Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to building structures and their construction methods. The invention has been devised particularly, although not necessarily solely, in relation to a building structure to be assembled on site and a container configured to include the parts for assembly of the building structure for transportation to the construction site. Also, the invention relates to the method for assembling the building structure. Background Art

The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere as at the priority date of the application.

The construction of building structures such as houses is a cumbersome and time consuming task. This is especially true due to the great amount of materials that are required for erecting the main frame and finalizing the exterior and interior of the building structure. Also, personnel having different skills are required on site for assembling the building structure and for connecting services such as electrical, plumbing and sewage services.

In situations where the building structures have to be erected in areas located far from urban centres the costs for building increase substantially. This is so mainly because the materials and the specialized personal must be transported to the site for assembly of the building structure.

It is against this background that the present invention has been developed. Summary of the Invention

According to a first broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a building structure comprising a platform, and a container, the container comprising at least one section, wherein the platform includes at least one of the at least one section swung upwardly.

Preferably, the at least one section is hingedly connected to an upper portion of the container.

Preferably, the building structure comprises an elevated building structure.

In an alternative arrangement, the at least one section is hingedly connected to at least one support column of the container.

Preferably, the at least one section is hingedly attached to the at least one support column of the container through hinge means that are slideably attached to the at least one support column of the container.

Preferably, the building structure comprises an ground level building structure. Preferably, the at least one section is a side wall of the container.

Preferably, the container is adapted to receive parts for assembling the building structure prior to delivery of the container to a construction site.

Preferably, the parts for assembling the building structure comprise wall sections and roof sections of the building structure. Preferably, the container accommodates one or more services of the building structure.

Preferably, the one or more services comprise plumbing and/or electrical and/or septic tank. Preferably, the platform, the wall and roof sections of the building structure comprise pre-installed wiring layout, and pre-installed water supply, and sewage pipe systems.

Preferably, the container is a transportable container adapted to be delivered to a construction site.

According to a second broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a building structure comprising a platform, and a service area, the service area comprising at least one section adapted to be swung upwardly during assembly of the building structure to define the platform. Preferably, the service area prior to assembly of the building structure may be configured as a container for transporting the parts of the building structure prior to assembly of the building structure.

According to a third broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a container comprising at least one side wall adapted to be swung upwardly to form at least one platform of a building structure.

Preferably, the at least one side wall of the building structure comprises pre- installed wiring layout systems.

Preferably, the container is adapted to receive parts for assembling the building structure. Preferably, the container is configured to accommodate one or more services of the building structure.

Preferably, the one or more services comprise plumbing and/or electrical and/or septic tank.

Preferably, the container defines a service area located below the building structure after assembly thereof. Preferably, the container comprises a transportable container.

According to a fourth broad aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for assembling a building structure, the method comprising the steps of: swinging at least one side section of a container into an upward condition; maintaining the at least one section in the upward condition to define at least part of a platform of the building structure; and erecting an upper portion of the building structure on the platform.

Preferably, the step of maintaining the at least one section in an upward condition further comprises the step of placing the at least one side section at a bottom portion of the container.

Preferably, the step of maintaining the least one section in the upward condition comprises levelling the at least one section with respect to an upper portion of the container and suspending from the at least one section of the container at at least one location adjacent to the container a column to secure the at least one section in the upward condition.

Preferably, the erecting of the upper portion comprises securing wall sections to the platform at pre-determined locations thereof and covering the wall sections with roof sections. Preferably, the wall sections may be so secured by bolting, screwing or otherwise fixing them to the wall sections in slots and/or holes provided in the platform.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of connecting, respectively, preinstalled electrical and plumbing services provided in the wall and roof sections to pre-installed water supply plumbing waste and electrical supply systems provided in the platform. Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of some preferred specific embodiments of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of building structure according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the bottom portion of the building structure shown in figure 1 ;

Figures 3 to 9 show the steps of a method for erecting the building structure shown in figure 1 ;

Figure 10 is an end view of the building structure after assembly;

Figure 11 is a side view of a building structure shown in figure 10;

Figure 12 is a front view of building structure according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention; Figures 13 to 18 show the steps of a method for erecting the building structure shown in figure 12;

Figure 19 is a side view of the container during assembly of the building structure according to the second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 20 is an enlarged view of a barrel hinge that hingedly attaches the walls to the container of the building structure shown in figure 12.

