VERTICALLY STACKED FLOORS

Abstract

A building structure suitable as a pair of floors each contains at least one pair of stacked units, which may be incorporated into a variety of multi-storey commercial or residential buildings. The structure includes two or more vertically stacked units which each define a respective self-contained space. As a floor module, the building structure extends downward from a planar ceiling surface, which forms the ceiling of an uppermost unit to a planar lower floor surface of the second lower other unit. Together, the pair of stacked units has an overall height equal to two and one-half to three full storeys, and a height selected between twenty-three and thirty-six feet, depending upon the respective building structure (7.5-12 feet). An interior dividing bearing wall is positioned within each of the units between the load-bearing sidewalls, and which divide each unit into primary and secondary living areas or spaces.

Claims

1. A building construction for an apartment, condominium or townhouse comprising, a) a hallway area for providing access into or from said building construction; b) a pair of stacked floors containing at least one or multiple stacked units covering an entire footprint area of said building construction; c) each said unit defines a living space spaced forwardly from said hallway area; d) a first one of said units being spaced vertically directly above a second one of said unit, said first and second units being laterally defined by a pair of most preferably parallel vertically extending sidewalls, and further including an interior dividing wall interposed between and most preferably parallel to said sidewalls; e) a first planar horizontal slab spans between said sidewalls and defines an upper ceiling of said first unit; f) a second planar horizontal slab spaced about a first-predefined height vertically beneath said first planar horizontal slab, said second slab spans between said sidewalls and defines a lower ceiling of said second unit; g) each of said units further including a first living area defined laterally by said sidewalls and said dividing wall, and a secondary living area defined laterally by said dividing wall and said sidewalls; h) the principal living area of the first unit being spaced vertically directly above said secondary living area of the second unit and separated therefrom by a horizontally extending principal area floor surface spanning between said dividing wall and said first sidewall, said principal area floor surface being located approximately one regular storey above said second slab and approximately a second-predefined height below said first slab, and i) said secondary living area of the first unit being spaced directly above and separated from the primary living area of the second unit by a horizontally extending secondary floor surface spaced approximately one regular storey below said first slab and approximately said second-predefined height above said second slab.

2. The building construction of claim 1, wherein said first-predefined height is selected from the groups consisting of 10 feet, 10.5 feet, 11 feet, 11.5 feet and 12 feet.

3. The building construction of claim 1, wherein said second-predefined height is selected from the groups consisting of 7.5 feet, 8 feet, 9 feet and 9.5 feet.

4. The building construction of claim 1, wherein said sidewalls and said dividing wall are load-bearing walls extending substantially the vertical height of the building.

5. The building construction of claim 1, wherein each of said units further comprises a rearward secondary living area located between the hallway area and at least one of the principal living area and the secondary living area, the rearward secondary living area of the first unit being separated from the rearward living area of the second unit by a rear floor area spaced approximately 1.25 stories above said second slab.

6. The building construction as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rearward secondary living area of the first unit is spaced directly above the rearward secondary living area of the second unit, and being separated therefrom by the rear floor area.

7. The building construction as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rearward secondary living area of the second unit extends laterally between the vertically extending sidewalls.

8. The building construction of claim 5, wherein each of said slabs, said sidewalls and said dividing wall are of a poured concrete construction for apartment or condominium buildings and most preferably wood and brick structure for townhouse construction, and said first unit further includes a stair unit providing access between said upper and lower floors.

9. The building construction of claim 4, wherein each of said sidewalls are demising walls, said demising walls and said dividing wall are load bearing walls extending continuously substantially the vertical height of said building construction.

10. The building construction of claim 7, wherein said first slab, said second slab and said demising walls are formed as concrete slabs for apartment or condominium buildings or most preferable from wood and brick structure for townhouse constructions.

11. The building construction as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rear portion of the first unit comprises an upper hallway and a lower hallway, the upper hallway extending between the forward most secondary living area of the first unit and a portion of the lower hallway located along the rearward secondary living area of the first unit, and the lower hallway extending between the sidewalls of said unit along the rearward portion of the principal living area of the first unit and the rearward portion of the secondary living area of the first unit; wherein at least one staircase and door permit movement from the upper hallway into the lower hallway and another staircase permits movement from the lower hallway into the principal living room of said first unit; wherein at least one doorway permits movement from the upper hallway of the first unit into the forward most secondary living area of the first unit; wherein accessibility into said first unit is permitted by an entrance doorway located between a common hallway area of the building and the lower hallway of the first unit and wherein most preferably there are no stairs between said common hallway area of the building and said lower hallway of the first unit.

