Modular Facade Panel System with Embedded Support Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-storey structures, such as vehicle parking garages, face issues with facade elements that are affixed post-construction, leading to weakened concrete and potential corrosion due to drilling for mechanical fasteners, compromising structural integrity and susceptibility to damage from vehicles and moisture.
Innovation Solution
A modular facade assembly with prefabricated panels and support members that include attachments like wheel stops and crash barriers, which are easily installed and secured without drilling into the concrete, maintaining structural integrity and allowing for easy replacement if damaged, while being integrated into the structure for added strength and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If facade elements are affixed post-construction using mechanical fasteners drilled into concrete floors, then ease of installation is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates due to weakened concrete and potential corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are pre-installed into the concrete floors during the construction phase before the facade panels are attached. This preliminary action allows the concrete to cure around the support members, creating a stronger, more integrated connection that doesn't compromise structural integrity while still enabling relatively easy facade panel installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The support members act as intermediary elements between the concrete floor and the facade panels. These steel support members are embedded in the concrete and provide attachment points for the facade elements, distributing loads and avoiding direct drilling into the concrete structure itself, thereby preserving structural integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wheel stops and crash barriers are fixed separately after structure erection, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases and structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel stops and crash barriers are merged into a single integrated facade panel assembly rather than being separate components. This combining reduces the overall number of parts and installation steps, simplifying the device while maintaining the adaptability to provide both wheel stop and crash barrier functions in one unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The facade panels are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as the exterior cladding and as the structural element that provides wheel stop and crash barrier protection. This universal design eliminates the need for separate dedicated components, reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability to different functional requirements.
3Ease of repair
If facade panels are made replaceable by bolting to support members, then ease of repair is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The facade system is segmented into modular panels that can be independently removed and replaced. Each panel is a discrete unit attached to the support members through bolting, allowing individual panels to be accessed, removed, and replaced without affecting the entire facade system, thereby simplifying repair operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system incorporates dynamic characteristics by using removable bolting mechanisms rather than permanent welds or adhesives. This allows the facade panels to be easily detached and reattached as needed, providing flexibility for maintenance and repair while keeping the overall system relatively simple through standardized connection hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
A facade assembly for a vehicle parking structure comprising a facade panel arranged to form part of an exterior of the structure. The facade assembly includes at least one support member extending inwardly of the panel and into the structure in use for connection with a floor of the structure. The support member is arranged to include one or more attachments.