Split-Level Variable Height Apartments Structural Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-family housing solutions fail to efficiently create split-level apartments with a combination of one-story and one-and-a-half-story high areas, leading to wasteful construction costs and disproportionate spaces, while existing solutions either result in two-story high areas or custom-made designs that are not economically viable for multi-family buildings.
Innovation Solution
A multi-family housing prototype with structural ceilings that divide spaces into one-story and one-and-a-half-story high segments, allowing for the creation of compact, variable height apartments by shifting these segments by half-a-story, enabling a more economical use of materials and space, and facilitating a comfortable, visually appealing living environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If two-story high areas are created in apartments to provide additional living space, then the apartment size and functionality are improved, but the construction costs and material consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The building is divided into modular segments with standardized structural ceilings at regular intervals. Apartments are created by combining these segments, with structural ceilings providing the floor/ceight interfaces. This segmentation allows efficient repetition of construction elements and reduces material waste compared to custom two-story designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the vertical spacing parameter by introducing structural ceilings at half-story intervals (e.g., 2.5m, 5.0m, 7.5m) in addition to full-story intervals. This allows creation of one-and-a-half-story apartments that provide increased living volume without requiring complete two-story heights, thereby reducing material consumption while maintaining functionality.
2Volume of moving object
If two-story high areas are created in apartments, then additional living space is obtained, but the spaces become disproportionate and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the vertical space into modular units with structural ceilings at half-story intervals, the patent enables creation of one-and-a-half-story apartments. These provide additional volume while maintaining human-scale proportions in each segment, avoiding the disproportion and discomfort associated with large two-story spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different ceiling heights to different functional areas within apartments. Living rooms and areas requiring volume can utilize one-and-a-half-story configurations, while bedrooms and service areas use standard one-story heights. This local differentiation maintains comfort and proportion in each space while achieving overall volume efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If custom-made double-level apartments are designed with one-and-a-half-story areas, then comfortable living spaces are created, but the construction becomes economically unviable for multi-family buildings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the building into standardized modular units with structural ceilings at regular intervals. This modular segmentation enables one-and-a-half-story apartments to be created through simple combination of standard segments rather than custom design, making the solution economically viable for multi-family construction while maintaining comfort and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized structural ceiling system serves multiple functions: it provides fire separation, structural support, and defines apartment boundaries. The same modular segments can be configured to create one-story, one-and-a-half-story, or two-story apartments, providing universality that reduces construction costs while maintaining comfort across different apartment types.
4Ease of operation
If extended height stories are created throughout the building width, then apartments with higher interior spaces are obtained, but the construction costs increase and interior area is substantially reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating extended height stories throughout the entire building width, the patent applies half-story height variations locally to specific apartment units. This allows selected apartments to have one-and-a-half-story living spaces while other areas maintain standard heights, preserving overall building interior area while providing high-quality spaces where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the conflict between vertical space quality and horizontal area by using the modular segment dimension. By stacking segments with half-story intervals, the patent creates vertical variety within the same building footprint, providing high-quality interior spaces without sacrificing building interior area.
Data Source
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AI summary
The object of the present invention is a multi-family housing prototype with split-level, variable height apartments characterized in that the structural order applied in the building, comprising segments dividing one-story (1) high spaces and segments dividing one-and-a-half (1.5) story high spaces, makes it possible to create a compact assemblage of apartments that comprise, in accordance with their function, one-story high interior areas (used as a kitchen, dining room, working rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms etc.) and a one-and-a-half story high selected area (used as a living room, studio etc.) providing the dwellers of such a multi-family building with a sense of living in custom-designed apartments, whose interdependent configuration, including other spaces of the building, creates an integrated system of structural, functional and spatial organization of the building, lending itself to various types of housing developments and urban proposals.