Modular Storage Facility With Through-Cut Corridors
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Solution Overview
Problem
The self-storage facility industry faces high construction costs and slow technological advancements, limiting the efficiency and sustainability of single-level and multi-level facilities.
Innovation Solution
The use of load-bearing modular units (LBMUs), such as commercial shipping containers, are aligned and stacked with corridors cut through them to create multi-level facilities, allowing for efficient use of space, reduced material and energy consumption, and the ability to repurpose containers, thereby lowering construction costs and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional construction methods are used for self-storage facilities, then structural strength and stability are ensured, but construction costs increase and construction time extends
Solution Approach 1:
The facility is divided into modular units (containers, cells, bays) that can be manufactured separately and assembled together. Each module maintains structural integrity independently while contributing to the overall facility strength through standardized connection systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements are combined into integrated modular units that serve both structural and storage purposes. The design merges load-bearing structures with storage spaces, eliminating the need for separate structural frameworks and reducing material usage.
2Area of stationary object
If multi-level facilities are constructed using traditional methods, then vertical space utilization improves, but construction complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from horizontal expansion to vertical stacking by arranging modular units in multiple levels. Containers and cells are stacked vertically to create multi-story facilities, efficiently utilizing vertical space while maintaining modular assembly simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Identical modular units are replicated and stacked to create multi-level facilities. The same standardized modules used for single-level construction are copied and arranged vertically, avoiding the need for complex custom designs for each level.
3Ease of operation
If passageways are created through modular units, then accessibility and ease of operation improve, but structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Passageways are created by removing portions of modular unit walls or by leaving gaps between adjacent modules during assembly. This extraction approach maintains the integrity of the remaining structure while providing necessary access routes.
Solution Approach 2:
Connection elements and structural bridges are introduced at passageway locations to maintain load paths interrupted by openings. These intermediary components transfer forces around the passageways, preserving overall structural integrity while enabling access.
Data Source
AI summary
A self-storage facility with a first set of load bearing modular units (LBMUs) aligned along a same first horizontal plane. The first set has a plurality of rows of LBMUs and each LBMU in each row in the plurality of rows of LBMUs is positioned in a side-to-side relationship with another LBMU in a corresponding row in the plurality of rows of LBMUs. Furth, each LBMU in each row in the plurality of rows of LBMUs is positioned in at least one end-to-end relationship with another LBMU in an adjacent row of a plurality of rows of LBMUs. The facility also includes a first passageway through both sidewalls and transverse to a major axis of each LBMU in a majority of the LBMUs in a first row in the plurality of rows of LBMUs, and a second passageway through both sidewalls and transverse to a major axis of each LBMU in a majority of the LBMUs in a second row in the plurality of rows of LBMUs.