. The flood-resistant building according to claim 2, wherein said flood barrier is formed of waterproof concrete.

4. The flood-resistant building according to claim 2, wherein said flood barrier has a plurality of windows which are made to be watertight.

5. The flood-resistant building according to claim 2, wherein decorative designs are applied to a surface of said flood barrier.

6. The flood-resistant building according to claim 2, wherein said opening sealing means further comprises second and third supports extending vertically and respectively arranged at the first and second sides of said opening, wherein each of said first, second, and third supports includes a guide groove, and wherein each panel includes opposing ends respectively inserted in the guide grooves of the respective first, second, and third supports, and wherein cutoff materials are respectively interposed between the opposing ends of the panels and the guide grooves.

7. The flood-resistant building according to claim 2, wherein said opening sealing means is a cutoff shutter configured to slide in a horizontal or vertical direction to seal said openings.

8. The flood-resistant building according to claim 2, wherein said building is an existing building, and said flood barrier is constructed posteriorly around said existing building.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view conceptually showing one embodiment of a flood-resistant building equipped with a flood barrier according to the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing one embodiment of installation of windows to the flood barrier, as well as decorations of the flood barrier for enhancement on the appearance.

(3) FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view conceptually showing another embodiment of the flood-resistant building equipped with the flood barrier according to the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing one instance of an opening sealing means when viewing from the inside of the flood barrier.

(5) FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing one embodiment of the flood barrier when constructed in a shape which encloses the periphery of a plurality of buildings.

(6) FIG. 6 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the flood-resistant building equipped with the flood barrier according to the present invention when constructed in multiple locations for every section of a city area.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(7) Hereinafter will be described the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

(8) FIG. 1 conceptually shows one embodiment of a flood-resistant building equipped with a flood barrier according to the present invention. It is to be noted that while the present invention is applicable to an existing building as well as to a new building, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 relates to a flood-resistant renovation method in cases where in a site surrounding a building 1, a flood barrier 2 is posteriorly constructed in a shape which encloses nearly the entire periphery of the building 1, on the assumption that the building 1 is of the type of existing multiple dwelling housing.

(9) Structurally, in the site surrounding the building 1, the flood barrier 2 is constructed in a shape which encloses nearly the entire periphery of the building 1, and an opening sealing means (see FIG. 4 described later, for instance) is provided in sections (not shown) serving as an entrance and exit at normal times such as those connected to an entrance hall, to a parking place and to a place where residential wastes and others are to be carried out, the opening sealing means being for sealing the openings of these sections in a watertight manner, wherein the openings are sealed via the opening sealing means when the risk of inundation due to flooding or storm surges arises, thereby forming a tranquil space 3 isolated inside the flood barrier 2.

(10) The flood barrier 2 is made to be at least as tall as an inundation depth estimated to occur in an area where the building 1 is located, and hence, the flood barrier height can be arbitrarily set to be at least as equal as the estimated inundation depth in consideration of the securement of safety in case of unexpected problems, such as at least 2 to about 3 m when the estimated inundation depth is 2 m, at least 4 to about 5 m when the estimated inundation depth is 4 m and at least 5 to about 6 m when the estimated inundation depth is 5 m, for instance.

(11) The flood barrier 2 shall be watertight and is thus formed by arranging L-shaped blocks of watertight concrete side by side, followed by interposing a cutoff material such as packing between the L-shaped blocks, for instance. Alternatively, the flood barrier 2 may be formed of cast-in place concrete as well.

(12) As a matter of course, the flood barrier 2 shall have a structure and durability which are capable of adequately resisting the static and dynamic water pressures received when flooding or storm surges arise, and hence, a buttress and/or a stay is additionally installed, as needed.

(13) Further, the flood barrier 2 also shall have a structure which is capable of coping with underground flows, backflows in sewage pipes and like problems which would be caused when inundation with a great depth occurs. Specifically, in order to cope with such problems, a depth of embedment of the flood barrier 2 is increased and/or the soil improvement of a foundation part of the flood barrier 2 is performed, as needed. Meanwhile, to a pipeline leading to the outside, a check valve 8 is provided.

(14) While the present invention is to enable safe vertical refuge without difficulties, there exists the need to cope with even a situation where the duration of inundation in the area around the building is at least as long as one week, for instance, because of the fact that the residents would be basically inhibited from going into or out of the building overland when the area around the building is inundated up to a great depth.

