EP-4739861-A1 - FLOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY FOR MODULAR BUILDING UNIT

Abstract

There is disclosed a floor frame assembly for a structural frame of a modular building unit, a structural frame comprising the floor frame assembly, a modular building unit having a structural frame comprising the floor frame assembly, a building comprising the modular building unit, and a method of constructing a building (particularly a hybrid building) comprising a modular building unit. One floor frame assembly disclosed in this document comprises: a floor support portion comprising an upper surface configured to support at least part of a floor structure of the modular building unit; and a perimeter frame comprising a plurality of perimeter frame members, at least some of the perimeter frame members comprising: a base part comprising a lower surface, and an upper surface configured to support a bottom of a side structure of the modular building unit; and a side part disposed transverse to the base part and connected to it, the side part comprising a side surface configured to support a side of the side structure. The upper surface of the base part of each of said perimeter frame members is disposed at a first height above the lower surface. At least a portion of the side part of each of said perimeter frame members extends to a second height above the lower surface of the respective base part which is greater than the first height. The floor support portion is connected to the perimeter frame, and the upper surface of the floor support portion is disposed at a third height above the lower surfaces of said perimeter frame member base parts, the third height being greater than the first height and less than the second height.

Inventors

• SHENTON, Edward Ross
• JONES, David Lee

Assignees

• SANO DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240702

Claims (20)

1. 1. A floor frame assembly for a structural frame of a modular building unit, the floor frame assembly comprising: a floor support portion comprising an upper surface configured to support at least part of a floor structure of the modular building unit; and a perimeter frame comprising a plurality of perimeter frame members, at least some of the perimeter frame members comprising: a base part comprising a lower surface, and an upper surface configured to support a bottom of a side structure of the modular building unit; and a side part disposed transverse to the base part and connected to it, the side part comprising a side surface configured to support a side of the side structure; in which the upper surface of the base part of each of said perimeter frame members is disposed at a first height above the lower surface; in which at least a portion of the side part of each of said perimeter frame members extends to a second height above the lower surface of the respective base part which is greater than the first height; and in which the floor support portion is connected to the perimeter frame, and the upper surface of the floor support portion is disposed at a third height above the lower surfaces of said perimeter frame member base parts, the third height being greater than the first height and less than the second height.
2. 2. A floor frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the lower surfaces of the base parts of said perimeter frame members are configured to define at least part of a base of the floor frame assembly, the lower surfaces provided lowermost on the floor frame assembly.
3. 3. A floor frame assembly as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, in which the base part is provided integrally with the side part.
4. 4. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said perimeter frame members each define a channel shaped to receive the side structure, the channel being defined at least partly by the base part and the side part, the channel being open at least at an upper end, for receiving the side structure
5. 5. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the side part is configured to restrict lateral movement of the side structure relative to the floor frame assembly in at least one direction, which direction is a generally horizontal direction in use, through contact between its side surface and the side of the side structure
6. 6. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the side part is a first side part, the side surface is a first side surface, and said perimeter frame members each comprise a second side part which defines a second side surface configured to support a further side of the side structure
7. 7 A floor frame assembly as claimed in claim 6, in which the second side part is disposed transverse to and connected to the base part, and spaced apart laterally relative to the first side part.
8. 8. A floor frame assembly as claimed in claim 7, in which said perimeter frame members each define a channel shaped to receive the side structure, and in which the channel is defined by the base part and the first and second side part, the first and second side parts configured to capture the side structure between them so as to restrict lateral movement of the side structure relative to the floor frame assembly
9. 9. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, in which the second side part extends to a height above the lower support surface of the base part which is less than the second height.
10. 10. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said perimeter frame members are generally L-shaped or generally U-shaped in cross-section.
11. 11. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the floor frame assembly comprises one or more walkway area defining a location for a walkway in the modular building unit
12. 12. A floor frame assembly as claimed in claim 11, in which one or more portion of one or more of the side parts extends to a height which is less than the second height, said portion defining the walkway area.
13. 13. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the second height is in a range of about 200mm to about 400mm.
14. 14. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the third height is in a range of about 50mm to about 70mm.
15. 15. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least part of the floor support portion comprises an upper surface which is at a fourth height above the lower surfaces of said perimeter frame member base parts, the fourth height being less than the third height, to define a depression or recessed area which is optionally configured to receive a pod having an integral floor.
16. 16. A floor frame assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, in which a part of the floor structure has a reduced depth, or the floor structure is arranged so that it does not extend over a part of the floor support portion, to define a depression or recessed area which is optionally configured to receive a pod having an integral floor.
17. 17. A structural frame comprising the floor frame assembly of any one of claims 1 to 16, a ceiling frame assembly and the side structure, the side structure extending between and connecting the floor frame assembly to the ceiling frame assembly.
18. 18 A modular building unit comprising a structural frame and a floor structure, the structural frame comprising a floor frame assembly, a ceiling frame assembly, and a side structure extending between and connecting the floor frame assembly to the ceiling frame assembly, in which the floor frame assembly comprises: a floor support portion comprising an upper surface configured to support at least part of the floor structure; and a perimeter frame comprising a plurality of perimeter frame members, at least some of the perimeter frame members comprising: a base part comprising a lower surface, and an upper surface configured to support a bottom of the side structure; and a side part disposed transverse to the base part and connected to it, the side part comprising a side surface configured to support a side of the side structure; in which the upper surface of the base part of each of said perimeter frame members is disposed at a first height above the lower surface; in which at least a portion of the side part of each of said perimeter frame members extends to a second height above the lower surface of the respective base part which is greater than the first height; and in which the floor support portion is connected to the perimeter frame, and the upper surface of the floor support portion is disposed at a third height above the lower surfaces of said perimeter frame member base parts, the third height being greater than the first height and less than the second height.
19. 19. A modular building unit as claimed in claim 18 in which the side structure forms one or more external wall of the modular building unit, said one or more wall provided at a perimeter of the unit.
20. 20. A modular building unit as claimed in either of claims 18 or 19, in which the side structure comprises support posts provided at one or more comer of the modular building unit, and one or more wall panel coupled to a support post or posts to form at least part of a wall; in which the support posts have: a lower end which forms part of the bottom of the side structure; and a side which forms part of the side of the side structure; in which the one or more wall panel has a lower end which forms part of the bottom of the side structure and a side which forms part of the side of the side structure.