Figure 21 is an end view of the second preferred embodiment of the building structure after assembly; and Figure 22 is a side view of the second preferred embodiment of the building structure.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment(s)

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a building structure 10 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The building structure 10 includes an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14. The upper portion 12 comprises a plurality of walls 16 spaced apart from each other and extending upwardly from and along a platform 18 so as to define living areas 46 (see figure 8). A roof structure 20 rests on the plurality of walls 16 to isolate the living areas 46 from the environment. The platform 18 defines the floor of the building structure.

The drawings represent the method of construction but the configurations of the room layouts and the sizes of the rooms and the main building structure can vary according to the different requirements of the user.

The upper portion 12 of the building structure 10 is supported on the lower portion 14. The lower portion 14 comprises the platform 18 and a support structure 22 (see figure 2). The support structure 22 comprises a plurality of posts 26 and a service area 24 having an upper portion 28. The service area 24 comprises columns 33 for supporting the upper portion 28. Side sections 32 are hingedly connected to the upper portion 28 and adapted to swing upwardly. In the un- folded condition the side sections 32 together with the upper portion 28 of the service area 24 define the platform 18. As will be explained with reference to a method for assembling the building structure 10, the service area 24 together with the side sections 32 are defined by a container 40 (see figures 3 and 4) configured to contain parts of the building structure prior to assembly of the building structure 10. The container 40 has side walls 42 which are hinged at their upper ends and which can be swung upwardly about pivot axes into upward conditions in which they define the side sections 32. In the folded condition and prior to assembly of the building structure, the side sections 32 define side walls of the container 40 as shown in figure 5. Referring to figure 2, the service area 24 of the building structure 10 is supported on a base 34 integral with the container. The posts 26 (which support side sections 32) are supported within footings 36 comprising proprietary footings/piers or pre-mix concrete to secure the posts 26 in the ground. The service area 24 is configured to contain electrical and plumbing services and provide storage areas. As shown in figure 2, a septic tank 38 is positioned within the service area 24.

Some parts for assembling the building structure 10 are delivered to the constructions site within the container 40. The container 40 is configured to define the service area 24 after completion of the assembly process.

The remainder of the parts may be delivered to site in any appropriate way, such as in a standard ISO shipping container

Figure 3 to 8 show the assembly process of the building structure 10.

Referring to figures 3 and 4, the container 40 is delivered to the construction site on the back of a truck. Some parts of the building structure 10 have been inserted into the container 40 prior to delivery thereof. Prior to locating the container 40 on the construction site, the site must be cleared and prepared for support of the base 34 of the container 40.

At the construction side, the container 40 is lowered from the back of the truck and lowered to the desired location. The container 40 has fittings for transporting and unloading of the container 40 using side loading container trucks (see figure 4). The fittings may comprise ISO steel corner fittings used on conventional containers.

As shown in figure 5, upon placement of the container 40 on the prepared ground, the side walls 42 of the container 40 are swung upwardly into their upward conditions to define the side sections 32. The side sections 32 and the upper portion 28 of the container 40 define the platform 18 of the building structure 10. The container 40 defines the service area 24 prior to assembly of the building structure. The side walls 42 of the container 40 may be swung up manually or using a lifting device such as a crane, forklift, Hi-Ab crane, among others. The side sections 32 defined by the raised side walls 42 are maintained in the upward condition by suspending posts 26 from the bottom surface of the side sections 32 and inserting the ends of the posts 26 opposite of the side section 32 into previously excavated pad footings 36. A proprietary bored pier or pre-mix concrete is poured into each pad footing 36 to fasten the posts 26 to the ground. Prior to the hardening of the concrete, the posts 26 are aligned with respect to the vertical direction. This may be accomplished with a spirit level.

