Floating Buildings

Abstract

A floating base (22) for a building, the base (22) comprising at least one buoyant basement unit (30) defining a basement level, and a reinforced concrete transfer slab (32) atop the or each basement unit (30). The basement level provides habitable or functional space for the building, and the transfer slab (32) has at least one access opening giving access to the basement level. Preferably, the base comprises at least two buoyant basement units, wherein each of the basement units is independently buoyant for assembly with at least one other basement unit during construction of the base, said basement units thereby assuming a final position in which said units are closely adjacent or in contact to define a basement level comprising two or more of said units. The invention also extends to a method for constructing a floating base for a building, and a method for launching a buoyant basement unit.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to floating buildings. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a buoyant basement structure for a floating building, and a method for constructing such a structure.BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION[0002]In modern urban environments, the development and construction of large buildings for residential, commercial, leisure or industrial use can often be beset with problems.[0003]For example, suitable land for development can be difficult to find. In many cities, large pieces of development land seldom become available, which can restrict the choice of location. However, particularly for commercial developments such as hotels, location is an extremely important factor. Even if a suitably-sized site in an appropriate location can be identified, the cost of the land may be prohibitively high.[0004]In most cases, a site will have been developed previously. Consequently, existing buildings on the land may need to be de...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]In this way, the basement level advantageously provides accessible and usable space, which may be enhanced by windows for light and ventilation. Furthermore, by virtue of the modular construction of the base, large floating buildings with accessible space in the base can be readily constructed.

[0019]The transfer slab preferably comprises a lightweight reinforced concrete slab. For example, the transfer slab may include an array of voids, optionally formed by an array of void formers. In this way, the mass of the floating base can be kept to a minimum, and the centre of gravity can be low in the base so as to provide stability to the base.

[0034]When of reinforced concrete construction, the walls of a basement unit can be made by casting concrete into a formwork mould which defines the shape of the wall. Typically, the formwork comprises plywood shuttering supported on scaffolding. However, in another embodiment, one or more of the walls comprises parallel wall panels spaced from one another to define a core region of the wall. Advantageously, the wall panels comprise pre-cast concrete panels, which can conveniently be manufactured off-site. In this way, the requirement to use formwork to define the shape of the walls can be reduced or eliminated and the time required for constructing the basement units on site is reduced. The core region of the wall is preferably filled with reinforced concrete to provide the necessary strength, although it is conceivable that a lightweight filling material could be used in some applications.

[0037]The floating base provides a mechanically uniform platform upon which a superstructure of substantially any design and construction can be built. The weight of the superstructure is distributed across the base by the transfer slab, so there need be no correspondence between the position of the load-bearing parts of the superstructure and the position of features within the basement structure. Thus, the present invention offers a flexible and adaptable way of constructing floating buildings.

[0048]In these ways, the transfer slab can be solidly connected to the or each basement unit by way of internal reinforcing bars. In other words, the floating base can, if desired, be made as a unitary reinforced concrete structure to provide strength and stability.

[0052]It will be appreciated that the floating base and, correspondingly, the basement units can be large in size and weight. The method described above advantageously allows for a modular construction of the base, so that a large base can be constructed from a number of smaller basement units, sized appropriately for manufacturing and transportation. However, it is desirable to provide a method for launching large basement units.

Problems solved by technology

In modern urban environments, the development and construction of large buildings for residential, commercial, leisure or industrial use can often be beset with problems.

For example, suitable land for development can be difficult to find.

In many cities, large pieces of development land seldom become available, which can restrict the choice of location.

Even if a suitably-sized site in an appropriate location can be identified, the cost of the land may be prohibitively high.

The above problems have led to the use of bodies of water as development sites.

However, land reclamation is expensive, permanent, and dramatically alters the environment.

In particular, land reclamation may remove particularly attractive waterfront.

Consequently, land reclamation is not suitable for many developments.

As a result, a part of the anchoring and supporting structure is often visible beneath the building, which can be unsightly.

Furthermore, the weight of the building is limited to that which can be borne by the supporting structure.

Such vessels are, however, inflexible in many ways.

For example, the internal architecture of an adapted vessel may be difficult or costly to change, so that the layout of the development is compromised compared to a new-build development.

Similarly, the external appearance of the vessel usually remains identifiable as a boat or ship, which will be inappropriate for many developments.

Furthermore, the size and weight of the development is dictated by the underlying vessel and is therefore subject to the engineering constraints of boat-building rather than land-based construction.

This can restrict the permissible size of vessel-based developments, as can the difficulty of fitting or manoeuvring a large vessel in a confined space.

The flotation modules are designed to be transportable by land vehicles, so that a large number of modules are required to create a floating platform of modest size, and the weight that can be supported by the platform is limited.

This limits design freedom and compromises access to the basement.

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