EP2889442B1

EP2889442B1 - Indoor office-type modular construction

Info

Publication number: EP2889442B1
Application number: EP13199777.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Miguel Angel Floria Arriazu
Original assignee: Sodefa SA
Current assignee: Sodefa SA
Priority date: 2013-12-30
Filing date: 2013-12-30
Publication date: 2016-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 2033-12-30
Also published as: EP2889442A1; PT2889442T; ES2602280T3

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be included within the technical field of buildings for office purposes, particularly within the field of small office buildings arranged in larger buildings. More particularly, the present invention relates to an indoor office-type modular construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Indoor modular constructions are known in the state of the art, both for office purposes (office-type) as well as for other purposes. US2007/0245638 A1 discloses such an indoor modular construction. The above mentioned indoor office-type modular constructions comprise a frame located inside a larger building, and panels which are configured to be attached to the frame, wherein the plates comprise floor plates, wall plates and ceiling plates, which are attached to each other and to the frame to define the construction. The construction has to be safely attached to some parts of the larger building, which involves performing operations which are destroying to the above referred parts.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses an indoor office-type modular construction configured for being arranged inside a larger building, which carrying out is more simple, requires lower labor cost and involves a less destructive interaction in the larger building than the constructions making part of the state of the art.
The indoor office-type modular construction of the present invention comprises: a floor, side walls, and a ceiling.
The floor comprises a floor frame and floor panels, supported on the floor frame. The side walls comprise a wall frame and wall panels, attached to the wall frame, wherein the wall frame comprises: wall pillars and wall crossbeams connected to the wall pillars. The ceiling comprises a ceiling frame and ceiling panels, supported on the ceiling frame.
The construction further comprises a plurality of attaching means for attaching at least one side wall of the construction to a supporting member of a larger building within which the construction is intended to be located.
Each attaching means comprises a couple of wall connectors comprising:

a connection bolt, configured so as to support tensile stress, and having a first end and a second end; and
an attaching support located at the first end of the connection bolt, for attaching the wall connector to the supporting member, wherein the free second end of each connection bolt of each one of a couple of wall connectors is attached to the side wall, at substantially the same point as the remaining one of the couple of wall connectors, wherein the connection bolts in the same couple of wall connectors define with the side walls angles which are substantially non square angles and which are oriented in opposite senses.