(15) Accordingly, in this embodiment, an emergency-use water receiving tank 4 is installed, together with an emergency-use generator 5, on the rooftop of the building 1 separately from a normal-use water receiving tank, and besides, an emergency-use septic tank 6 is installed underground on the site, thereby providing a constitution which can ensure the living environment of the long-term refuge which may last for at least one week to about one month, for instance. Further, for the occasions when having significantly high precipitation caused by heavy rainfall, a rainwater storage tank 7 installed underground on the site of the building is applied to suppress water-level elevation due to rainfall inside the flood barrier 2. In this case, rainwater fallen on a place enclosed with the flood barrier 2 can be once stored in the rainwater storage tank 7 and then drained through an upper part of the flood barrier 2 with a draining pump, as needed.

(16) The embodiment of the present invention is also such that the periphery of the building is enclosed with the tall flood barrier 2, and hence, it may be considered that there is such problems that the flood barrier 2 would be a hindrance to natural lighting such as sunlight to thereby cause generation of a shadow and/or would make some residents on the first and second floors of the building 1 feel blocked psychologically, in which case, however, the problems relating to the natural lighting and/or the blocked feeling of the residents can be alleviated in a manner that a large-sized transparent window 9a is provided in the flood barrier 2 as shown in FIG. 2.

(17) In regards to the window 9a, use can be made of a polycarbonate window material and the like, for instance, from the viewpoints of strength and durability. Further, in order to prevent damages in a flood barrier portion to which the window 9a is installed, the window material may be mounted after a high-strength window frame such as a steel window frame is incorporated in such flood barrier portion.

(18) Moreover, various decorations can be applied to the flood barrier 2 in consideration of the outer appearance, thereby providing the flood barrier also serving as a regionally symbolized spot-like structure so as to raise a value of property of the building 1. FIG. 2 shows stone-pitched patterns 9b as one decoration applied to the flood barrier 2, or alternatively, another decoration by pictorial patterns will do as well.

(19) FIG. 3 conceptually shows another embodiment of the flood-resistant building equipped with the flood barrier according to the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a positional relationship between the building land the flood barrier 2 which encloses the periphery of the building 1 and also in a structure in which the openings of the flood barrier 2 are sealed via the opening sealing means, thereby forming the tranquil space 3 isolated inside the flood barrier 2 when the risk of inundation due to flooding or storm surges arises.

(20) Conventionally, the hospitals or like buildings have been equipped with an emergency-use power supply to prepare for long-term blackouts, or in some cases, there has been also provided the equipment supposed to be used for vertical refuge when the floods arise, in which case, however, it is to be understood that inundation into the building 1 has been prevented merely in such a manner that a doorway to the building 1 is closed, and hence, various troubles and/or damages would be expected to be caused under the circumstances that the inundation depth reaches the second floor of the building.

(21) Meanwhile, the present invention is to allow the tranquil space 3 isolated to be formed inside the flood barrier 2 even when the risk of inundation due to flooding or storm surges arises, so that damages to the building 1 itself can be kept to a minimum.

(22) The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is such that the emergency-use water receiving tank 4 is installed on the ground in the site of the building, while the emergency-use septic tank 6 and the rainwater storage tank 7 which is to cope with heavy rainfall are installed underground, when restriction is imposed on utilization of the rooftop of the building due to the existence of a heliport or the like on the rooftop, for instance, on the premise that the equipment such as the emergency-use power supply has been installed beforehand.

(23) As a matter of course, an opening is to be provided in the section serving as the entrance and exit at normal times such as those connected to the entrance hall, to the parking place and to the place where the residential wastes and others are to be carried out, and hence, the openings of these sections are sealed when the risk of inundation due to flooding or storm surges arises, thereby forming the space 3 isolated inside the flood barrier 2.

(24) FIG. 4 shows one instance of the opening sealing means for sealing the openings 3 of these sections.

(25) The opening sealing means according to one instance shown in FIG. 4 is composed of a support 11 arranged beforehand on both sides of the opening 3, an additional support 12 constituted such that a lower end thereof is inserted into and fixed to a support receiver 13 arranged in the center of the opening 3 at emergency situations and a plurality of vertically-arranged cutoff panels 14 respectively fitted into guide grooves which are provided vertically in the supports 11 on both sides of the opening and in the additional support 12 in the center thereof.

(26) A cutoff material such as packing is interposed between the guide groove of each of the support 11 and the additional support 12 and the cutoff panels 14 and between the cutoff panels 14 to ensure the watertightness during the time that the opening is in a sealed state.

