Prefabricated construction module for cantilevered installation in a building

Abstract

The invention relates to a prefabricated construction module for cantilevered installation in a building and which comprises: a vertical frame of battens (1, 2, 3, 4) that is intended to be fitted between the floors of a storey of the building; a horizontal section (5), arranged on the bottom batten (4) and projecting in a cantilevered manner; and attachment elements (10), each attachment element (10) comprising a plate (20), intended to be joined by anchoring elements (24) to the upper face of the bottom floor or to the underside of the upper floor, an intermediate piece (30), and a joining piece (40) joined to both the plate (20) and the intermediate piece (30).

Description

[0001] PREFABRICATED BUILDING MODULE, FOR CANTILEVER INSTALLATION ON A BUILDING

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] Technical field

[0004] The present invention belongs to the technical field of architecture, fundamentally to the rehabilitation and construction of buildings, such as buildings, houses, infrastructure and civil works.

[0005] In particular, one object of the invention relates to a prefabricated building module which, when cantilevered from a building, provides it with additional habitable outdoor space. The present invention is especially designed, though not exclusively, for dwellings that lack a balcony or terrace and whose structures and state of repair would require alterations to the original structure if a habitable outdoor space were to be added.

[0006] Background

[0007] The construction sector accounts for 40% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere, while also generating 30% of solid waste and 20% of water pollution.

[0008] Therefore, it is essential to promote the widespread renovation of buildings, improving both their energy performance and their spatial and functional quality, so that less new construction is undertaken and existing buildings are improved. Furthermore, to reduce the environmental, economic, and social impact of this large-scale renovation, it is crucial to industrialize construction processes. Likewise, it is also necessary to provide existing buildings, especially homes, with new healthy spaces such as terraces, balconies, and outdoor areas that currently lack them.

[0009] Incorporating these exterior spaces or cantilevered volumes into an existing building presents a significant challenge, as these structures were neither designed nor engineered for them. The difficulty is compounded by the wide variety of structural and construction solutions found in the current building stock and their varying states of repair. To date, several prefabricated construction systems have been developed that add volume or additional usable space to dwellings, attaching or anchoring themselves to the existing structure through the façade, without requiring ground support.

[0010] For example, US patent application 4,090,585 discloses a balcony module that attaches to the exterior facade of a building. While such modules do create additional outdoor space, they cannot be directly installed on buildings that are not in good condition, because the building's facade must have sufficient load-bearing capacity to support the corresponding loads, or structural reinforcement would be necessary.

[0011] Similarly, documents KR101595396B1 and CN216552378U KR10159 describe other building modules that need to be anchored to existing resistant elements of the building which either have the necessary load-bearing capacity to absorb bending, torsion and / or tension stresses caused by the installation of said modules or, otherwise, it is necessary to carry out a prior intervention of reinforcement or transformation.

[0012] All of this involves carrying out invasive reinforcement processes, which are normally intended for new construction or for existing buildings in very good condition, due to the additional stresses introduced into them.

[0013] Furthermore, in state-of-the-art modules, it is rarely possible to achieve step-free access from the interior of the building to the new spaces. When this is achieved, it is by structurally altering the front face of the floor slab, as shown in document ITUB20154106A1, thus interfering with the use of the floors below and above. Moreover, in the vast majority of cases, the front faces of the floor slab are the most poorly preserved parts, as they are less protected from the external environment and subject to the fatigue caused by the load on the facades. Additionally, the overhangs above the facade are usually small due to the fixing and anchoring systems used, which reduces the potential uses of the new spaces.

[0014] It is important to note that in Europe there are a large number of high-rise residential buildings, built between 1940 and 1980, whose structural systems are normally made of reinforced concrete of low resistance and poor execution, and whose facades lack load-bearing capacity, which are not suitable for installing the prefabricated modules of the state of the art, or require reinforcement of such magnitude that it is unfeasible.

[0015] Therefore, there is a need to develop new building modules that, when installed in a building, are capable of creating an additional outdoor space and can be used directly, even in buildings that are not in a good state of preservation, without the need to assemble structural reinforcement systems.