According to a preferred arrangement, the side sections 32 are initially supported by removable support devices such as aero props 43 or similar (see figure 5). The heights of the aero props 43 are adjustable to allow levelling of the side sections 32 with respect to the upper portion of the container 28 . The side sections 32 may be levelled prior to suspending the posts 26 to maintain the side sections 32 in position so as to define platform 18 as previously described. After fastening the sections 32 with posts 26 in the upward conditions, the aero props 43 may be removed.

At this stage, the plumbing services of the building structure 10 are installed. For example, as shown in figure 6 , the plumbing services may include the plumbing connections 44 from the sanitary facilities (see figure 8 and 9) to a septic tank 38. The septic tank 38 may be included and installed within the container 40 prior to delivery of the container 40 to the construction site.

After assembly of the platform 18 as previously described, the upper portion 12 of the building structure 10 is assembled.

Referring to figures 7 and 8, the upper portion 12 of the building structure 10 is assembled by fastening walls 16 to the platform 18. The walls 16 comprise exterior walls 16a fastened to the platform 18 for support of the roof 48. The walls 16 further comprise interior side walls 16b fastened to the platform 18 and to the exterior side walls 16a for supporting the roof 48. Interior living areas 46 (see figure 8) are defined by the interior walls 16b. The platform 18 is adapted to receive walls 16b such that the living areas 46 may be arranged in any desired pattern. For this, walls 16b are slotted into predetermined locations of the platform 18 and bolted down to the platform 18.

Further, after erection of side walls 16a and 16b, the living areas 46 are covered by a roof 48. The roof 48 comprises roof members 48a and 48b which are fitted directly on the top of walls 16. The roof members 48 are pre-cut to size. An optional prefabricated ridge vent frame 50 is located on the gap 52 formed between roof members 48. An optional roof section in lieu of the ridge vent can be added to infill the gap comprising of a ridge cap.

Exterior walls 16a comprise external cladding 54 prefixed to studs. The external cladding 54 may be, for example, metal corrugated profiles.

Prefabricated stairs 56 and verandah landings 58 are fastened to the building structure 10 for access to the living areas 46.

Figures 12 to 22 show a building structure according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention. The building structure according to the preferred second embodiment is similar to the building structure according to the apparatus of the first preferred embodiment and similar reference numerals are used to identify similar parts.

In this second preferred embodiment of the invention the side walls 42 of the container 40 are initially swung upwardly into their upward conditions to define the side sections 32. Subsequently, the side sections 32 are placed at a location adjacent the ground on which the container 40 rests. To place the side sections 32 adjacent to the ground allows the formation or construction of a ground level building structure. Figure 12 shows a front view of a ground level building structure 10 according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention. The ground level building structure 10 according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14. The upper portion 12 comprises a plurality of walls 16 spaced apart from each other and extending on a platform 18 so as to define living areas 46 (see figure 17). A roof structure 20 rests on the plurality of walls 16 to isolate the living areas 46 from the environment. The platform 18 defines the floor of the building structure.

The platform 18 is defined by the side sections 32 and a floor section 35. The floor section 35 is contained inside the container 40 (see figure 13). The floor section 35 is located adjacent to the base 34 of the container 40. Supports 23 provide support to the floor section 35 above the base 34 defining the service area 24. The service area 24 is configured to contain electrical and plumbing services (see figure 14) for the bathroom located on the floor section 35.

As previously described the container 40 has side walls 42 which are adapted to be swung upwardly into upward conditions in which they define the side sections 32.

In accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the invention, and shown in figure 19, the container 40 comprises at each of its corners a column 60. The side walls 42 are hingedly connected to columns 60 of the container 40 through barrel hinges 62. The barrel hinges 62 allow the side walls 42 to swing upward. The barrel hinges 62 are also adapted to slide along the column 60. This permits locating the side sections 32 at a location adjacent the ground at the bottom portion of the container 40. As shown in figure 20, the barrel hinges 62 comprises a hinge 64 having a first plate 66 attached to the side section 32 and a second plate 68 attached to a sleeve stub 70. Each sleeve stub 70 surrounds a column 60. In this way each sleeve stub 70 can slide along the column 60 to which it is attached. This arrangement permits sliding the side section 32 from the upper portion of the container 40 to the bottom portion of the container 40 in order to define, in conjunction with the floor section 35, the platform 18. Figures 13 to 16 show the assembly process of the building structure 10 in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the invention.