The construction of the present invention features a very high degree of customization possibilities. Indeed, the panels may be made in any kind of dimensions and materials, allowing a very flexible design, since the panels may be configured so as to define any kind of necessary element, such as holes for doors or windows, room for cupboards, shelves, plants, columns, steps, ramps, etc. The construction also easily allows for the installation of anyone among the commonly known facilities, such as electrical facilities, audio/video systems, lighting facilities, switches, cold/warm air conditioning facilities, electrical connections, video surveying, smoke detectors, etc.
The construction is easily adapted to the place in which it is intended to be mounted, as the dimensions of all elements such as panels, profiles, pillars, crossbeams, etc. are customizable. Furthermore, modifications such as increasing or decreasing the length of the construction, may be very easily performed during the life of the construction, due to the modular character of the construction.
The construction may be assembled and disassembled in the larger building with very little destructive interaction therewith. In fact, only the attaching of the attaching support would needs to be screwed to a supporting member of the larger builiding. Therefore, the construction described above adapts any kind of larger building without needing to modify said larger building. After having been disassembled, the construction may be transported to another similar larger building and be reassembled.
As described above, the parts (profiles, panels, connections) are modular to a very large extent, which enables saving room in transporting and saving labor costs in assembling. Indeed, a two or three member working team having all the pieces may assemble the construction only using an instructions handbook and without needing any electrically-powered tools, except a drill for attaching the attaching means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyng drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a schematic plan view of the construction of the invention assembled within in a larger building.
Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the floor of the construction.
Figures 3a and 3b show detailed views of the connection of a wall crossbeam to a wall pillar.
Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the wall connectors.
Figure 5 shows a ceiling panel hanging from a ceiling profile.
Figure 6 shows a detailed view of a plate for attaching the ceiling panels to the ceiling profiles.
Figure 7 shows a detailed view of a warped ceiling panel which is configured so as to be supported on the plate of figure 5.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Next, a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is described according to the above referred drawings 1-7.
The indoor office-type modular construction (100) of the present invention comprises a frame having: floor frame, wall frame and ceiling frame. The construction (100), as shown in figure 1, is intended to be assembled within a larger building (1).
As shown in figure 2, the floor frame comprises a plurality of floor profiles (2), as well as floor connections (3) for connecting the floor profiles (2) to each other, for defining a grid-shaped floor. Floor panels (4) are supported on the floor frame for defining a floor for the construction (100) of the invention.
Other technical features of the floor frame and the floor panels (2) are described in the European Patent EP1790796 .
As mentioned above, the frame comprises also a wall frame. As can be seen in figures 3a and 3b, the wall frame has wall pillars (16) and wall crossbeams (17) attached to the wall pillars (16). Preferably, both the wall pillars (16) and the wall crossbeams (17) are profile-shaped, wherein the wall crossbeams (17) have end projections (18) and the wall pillars (16) have wall holes (19) on the sides, corresponding to the end projections (18) so as to allow the wall crossbeams (17) to be attached to the wall pillars (16) through turn and clip. Wall panels (20) are supported on the wall frame for defining side walls for the construction (100). Corresponding curved connecting plates (21), preferably made of metal, may be mounted at the top and/or at the bottom of the wall plates (20). The connecting plates (21) may connect the wall panels (20) to the floor. Additionally, the connecting plates (21) may support some facilities; such as for example, air-condition nozzles (22).
As mentioned above, the construction (100) of the invention is intended to be attached, inside the larger building (1), to a supporting member (23) of the larger building (1). The supporting member (23) may preferably be at least one, preferably one, supporting wall of the larger building (1). The supporting wall(s) may be façade walls, comprised in the outer bounds of the larger building (1), or may as well be inner walls. The construction (100) comprises a plurality of attaching means for attaching the side wall (preferably, the wall frame thereof) of at least one side wall of the construction (100), preferably one side wall, to the supporting member (23). The supporting member (23) may alternatively comprise a chassis (not shown) built within the larger building (1).
Preferably, each of the attaching means comprises a couple of wall connectors (24). The wall connectors (24), shown in figure 4, comprise a connection bolt (25) having a first end and a second end. The wall connectors (24) additionally comprise an attaching support (26) located at the first end of the connection bolt (25), for attaching the wall connector (24) to the supporting member (23) by means of, for example, a screwed joint. The free second end of each connection bolt (25) of each one of a couple of wall connectors (24) is attached to the side wall, preferably to the wall frame of the side wall, at substantially the same point as the remaining one of the couple of wall connectors (24). The connection bolts (25) in the same couple of wall connectors (24) define with the side walls angles which are substantially non square angles and which are oriented in opposite senses. Each connection bolt (25) may comprise a couple of threaded rods (27) and a connecting piece (28) for connecting the threaded rods (27) in such a way so as to allow variation of the length of the connection bolt (25). By way of example, the connecting piece (28) may comprise a bushing having an inner thread.
The wall connectors (24) may additionally comprise a ball-joint (29) for connecting the connection bolt (25) to the attaching support (26).
The connection bolts (25) are configured so as to support tensile stress; therefore the attaching means described above limits the displacement of the construction (100) in both a direction normal to the side wall and a horizontal direction comprised in the side wall.
As indicated above, the frame comprises a ceiling frame. The ceiling frame comprises a plurality of ceiling profiles (30), see figure 5, configured so as to allow ceiling panels (31) be supported thereon or hang therefrom, for defining a ceiling for the construction (100).
According to a preferred embodiment, the ceiling panels (31) may be configured so as to be directly hung from the ceiling profiles (30), see figure 5. According to an alternative embodiment, as shown in figure 6, the ceiling panels (31) are not to be directly hung from the ceiling profiles (30). Instead, the construction (100) may additionally comprise intermediate ceiling supports (32) for attaching the ceiling panels (31) from the ceiling profiles (30) and/or for hanging the ceiling panels (31) from the ceiling profiles (30). The ceiling supports (32) are configured so as to be hung from the ceiling profiles (30), wherein the ceiling panels (31) are to be hung from the ceiling supports (32).
By way of example, as shown in figure 6, each ceiling support (32) may comprise a vertically oriented plate (33) having first hang means (34) for hanging the ceiling panels (31) therefrom, the plate (33) also having second hang means (35, 36) for hanging the plate (33) from the ceiling. As shown in figure 5, the second hang means (35, 36) may comprise upper second hang means (35) and lower second hang means (36), for selectively hanging the plate (33) at either a lower level or an upper level, respectively.
The plate (33) is hung, during normal use, from the ceiling profiles (30) by means of the lower second hang means (36), at the upper level, whereas in case that maintenance and/or reparation works need to be performed, the plate (33) is taken down from the ceiling panels (30) and hung thereof again by means of the upper second hang means (35), at the lower level, for providing the workers with a better access.
Each ceiling panel (31) may generally be configured as a single ceiling panel (31), that is, a ceiling panel (31) comprising only one part, such as for example, a flat single ceiling panel (31) shown in figure 5. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in figure 7, each ceiling panel (31) may comprise a plurality of connected parts and / or feature a warped shape for defining a non planar ceiling.

