Patent ID: 6588161
Filing Date: 2003-07-08
Classification: E04B,E04H,Y10S

Abstract:
Construction elements for assembling an earthquake-resistant building, comprising in combination:an interlocking, stackable wall unit comprising a load bearing inner laminate, a load bearing outer laminate and a rigid insulating core bonded between the respective inner and outer laminates and the inner and outer laminates respectively include a top surface with a parallel-sided longitudinal groove and a bottom surface with a complimentary tongue that is received in the groove when one of the stackable wall units is stacked on top of another; a laminated roof beam comprising opposed outer load bearing members having a predetermined length and width, an inner load bearing member having the same predetermined length and at most the predetermined width, and an elongated metal plate having the predetermined length and at most the predetermined width, the respective outer load bearing members, inner load bearing member and metal plate being laminated together so that the metal plate is between one of the outer load bearing members and the inner load bearing member; and steel rods adapted to be anchored in a foundation of the building and to extend vertically through the stackable wall units stacked on top of one another to form an exterior wall of the building, and through brackets connected to outer ends of the laminated roof beams to tie the foundation, exterior walls and roof beams for resisting wracking forces.