The container 40 is placed on the prepared ground. After placing the container 40 on the ground, the side walls 42 of the container 40 are swung upwardly into their upward conditions to define the side sections 32.

Referring to figure 13, the side sections 32 are initially supported by removable support devices such as aero props 43 or similar. As mentioned before, the heights of the aero props 43 are adjustable to allow levelling of the side sections 32 with respect to the upper portion of the container 40.

Then, posts 26 are located adjacent to the container 40. The posts 26 are secured in the ground by inserting the ends of the posts 26 into previously excavated pad footings 36. A proprietary bored pier or pre -mix concrete is poured into each pad footing 36 to fasten the posts 26 to the ground. Prior to the hardening of the concrete, the posts 26 are aligned with respect to the vertical direction. This may be accomplished with a spirit level.

The posts 26 are adapted to support the ends of the side sections 32 that are opposite the barrel hinges 62. The side sections 32 may be levelled prior to securing the posts 26 to the side sections 32. After securing the sections 32 to the posts 26 the aero props 43 may be removed.

The sleeve stubs 70 of the barrel hinges 62 comprise apertures 72 adapted to receive locking bolts 74 (see figure 20). This allows securing the side sections 32 at the top end of the container 40 prior to lowering of the side sections 32. In order to lower the side sections 32 it is necessary to remove the locking bolts 74 Referring to figures 14 to 16, the platform 18 of the building structure 10 in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the invention is formed by lowering the side sections 32 to the bottom portion of the container at a location where the side sections 32 are flush with the floor section 35.

The side sections 32 may be lowered manually or using any of the lifting devices used for swinging up the side walls 42.

After assembly of the platform 18, the upper portion 12 of the building structure 10 is assembled. The assembly process is similar to the assembly process previously described with reference to the first preferred embodiment of the invention. In accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the exterior walls 16a of the building structure 0 are attached to the posts 26. After erection of side walls 16a and 16b, the living areas 46 are covered by a roof structure 48. In accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the posts 26 of the building structure are adapted to receive the outer edges of the roof structure 48 (see figure 18).

It is apparent that the present invention provides an effective way for assembling a building structure. Some parts required for assembling the building structure are provided in a prefabricated custom designed container. The container is transportable making the present invention ideal for building structures at remote locations. As mentioned before, the container is delivered to the construction site and unloaded onto a prepared site. Prior to assembly of the building structure the container is emptied to extract the parts of the building structure contained therein. Further, the container is utilised as part of the building structure, and the building structure is erected using the parts initially included in the container and in an accompanying shipping container.

Also, an electrical power supply system and a mains water supply system of the building structure are pre-installed into the side walls 16 and connected, respectively, to a pre-installed wiring layout and pre-installed piping layout under the platform 18. Complicated components such as water/waste supply pipes and electrical conductors are partly constructed in the walls 16 and 54 of the building structure 10 and the container 40. The pre-installed wall connections are then connected to pre-installed floor connections on the building platform 18. The platform 18 finishes all wet areas and are also complete and sealing around floor wastes are complete.

The main footing as well as the hold down of the building structure 10 are defined by the prefabricated floor 34 that is attached to the container 40 as the base of the container, which minimizes on site labour.

Moreover, the size of the container 40 is specifically designed to accommodate the individual room sizes of the finished floor. This means the container 40 may be transported on the roads without road escort services. Also, as said before, lifting lugs are cast into the container base allowing transport of the container 40 with the use of side loading container trucks.

Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. Further, it should be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiment disclosed. By way of example, different variations of the floor plan and external elevations may be provided. Also, the dimensions of the container may vary according to the requirements of the building structure and/or the accommodation uses.

Moreover, the platform 18 comprising steel members arranged in a hinged frame work, as previously described, may be substituted for a monocoque type of construction. This is possible by replacing the individual structural members (for example side section 32, walls 16 and roofs member 48a and 48b) with a single "sandwich panel" type construction where the outer layer material and the internal layer material are bonded with the inner body of the panel. Throughout the specification and claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.