[0016] General description of the invention

[0017] To resolve the aforementioned problems, the present invention relates to a prefabricated construction module, to be installed cantilevered in a building, characterized in that it comprises: a vertical frame, intended to be embedded between the upper and lower floor slabs of a floor of the building, said frame being provided with two side strips, an upper strip and a lower strip, each of the side strips also being provided with a recess intended to fit with said lower floor slab of the building; a horizontal section, arranged on the lower strip of the vertical frame and configured to project cantilevered from the building once the vertical frame has been embedded;

[0018] - fastening elements, each of the fastening elements being provided with:

[0019] • a plate, intended to be attached by means of anchors to the upper face of the lower floor slab of the building, or alternatively, to the lower face of the upper floor slab of the building, the plate being provided with a projection, perpendicular to it;

[0020] • an intermediate piece, provided with: either a hollow guide intended to be housed in the edge of a side strip, the interior of the hollow guide being provided with a plate, or a base perpendicular to the hollow guide and provided with a hole configured to allow the passage of the projection; and

[0021] • a joining piece, configured to be placed inside the hollow elongated guide and joined at one end to the projection of the plate and to be joined at the other end to the sheet of the hollow elongated guide.

[0022] The prefabricated building module of the present invention, thanks to its special configuration described above, is able to be installed in an existing building at a certain height, after removing the facade in the perimeter occupied by the module, without modification or reinforcement of the structural elements on which it will be fixed, maintaining the connection with the interior at ground level, without affecting the edge of the floor slab.

[0023] This adds an additional exterior surface to the dwelling cantilevered over the facade, whose dimensions can reach, in some embodiments of the invention, up to two meters, with a width of up to two and a half meters.

[0024] All of this is possible because the design of the module's vertical frame and its fixing elements allows the assembly to be fitted between the two floor slabs of the level being worked on, transmitting the loads to the upper face of the lower slab and to the lower face of the floor slab of that level. This prevents the transmission of loads to the front faces of these slabs (which are usually in worse condition) and / or to the building's facade. Furthermore, the prefabricated construction module of the present invention allows the floor slab of said module to be positioned at a level slightly lower than the upper face of the existing slab.

[0025] In this way, the construction module of the invention is "propped up" between the floor slabs, taking advantage of this resistant mechanism to compensate for the overturning moment caused by the cantilever (horizontal section) and the gravitational loads, without introducing additional torsional and / or tensile stresses in the existing structure of the building.

[0026] Since it is a prefabricated, lightweight construction module that replaces an equivalent portion of the facade, in many embodiments of the present invention, the new loads are compensated by the weight reduction resulting from the elimination of said portion of the facade.

[0027] Furthermore, the prefabricated building module of the present invention incorporates, as an additional safety measure, shear anchors, which are attached to the upper face of the lower and lower faces of the upper floor slabs of the building, on the floor where the building module of the invention is installed. These anchors, intended to attach the fixing element's plate to the upper or lower face of the building's floor slabs, can be, among others, mechanical and / or chemical anchors.

[0028] Furthermore, the specific design of the fasteners allows for quick and easy adjustment, simplifying their placement in the building module of the invention. Maintenance tasks are also simplified, as is the periodic monitoring of the structural behavior of the existing module-structure assembly, so that the tightening torque of each of these fasteners can be checked over time simply by removing a cover from the finish, provided in some embodiments of the invention.

[0029] Preferably, the joining piece is configured to be threaded variably at its first end to the threaded element of the plate, so that it allows height adjustment of the intermediate piece.

[0030] Ideally, the vertical frame slats are made of cross-laminated timber (CLT), a timber frame, a steel frame, or lightweight concrete. These materials are preferred because they are lightweight yet possess sufficient rigidity to activate the "strut effect" with the specially designed geometry.

[0031] Furthermore, the plate is preferably provided with first through holes, each of which is intended to accommodate a mechanical or chemical anchor. Finally, and equally preferably, the base of the intermediate piece is provided with second through holes, while the plate has protrusions designed to engage with these second through holes. These additional components serve to strengthen the connection between the various parts that make up the fastening elements, as well as to compensate for overturning moments and other potential loads.

[0032] Brief description of the figures

[0033] The above and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of some exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered illustrative and not limiting, in which:

[0034] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a prefabricated building module according to the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a detail from Figure 1, in which a fixing element attached to the upper face of the lower floor slab of the building can be seen;

[0036] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a detail from Figure 1, in which a fixing element attached to the underside of the upper floor slab of the building can be seen;

[0037] Figure 4A is an exploded view of the plate and the intermediate piece of the fastening element of Figure 1;

[0038] Figure 4B is an ordered exploded view of the joining piece, the intermediate piece of the fastening element;

[0039] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening element shown in Fig. 2; and

[0040] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the prefabricated building module of Figure 1 with its finished parts. Figure references

[0041] 1 Left side strip (of the vertical frame);

[0042] 2 Top strip (of the vertical frame);

[0043] 3 Right side strip (of the vertical frame);

[0044] 4 Bottom strip (of the vertical frame);

[0045] 5 Horizontal section;

[0046] 10 Fastening elements;

[0047] 20 Platen;

