Cross-Laminated Timber Room Cell Duct Step Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular building construction methods face challenges in easily connecting and maintaining vertical ducts while meeting high standards of noise and fire insulation, particularly in multilevel buildings.
Innovation Solution
The use of cross-laminated timber for load-bearing side walls and a duct design with a step and ramps within the ducts allows for horizontal decoupling of ducts between stacked room cells, enhancing noise and fire insulation, and facilitating easy connection of cables and pipes through the use of fire protection elements and reversible connection mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional vertical ducts are used in modular buildings, then cable and pipe installation is possible, but noise and fire insulation standards cannot be met and maintenance is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The duct is segmented horizontally by introducing a step structure that divides the duct into upper and lower sections. This segmentation allows independent insulation treatment for each section while maintaining accessibility for maintenance operations in the free volume created by the step.
Solution Approach 2:
The step structure introduces a vertical dimension within the horizontal duct plane, creating a three-dimensional free volume that provides maintenance access without compromising the horizontal continuity of the duct for cable and pipe installation.
2Ease of manufacture
If ducts are designed for easy connection of stacked room cells, then modular construction is facilitated, but noise and fire insulation between levels is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The step structure creates localized zones within the duct where different functions are performed: the upper section maintains continuity for cable/pipe passage while the lower section provides insulation barrier and maintenance access, achieving both connection ease and harmful factor reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The step structure acts as an intermediary element within the duct that mediates between the requirement for continuous cable/pipe pathways and the need for insulation barriers, allowing both functions to coexist in the same duct space.
3Reliability
If fire protection elements are added to the duct design, then fire insulation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire protection function is merged with the structural step element itself, where the step serves both as a maintenance access feature and as a fire insulation barrier, eliminating the need for separate fire protection components.
Solution Approach 2:
The step structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides maintenance access volume, creates fire insulation barriers, and maintains duct continuity for cable/pipe installation, reducing overall device complexity through multi-functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a room cell for use in the modular construction of buildings, which comprises a base plate and side walls enclosing a usable interior space, wherein the load-bearing components of some and preferably all side walls are formed by panels of cross-laminated timber, wherein the room cell comprises a duct for accommodating cables and pipes passing through the room cell from top to bottom, wherein the duct is confined on its bottom by a duct floor or on its top by a duct ceiling, and wherein the duct floor or the duct ceiling comprise a step projecting upwards or downwards, respectively, into the duct.