12. The building construction of claim 3, wherein the first unit further includes a stairway assembly extending from the rearward secondary living area into at least one of the primary living area and the secondary living area.

13. The building construction of claim 1, wherein said first and second units is part of at list one staked floors system occupy the uppermost, lowermost or any floor level of a condominium or apartment building, and wherein each of said units substantially defines a self-contained living space.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Further objects and advantages of the invention will now become apparent from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a perspective front view of a building incorporating a number of building construction modules;

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a detailed front view of the layout of a single building construction module used in the building in FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of the module shown in FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates a left or right side view of the building construction module used in the building of FIG. 1;

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a detailed back view of the layout of a simple building construction module shown in FIG. 1;

[0034] FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the upper unit of the building module shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the layout of the primary and secondary living area;

[0035] FIG. 7 shows a plan view for the lower unit of the building module shown in FIG. 2 illustrating the layout of the primary and secondary living area;

[0036] FIG. 8 shows an exploded perspective view of an alternate configuration of the Type B building Module used in the building of FIG. 10;

[0037] FIG. 9 illustrates schematically a front view of a building incorporating building construction module as shown in FIG. 2, together with conventional one-story building units, and

[0038] FIG. 10 illustrates schematically a front view of a town home incorporating building construction module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0039] Reference may be made to FIGS. 1 to 7, which show a building 8B incorporating a number of building construction modules 100a-f in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, and wherein like reference numerals are used to identify like components. The modules 100a-f are of an identical or mirror construction and consist of upper and lower units 14, 16.

[0040] The module 100 of FIG. 1 has an overall height of approximately 2.5 conventional storeys with the forwardmost secondary living area 38, of the unit 14 consisting of a single one-storey unit positioned vertically directly above the primary living area 37 of the second other unit 16. The forwardmost secondary living area 39 of the lower unit 16 is positioned directly below the primary living area 36 of the upper unit 14. This configuration advantageously provides the primary living area 36, 37 of each unit 14, 16 with a cathedral height ceiling of 1.5 storeys.

[0041] FIG. 5 shows the concrete slab 49 placed approximately or exactly midway between the upper and bottommost slabs 22, 20 and spanning (horizontally) between the load-bearing walls 26, 28 of the building 8B. It is to be appreciated that with this configuration, both of the rear hallway areas 44, 45 have a ceiling height of approximately 1.25 storeys in height.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows best the upper unit 14 as including additional stair riser units 63. The additional stair units 63 permit access between the primary living area 36 and the secondary living area 39. Depending on the layout of the building 8, additional stair units 63 may also be provided to facilitate access not only to exterior hallways, but between the living areas 36, 38 or the hallway and bedrooms 76 as well.

[0043] FIGS. 1 to 7 illustrate a module 100 which in the front view of FIG. 2 illustrates the primary living area 36 as being bordered by the sidewall 28. It is to be appreciated, however, that the module 100 could equally be formed in the mirror arrangement of FIG. 8. FIG. 8 illustrates best the building 8 as including a number of vertically spaced hallways 140a, 140b. In one simplified construction, the uppermost hallway 140a is spaced approximately 1.25 stories above the lower hallway 140b, with access into and from each unit 14, 16 from a respective hallway 140a, 140b through an access door 142a, 142b.

[0044] Although FIG. 1 illustrates buildings 8 which are composed entirely of a number of identical building construction modules 100, it is to be appreciated that the present invention may equally be provided as part of the building having other conventional one storey units. As indicated, the building modules 100 of the present invention could further be provided as either lowermost storeys of the building, the uppermost storeys of a building or for that matter, spaced at various mid-storeys as market forces may permit.

[0045] By way of non-limiting example, reference may be had to FIG. 9 which illustrates schematically one possible alternate high-rise building 8 in which like reference numerals are used to identify like components. The building 8 of FIG. 9 is shown as incorporating a number of the building modules 10 in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention, shown by reference numeral 120 as occupying the uppermost six storeys of the building 8, a number of modules 100, shown by reference numeral 122 as occupying the middle five storeys of the building 8, and a lowermost zone 124 of single conventional one storey residential units 126.

[0046] Although the detailed description describes the present construction modules as being used in concrete based structures, any brick or wood structure having a design appropriate for different modules may be used in a townhome or detached home construction. By way of non-limiting example, FIG. 10 shows one such townhome construction in which like reference numerals are used to identify like components. In such a townhome or detached home construction, the modules remain substantially of the same design, with a garage attached in front of each module.

[0047] Although the figures illustrate various preferred embodiments, the invention is not so limited. Many variations and modifications will now occur to persons skilled in the art. For a definition of the invention, reference may be had to the appended claims.