Method of constructing a building

This invention relates to a new method for constructing of a building composed of combination of frame members, at an architectural spot, and aims to not only improve the efficiency in construction, but also to realize high insulation and airtightness in the building. Airtight lubricant is smeared on a frame member to be connected to a established frame member at its fitting end. The frame member is connected to the established frame member by dropping or heading, for example, reducing frictional resistance during fitting or connecting process due to the existence of the airtight lubricant. The process realizes high insulation and airtightness in the structure at the joint portion due to the existence of the airtight lubricant.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a new method of constructing a building composed 
of frame members, having fitting end structures for connecting pillars, 
wall panels, horizontal members (such as beams and girders), floor panels, 
or such, and which is built at the architectural spot by a combination of 
these members. This invention improves the efficiency in construction, the 
performance of insulation and the airtightness of the building. In 
particular, this invention is directed to an advantageous method of 
constructing of building such as a traditional Japanese wooden axal 
structure, which had been difficult to keep sufficient airtightness due to 
their perfect joint formation, or such as various kinds of panel methods 
which have become more popular because they may be built easily and 
rapidly. 
BACKGROUND ART 
The building of Japanese traditional wooden axal structures is on the verge 
of a crisis due to lack of skilled carpenters, having a steadfast 
popularity, the demand for them remaining high. Under such circumstances, 
the applicant of this invention realized a wooden axal structure which is 
similar to traditional wooden axal structure but different from the 
various kinds of previous prefabrication methods; a wooden axal structure 
able to greatly improve the efficiency in its creation including 
processing and construction, a joint structure thereof, and construction 
thereof, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese patent Application Nos. 
HEI3-119482, HEI4-223464, HEI4-22463 and HEI4-275032. 
The inventions as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. HEI3-119482 
et al are directed to a joint structure on top of a pillar especially in a 
wooden axal structure. However, these invention may differ somewhat from 
the traditional wooden construction style which is composed of a 
combination of pillars and horizontal members connected with said pillars 
with special methods, and further composed of other wooden pillars 
connected to said horizontal members. 
The invention as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. HEI4-223463 
is directed to joint structures which allow an upper wooden pillar to be 
vertically connected to a lower wooden pillar directly by using joint 
metals without exposing the metals at a corner of the wooden pillar, so 
that the metals do not hinder later when finishing the structure. The 
inventions as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. HEI3-86265 and 
HEI4-275032 et al. are adapted similarly to the above-mentioned technical 
idea of a base structure assembly. 
In the above inventions, it is extremely important to allow precise 
measurements when building the wooden axal structure, including the joint 
portion structure among other structures. 
Wood has more flexibility than other materials, but it is still highly 
necessary to obtain precise measurements of the wood. However, this 
results in the problem that a highly skilled technique and/or special 
machine are necessary for construction, especially to construct a joint 
assembly such as a fitting joint or a knocking joint. The present 
invention improves the efficiency in construction of the building while at 
the same time improves the airtightness of the building. 
To deal effectively with such circumstances, this invention was developed 
and completed, contemplating a method of constructing a building (for 
example, the structure disclosed below). A basic technical idea of this 
invention may be efficiently and effectively adapted to a series of 
inventor's wooden axal structures. It is confirmed that this invention is 
also effective in constructing building of other structure styles. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
As shown in the specific embodiment in the attached drawings, the general 
method of constructing a building is basically composed of following 
steps. 
That is, this invention is directed to a method for constructing a building 
including frame members, which compose a main body of the building (such 
as pillars, wall panels, horizontal members including beams and girders, 
etc.) and has a fitting end structure for connecting at least one side, 
the building being built by the combination of the members, and comprising 
the steps of: smearing airtight lubricant to a frame member to be 
connected to an established frame member at its fitting end structure, 
next, connecting the frame member to the established frame member by the 
method of dropping or heading, for example, in order to reduce frictional 
resistance during the fitting or connecting process due to the existence 
of the airtight lubricant, so as to realize high insulation and 
airtightness of the structure at the joint portion. 
The frame member may be a pillar, beam, girder, base, header joist, 
hiutizai (in Japanese name), cross bracing, for example, in the axal 
structure; and may be a wall panel, floor panel, for example, in the panel 
structure. The fitting edge structure of horizontal member 3 may be any of 
the conventional structures such as aikakikakou (in Japanese name), tenon 
formation, groove formation, yatoizanekakou (in Japanese name), and so on, 
at least one end; and the other end may connected by the vertically slide 
fitting method or contact fitting method to form the body of the building. 