[0048] 21 Projection (from the plate);

[0049] 22 First through holes;

[0050] 23 Projection (of the plate);

[0051] 24 Anchors (for joining to the lower / upper slab);

[0052] 30 Intermediate piece;

[0053] 31 Hollow guide (of the intermediate piece);

[0054] 32 Hole (from the base of the intermediate piece);

[0055] 33 Sheet metal (of the intermediate piece);

[0056] 34 Base (of the intermediate piece);

[0057] 35 Second through holes;

[0058] 36 Hole (of the intermediate piece plate);

[0059] 40 Joining piece;

[0060] 41 Bushing (of the joining piece);

[0061] 42 Washer (of the joining piece);

[0062] 43 Self-locking nut (of the joining piece);

[0063] Lower Forged Slab (of the floor where the construction module is installed);

[0064] Fs Upper Forged (of the floor where the construction module is installed).

[0065] Description of an example of implementation

[0066] Several specific examples of the invention are described below, with reference to the accompanying figures. In these figures, components with identical or similar functions have been designated using the same reference numbers.

[0067] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a prefabricated building module according to the present invention. These prefabricated building modules can be fitted with various surface finishes, as well as joinery (e.g., windows), railings, and / or flooring. However, Figures 1 to 5 describe only the structural components in detail, as the other elements are entirely composed of commercially available products that can be interchanged according to user preferences and the finishing characteristics of the building where it is installed. Figure 6 shows an example of a prefabricated building module according to the invention, with finishes.

[0068] The prefabricated building module shown in Figure 1 comprises, firstly, a vertical frame formed by two side slats 1 and 3, a top slat 2, and a bottom slat 4 joined together. This vertical frame 1, 2, 3, 4 is intended to be embedded between the upper floor slab, Fs, and the lower floor slab, Fi, of a floor in the building. To facilitate this installation process, each of the side slats 1, 3 is provided with a recess that allows it to fit into the lower floor slab Fi of the building.

[0069] Furthermore, a horizontal section 5 is arranged on the lower strip 4 of the vertical frame, so that it cantilevers out from the building, once the prefabricated module of the invention has been installed in the building.

[0070] In Figure 1, the presence of four identical fixing elements 10 can also be seen, placed in different positions, each of them being arranged close to one of the vertices of the frame 1, 2, 3, 4. Two of these fixing elements 10 are fixed by means of anchors (visible, for example, in Figure 2) to the upper face of the lower floor Fi of the building, while the two remaining fixing elements 10 are fixed with anchors to the lower face of the upper floor Fs of the building.

[0071] As shown in Figure 1 by means of arrows, these fixing elements 10 exert opposite axial forces between the side strips 1 and 3, and the upper Fs and lower Fi slabs, generating a bracing effect against the upper face of the floor slab (lower slab, Fs) and the lower face of the ceiling slab (upper slab, Fs).

[0072] This effect, based on the combination of vertical axial forces and horizontal friction forces that generate shear stresses, is able to counteract the overturning moment created in the cantilever of the module (horizontal section, 5), produced by the lever arm of the resultant eccentricity of the surface gravitational loads at the center of gravity of this, with respect to the vertical axis of application of the axial forces at the anchor points of the construction module of the invention, to the existing structure of the building.

[0073] To install the prefabricated building modules according to the present invention, the existing non-structural portion of the facade on the corresponding floor of the building is first removed to create the opening where the building module will be embedded. Once the necessary portion of the facade wall has been removed, the building module is hoisted into position in the chosen location, raised to the level of the opening, and fitted, using suitable lifting equipment, into the opening created between the two floor slabs, the lower and upper, of the corresponding floor of the building. Finally, each of the fixing elements 10 is secured by anchors 24 to the upper face of the lower floor slab Fi (as shown in Figure 2), or to the lower face of the upper floor slab Fs (as shown in Figure 3), as appropriate, facilitating contact between the building module and the existing building structure.

[0074] Each of the fixing elements 10 is made up of three main pieces that will be explained in more detail later in this description: a plate 20 (intended to join the upper or lower face of the corresponding slab), an intermediate piece 30 (joined to the vertical frame) and a joining piece 40, with two main functions: to join the plate 20 and intermediate piece 30 and, in addition, to adjust the relative height between both pieces.

[0075] Figure 4A is an ordered exploded view, in which the plate 20 and the intermediate piece 30 of a fixing element 10 of Figure 1 can be seen.

[0076] As can be seen in Figure 4A, the plate 20 is provided with a perpendicular projection 21, which, in this embodiment of the invention, has the form of a threaded rod. Furthermore, the plate 20 is provided with first through holes 22, intended to allow the passage of anchors 24, by means of which the plate 20 is fixed to the upper or lower face of the corresponding slab, Fi lower or Fs upper. Finally, the plate 20 also includes protrusions 23.