(27) The additional support 12 and the cutoff panels 14 are placed in the state of being stored in a storage space in the building or its site at normal times, and installation of the additional support and the cutoff panels after removal from the storage space takes place at emergency situations where flooding or storm surges are expected to arise. The weight of the additional support 12 and that of the single cutoff panel 14 are preferably such that the additional support and the single cutoff panel are each allowed to be handled by manpower.

(28) Referring to FIG. 4, reference numeral 2a designates an embedded portion of the flood barrier 2, and reference numeral 15 is an emergency-use ladder installed on an inside surface of the flood barrier 2. Alternatively, there may be provided steps, instead of the ladder 15, to allow for climbing-over of the flood barrier 2.

(29) Alternatively, a reinforcing rib may be also installed to the cutoff panel 14, when a panel strength of the cutoff panel 14 is insufficient.

(30) FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the flood barrier 2 when constructed in a shape which encloses the periphery of a plurality of buildings 1a to 1d, as a different embodiment of the present invention.

(31) The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is such that in the periphery of a group of the buildings including a multiple dwelling housing 1a, an office building 1b, a hospital 1c and a storehouse 1d which are all constructed within a predetermined area, the flood barrier 2 is constructed in a shape which encloses the entire periphery of the group of the buildings, the flood barrier being made to be watertight, as well as to be at least as tall as the inundation depth estimated to occur in case of the floods in an area where such group of the buildings is located, and the openings of the flood barrier 2 are sealed via the opening sealing means when the floods arise, thereby forming the tranquil space 3 isolated between the periphery of the group of the buildings and the flood barrier 2 to prevent damages to the buildings.

(32) Although being similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in a basic concept as an invention, it is to be understood that the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 offers the advantage of enabling mutual compensation of refuge life-concerned functions in the area enclosed with the flood barrier 2 in a manner that a plurality of kinds of buildings different in functions are protected at the same time.

(33) Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown one combination of the buildings including the multiple dwelling housing 1a, the office building 1b, the hospital 1c and the storehouse 1d, or alternatively, other combinations with various kinds of buildings such as a city hall, a hotel, a factory and a shopping mall will do as well.

(34) While the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is applicable also to construction of the flood barrier 2 in the periphery of the group of the existing buildings, it can be also considered that this embodiment is suitably applied to planning to newly construct building groups for redevelopments at the regional level.

(35) FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of the flood-resistant building equipped with the flood barrier 2 according to the present invention when constructed in multiple locations for every section of a city area, as a further different embodiment of the present invention.

(36) Specifically, the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is such that in the site of each of factories 21a to 21h located in an industrial area where these factories 21a to 21h are densely distributed, the flood barrier 2 is constructed in a shape which encloses each of the factories 21a to 21h, and an opening 10 is provided in a section serving as a passageway to the inside of the factory site, wherein an openable cutoff door 16 is installed to this opening.

(37) The opening 10 of the flood barrier 2 is sealed via the cutoff door 16 serving as the opening sealing means when the floods arise, thereby forming the space 3 isolated between the periphery of the factory building and the flood barrier 2 to prevent damages to the building.

(38) It is to be noted that the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is for the group of the existing factories located in an industrial area and is based on the assumption that as shown in the center of FIG. 6, a precast concrete product manufacturing factory 22 is built prior to construction of the flood barrier 2, and under such a situation, the flood barrier 2 is constructed by making use of precast concrete panels or blocks manufactured in the precast concrete product manufacturing factory 22.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(39) 1 . . . Building, 1a . . . Multiple dwelling housing, 1b . . . Office building, 1c . . . Hospital, 1d . . . Storehouse, 2 . . . Flood barrier, 2a . . . Embedded portion, 3 . . . Space, 4 . . . Water receiving tank, 5 . . . Emergency-use generator, 6 . . . Septic tank, 8 . . . Check valve, 9a . . . Window, 9b . . . Decoration, 10 . . . Opening, 11 . . . Support, 12 . . . Additional support, 13 . . . Support receiver, 14 . . . Cutoff panel, 15 . . . Ladder, 16 . . . Cutoff door, 21a . . . Factory, 21b . . . Factory, 21c . . . Factory, 21d . . . Factory, 21e . . . Factory, 21f . . . Factory, 21g . . . Factory, 21h . . . Factory, 22 . . . Precast concrete product manufacturing factory