Description

FLOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY FOR MODULAR BUILDING UNIT The present invention relates to a floor frame assembly for a structural frame of a modular building unit, a structural frame comprising the floor frame assembly, a modular building unit having a structural frame comprising the floor frame assembly, a building comprising the modular building unit, and a method of constructing a building (particularly a hybrid building) comprising a modular building unit 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. 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 unit 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(s); 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 umt(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. Modular building units typically comprise a structural frame having a floor frame assembly, and a side structure (which can form one or more wall) connected to the structural frame. The floor frame assembly defines a base of the modular building unit, and is usually formed from a metallic material (such as a cold or hot-rolled steel), or a timber-based material. The floor frame assembly typically comprises a perimeter frame formed from elongate frame members, and floor joists connected to the perimeter frame The perimeter frame members can be e.g. I-beams or may have a hollow box shape in cross-section (particularly for a metallic frame), or can be of solid e.g. rectangular cross-section (particularly for timber) The side structure is connected to and supported by the perimeter frame, typically by a top surface of its frame members. The floor joists have upper surfaces which support a planar floor structure for the unit. The upper surfaces of the floor joists are typically level with the top surfaces of the perimeter frame members, so that the planar floor structure can pass over the perimeter frame members at doorway or walkway apertures formed at the perimeter of the modular building unit The floor frame assembly, in particular its perimeter frame, must be capable of supporting relatively high loading. In addition, modular building units forming a lowermost storey or floor of a building are often positioned on a concrete foundation A thick layer of insulation material must therefore be accommodated within the floor frame assembly, in order to reduce thermal energy transfer between the foundation and the modular building unit. As a consequence, the perimeter frame tends to be relatively deep (in a vertical sense), formed for example from beams having a depth of perhaps 30cm (almost 12") or more. It is not possible to reduce the depth of the part of the floor frame assembly which supports the floor structure, due to the requirement to contain the insulation, and also to accommodate the deep perimeter frame beams at the doorway or walkway openings. Modular building units having deep floor frames can cause problems in hybrid buildings of the type described above, including that matching a floor level of the building section formed from the modular building unit(s) with that formed by the section constructed at the final building location can be challenging In addition, ceiling frames of known modular building units can also be relatively deep Where modular building units are stacked to form a multi-storey building, this can result in a very deep structure at the intersection between the ceiling of a lower unit, and the floor of an upper unit This complicates the transition for a staircase between the units, and also impacts on material usage, weight and costs. It will be understood that these can