Claims

Indoor office-type modular construction (100) comprising:
- a floor comprising:
- a floor frame;

- floor panels (4), supported on the floor frame;

- side walls comprising:
- a wall frame comprising;
- wall pillars (16) and

- wall crossbeams (17) connected to the wall pillars (16); and

- wall panels (20), attached to the wall frame; and

- a ceiling comprising:
- a ceiling frame;

- celing panels (31), supported on the ceiling frame;

characterized in that the construction (100) further comprises a plurality of attaching means for attaching at least one side wall of the construction (100), to a supporting member (23) of a larger building (1) within which the construction (100) is intended to be located, each attaching means comprising a couple of wall connectors (24) comprising:
- a connection bolt (25), configured so as to support tensile stress, and having a first end and a second end; and

- an attaching support (26) located at the first end of the connection bolt (25), for attaching the wall connector (24) to the supporting member (23), wherein the free second end of each connection bolt (25) of each one of a couple of wall connectors (24) is attached to the side wall, at substantially the same point as the remaining one of the couple of wall connectors (24), wherein the connection bolts (25) in the same couple of wall connectors (24) define with the side walls angles which are substantially non square angles and which are oriented in opposite senses.
Indoor office-type modular construction (100) according to claim 1, wherein each connection bolt (25) comprises:
- a couple of threaded rods (27); and

- a connecting piece (28) for connecting the threaded rods (27) in such a way so as to allow variation of the length of the connection bolt (25).
Indoor office-type modular construction (100) according to claim 2, wherein the connecting piece (28) comprises a bushing having an inner thread.
Indoor office-type modular construction (100) according to anyone of claims 1-3, wherein the wall connectors (24) additionally comprise a ball-joint (29) for connecting the connection bolt (25) to the attaching support (26).
Indoor office-type modular construction (100) according to claim 1, further comprising:
- ceiling profiles (30) comprised on the ceiling frame so as to allow the ceiling panels (31) being supported thereon or hang therefrom, for defining a ceiling for the construction (100); and

- ceiling supports (32) for attaching the ceiling panels (31) from the ceiling profiles (30) and/or for hanging the ceiling panels (31) from the ceiling profiles (30), each ceiling support (32) comprising a vertically oriented hanging plate (33) having:

- first hang means (34) for hanging the ceiling panels (31) therefrom; and

- second hang means (35, 36) for hanging the hanging plate (33) from the ceiling profiles (30), comprising:
- upper hang means (35); and

- lower hang means (36),

for selectively hanging the plate (33) at either a lower level or an upper level respectively.
Indoor office-type modular construction (100) according to claim 5, wherein each ceiling panel (31) features a warped shape for defining a non planar ceiling.