[0077] On the other hand, the intermediate piece 30 comprises the following elements: a hollow guide 31 which, in the assembled condition of the prefabricated construction module, is housed in the edge of a side strip 1, 3 and a base 34 perpendicular to the hollow guide 31. The base 34 is provided, in turn, with a hole 32 configured to allow the passage of the threaded rod 21 and also comprises some second through holes 35, into which the protrusions 23 of the plate 20 fit. In addition, the interior of the hollow guide 31 has a plate 33 perpendicular to the main direction of the hollow guide, whose function will be described in detail later.

[0078] Figure 4B shows the connecting piece 40 in an exploded view, both in perspective and cross-section. In this particular embodiment of the invention, compatible with all other possible embodiments thereof, the connecting piece 40 comprises a bushing 41 with a hollow inner portion, provided with a female thread and intended to receive the threaded rod 21 of the plate 20. Furthermore, the bushing 41 is provided with a hexagonal head having a male thread. The hexagonal head is designed to pass through a hole 32 made in the plate 33 of the intermediate piece, after which it is firmly attached to said plate 33 by means of a washer 42 and a self-locking nut 43, which are inserted and tightened onto the male thread of the bushing 41.

[0079] Thus, once the prefabricated construction module has been placed in the desired position after being lifted, the four fixing elements 10, in addition to fixing it to the existing structure, serve to level, plumb and precisely regulate the assembly, simply by operating the hexagonal head of element 40 with a torque wrench, which will guarantee a secure and non-damaging fixation to the existing structure, applying the necessary tightening torque, deduced from the prior structural assessment.

[0080] Finally, in Figure 6, the prefabricated construction module of Fig. 1 is shown with the finishes once they have been assembled on site: the joinery 7, parapet 11, flooring 9 (as well as skirting boards) and finishing panels 8 of the vertical frame, which cover the fixing elements 10.

Claims

CLAIMS 1.- Prefabricated construction module, for cantilevered installation in a building, comprising: a vertical frame (1, 2, 3, 4), intended to be embedded between the upper and lower floor slabs of a floor of the building, said frame being provided with two side strips (1, 3), an upper strip (2) and a lower strip (4), each of the side strips (1, 3) also being provided with a recess intended to fit with said lower floor slab of the building; a horizontal section (5), arranged on the lower strip (4) of the vertical frame and configured to project cantilevered from the building once the vertical frame has been embedded; - fastening elements (10), each of said fastening elements (10) being provided with: • a plate (20), intended to be joined by means of anchors (24) to the upper face of the lower floor slab of the building, or alternatively, to the lower face of the upper floor slab of the building, the plate (20) being provided with a projection (21), perpendicular to it; • an intermediate piece (30), provided with: o a hollow guide (31) intended to be housed in the edge of a side strip (1, 3), the interior of the hollow guide also being provided (31) of a plate (33), and a base (34) perpendicular to the guide (31) and provided with a hole (32) configured to allow passage of the outgoing (21); and • a joining piece (40), configured to be placed inside the hollow guide (31), to be joined at one end to the projection (21) of the plate (20) and to be joined at the other end to the plate (33) of the hollow guide (31). 2.- Prefabricated building module according to claim 1, wherein the vertical frame slats (1, 2, 3, 4) are made of cross-laminated timber, a timber frame and board, a steel frame or lightweight concrete. 3.- Prefabricated construction module, according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plate (20) is provided with first through holes (22), each of said first through holes being intended to accommodate an anchor (24). 4.- Prefabricated construction module according to any of the preceding claims, in which the joining piece (40) is configured to be variably screwed at its first end to the projection (21) of the plate (20), in such a way as to allow the height adjustment of the intermediate piece.

5. Prefabricated construction module according to any of the preceding claims, which further comprises: - second through holes (35), made in the base (34) of the intermediate piece (30), and - protrusions (23) provided on the plate (20), each of said protrusions (23) being intended to fit into one of the second through holes. 6.- Prefabricated construction module according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the anchors (24) are mechanical anchors and / or chemical anchors. 7.- Prefabricated construction module according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: - the plate (33) of the intermediate piece (30) is provided with a hole (36); and - the joining piece (40) comprises: either a bushing (41) with a hollow inner portion, provided with a female thread intended to receive the projection (21) of the plate (20); or a hexagonal head provided with a male thread, the hexagonal head being intended to pass through the hole (36), and to be firmly joined to the plate (33) by means of a washer (42) and a self-locking nut (43).

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