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EP-4739858-A1 - MODULAR BUILDING UNIT

EP4739858A1EP 4739858 A1EP4739858 A1EP 4739858A1EP-4739858-A1

Abstract

A modular building unit (2) comprising a floor assembly (20) at least part of which is formed from a metallic material, or a ceiling assembly (1) at least part of which is formed from a metallic material. The modular building unit (2) further comprises walls (4) coupled to the floor assembly (20) or ceiling assembly (1), the walls (4) including at least one first support element. Each first support element is configured to support a load along a loading axis and each first support element is formed from a non-metallic material along at least a part of the loading axis.

Inventors

  • SHENTON, Edward Ross
  • JONES, David Lee

Assignees

  • SANO DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240702

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A modular building unit comprising: a floor assembly at least part of which is formed from a metallic material, or a ceiling assembly at least part of which is formed from a metallic material; and walls coupled to the floor assembly or ceiling assembly, the walls including at least one first support element; wherein each first support element is configured to support a load along a loading axis and each first support element is formed from a non-metallic material along at least a part of the loading axis.
  2. 2. A modular building unit according to claim 1 , wherein each first support element is configured to support a load applied to the top of the modular building unit.
  3. 3. A modular building unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the modular building unit comprises both a floor assembly and a ceiling assembly, each formed from a metallic material; and wherein the floor assembly and ceiling assembly are coupled together by the walls.
  4. 4. A modular building unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the walls include side structures about at least part of a periphery of the modular building unit.
  5. 5. A modular building unit according to claim 4, wherein the walls further include one or more internal walls.
  6. 6. A modular building unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ceiling assembly comprises a load transfer section configured to transfer load to first support elements, or the floor assembly comprises a load transfer section configured to receive load from first support elements; and wherein the load transfer section of the floor assembly or the ceiling assembly is formed substantially entirely from a metallic material.
  7. 7. A modular building unit according to claim 6, wherein the load transfer section comprises a metallic frame extending around or proximal to a periphery of the modular building unit; and wherein at least part of the frame is aligned with a wall.
  8. 8. A modular building unit according to claim 7, wherein the frame is formed from connected load transfer section members; and wherein the load transfer section members comprise box section metallic beams or folded metallic sheet profiles.
  9. 9. A modular building unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each first support element is formed substantially entirely from a non-metallic material.
  10. 10. A modular building unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each first support element is formed from timber.
  11. 11. A modular building unit according to claim 10, wherein each first support element comprises a timber stud or a timber panel.
  12. 12. A modular building unit according to claim 11 , wherein the timber panel comprises a structural insulated panel.
  13. 13. A modular building unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each first support element comprises one or more timber section and one or more metallic section.
  14. 14. A hybrid building comprising: a first building section comprising an on-site construction at a final location for the building, the first building section having at least one wall including at least one second support element configured to support a load along a loading axis and formed from a non-metallic material along at least a part of the loading axis; and a second building section defined at least partly by a modular building unit according to any one of the preceding claims; wherein the first and second building sections are connected together at the final location, the first building section and the modular building unit together forming at least part of a same storey of the building.
  15. 15. A method of constructing a hybrid building, the method comprising: constructing a first building section on-site at a final location for the building, the first building section having at least one wall including at least one second support element configured to support a load along a loading axis and formed from a non-metallic material along at least a part of the loading axis; forming a second building section defined at least partly by a modular building unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13; and connecting the first and second building sections together at the final location, the first building section and the modular building unit together forming at least part of a same storey of the building.
  16. 16. A hybrid building according to claim 14 or a method according to claim 15, wherein the first and second support elements are configured to support the weight of the building above the respective walls of the modular building unit and the first building section.
  17. 17. A hybrid building or a method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein shrinkage rates of the first and second support elements along an axis supporting a vertical load are within 1.25% of one another.
  18. 18. A hybrid building or a method according to claim 17, wherein shrinkage rates of the first and second support elements along the axis supporting a vertical load are within 1 % of one another.
  19. 19. A hybrid building or a method according to claim 18, wherein shrinkage rates of the first and second support elements along the axis supporting a vertical load are within 0.5% of one another.
  20. 20. A hybrid building or a method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein each second support element is formed substantially entirely from a non-metallic material.

Description

MODULAR BUILDING UNIT TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a modular building unit. In particular, the modular building unit is formed from a composite of materials including metallic parts and non-metallic parts (for instance, timber). The present invention further relates to a building constructed at least in part from the modular building unit and methods of constructing buildings. BACKGROUND [0002] Prefabricated buildings (also known as ‘modular’ buildings) are well known in the construction industry, particularly modular residential buildings such as houses, flats or apartments, and hotels. Modular buildings typically comprise a series of building units which are constructed in a factory, transported to a final location (or site) for the building, and then arranged in a predetermined configuration and coupled together to form the finished building. The modular building units are typically constructed to a substantially assembled form in the factory, in which they can be transported to the final location. Construction of the building can involve stacking one or more upper modular building unit on a lower such unit, so that the upper unit is supported by the lower unit. [0003] Hybrid buildings have been developed by the applicant which comprise a first building section that is constructed at a final location for the building, and a second building section comprising one or more modular building units constructed in a dedicated facility, away from the final location. A hybrid building of this type can provide advantages including that: construction of the first building section is simplified, with more complex parts of the building provided in the section formed by the modular building unit (or multiple modular building units); and the first building section can provide the primary living space in the building, without being constrained by construction and transport limitations imposed on the modular building unit(s). The hybrid buildings and associated construction techniques are disclosed in International patent publication nos. WO2022/243696, WO2022/243695, WO2022/243694, WO2022/243693, and WO2023/222853. [0004] Conventionally, structural elements of a modular building unit are formed from a single type of material. This is partly because it is relatively simple to interconnect portions of a modular building unit when formed from a single material type. Commonly, a structural frame is formed from a metallic material, for instance from steel, which may be welded, bonded, bolted, or otherwise coupled together from a number of separate steel sections. The structural frame may include a floor assembly and/or a ceiling assembly interconnected by a number of walls. In the patent publications identified above, ceiling and floor assemblies can be formed from hot-rolled steel beams and interconnecting walls can be formed from light gauge steel. Light gauge steel beams and struts within the walls transfer load vertically from the ceiling assembly to the floor assembly. The load may be in part the weight of the materials within the modular building unit itself (including the ceiling assembly), and in part the weight of structures overlying the modular building unit in the completed building. [0005] Metallic materials, particularly steel, have come to represent the default material of choice for forming a structural frame of a modular building unit, partly due to the high strength to weight ratios that can be achieved. The strength of the structural frame is important during manufacture and transport to site as well as within the resulting building. For instance, the structural frame must withstand forces associated with lifting the modular building unit. Forces associated with lifting or transporting a modular building unit can include twisting or shear forces, whereas within the completed building it may be that the majority of the forces are a vertical load applied to the top of the modular building unit and transmitted vertically through the walls which are under compression. [0006] However, there can be disadvantages associated with this use of a metallic structural frame. Firstly, metals such as steel are relatively expensive materials, which can increase the overall cost of fabricating a modular building unit. Secondly, given that metals transfer heat efficiently, it is necessary to incorporate a large amount of insulation into the fabric of the modular building unit, or to encapsulate the modular building unit within insulation. Thirdly, there is a high environmental cost associated with the use of metals in constructing buildings due to the large amount of embodied carbon owing to the ways in which the metal parts are manufactured. Accordingly, it is known to attempt to form modular building units with non-metallic structural frames, such as using Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs). A SIP comprises two layers of wood that sandwich a layer of insulation to provide the insulation with