The connection of these members had been done before ordinarily by force 
using "kakeya" (in Japanese name) at architectural spot. 
The airtight lubricant may be a material which can continue to have a 
proper elasticity (its nature of hardening and shrinking) as long as 
possible. Also, rust should not occur when the airtight lubricant is 
attached to the metal. The airtight lubricant should have the proper 
viscosity to prevent dropping from the application surface during 
construction and from then on. The airtight material is economical. This 
airtight lubricant, inorganic tackiness agent or organic tackiness agent, 
can be used which meets the above-mentioned conditions, but most effective 
material found has been urea resin mixed with about 40% lime. 
The airtight lubricant can be smeared on the joint end portion during the 
product process at the factory and covered with exfoliation paper, for 
example, but is desirable that it is smeared on each time by a brush at 
the construction site.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the connecting relationships around a 
joint portion of wooden pillars 1, 1,; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one 
step in the constructing process of the joint structure; FIG. 3 is a 
partially enlarged vertical sectional view. As shown in FIG. 1-FIG. 3, the 
joint structure includes a wooden pillar 1 directly connected to the top 
of another wooden pillar 1 end to end. Horizontal members are composed of 
a pair of main-horizontal members 3, 3 and sub-horizontal members 4, 4 
(that is, horizontal members composed of beams and/or girders) and are 
connected to said wooden pillar 1 at its top portion from two directions 
at right angles to each other. The upper surface of these horizontal 
members (specifically, the upper surfaces of the main-horizontal members 
3, 3 and the sub-horizontal member 4, 4) respectively lie in the same 
plane. 
First, as shown the perspective view in FIG. 1, rectangular metal pieces 6, 
6 . . . are attached integral to the sides of the wooden pillar 1 at its 
top portion so that about half of their upper portion is exposed. The 
height of the main-horizontal members 3, 3 and the height of 
sub-horizontal members 4, 4, located parallel and above said 
main-horizontal members 3, 3, are maintained in part by pillar 1 in order 
to keep an operating space S. 
The rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 . . . have holes 61, 61 . . . , which 
face each other in the vertical position and are vertically displaced at 
least by the distance of the diameter of the fixing member 62. (This 
structure can be realized by using two different rectangular metal pieces, 
but in this embodiment, holes 61, 61 . . . are located at the correct 
positions using the same rectangular metal pieces by turning them over up 
side down, and thereby simply shifting the position of the holes 
automatically.) 
Next, joint parts 2, 2, are tightly connected to the top of the wooden 
pillar 1 at two sides adjacent to the outside of the rectangular metal 
pieces 6, 6 to extend below the height of the horizontal member. These 
rectangular metal pieces 6, 6, are at right angles to each other, and 
compose the contact surfaces to the pair of main-horizontal members 3, 3 
and sub-horizontal members 4, 4. Top portions of the joint parts 2, 2 
project above the top surface of the pillar and have a length equal to the 
height of each sub-horizontal member 4, 4, plus the length of the 
rectangular metal pieces 6, 6. 
In this embodiment, the joint parts 2, 2 have recesses on their back side 
surfaces in order to contain the projections of the rectangular metal 
pieces 6, 6, which project from the surfaces of the pillar by their 
thickness. In the structure unified by the fixing members 22, 22, there 
are no spaces between the wooden pillar 1 and the rectangular metal pieces 
6, 6 . . . . 
The rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 and joint parts 2, 2 may be combined as 
an integral unit and fixed to one another. However, it is desirable to 
convey and to use several different kinds of factory produced wooden 
pillars 1, 1 . . . , having different designs in order to combine the 
joint parts 2, 2 . . . on top portion according to a beam construction 
drawing or a roof construction drawing. 
The wooden pillars 1, 1 . . . at the architectural spot are established 
vertically on the base structure assembly, (which has been developed by 
the applicant of this invention and is disclosed in Japanese Patent 
Application No. HEI3-38265, for example), as the columns for the first 
floor, at first, by fixing at their leg positions. At that time, the 
airtight lubricant is smeared on the leg portions of the pillars 1, 1 . . 
. before they are inserted into the base structure assembly by dropping. 
Then, the planned main-horizontal member 3 is connected between the joint 
parts 2, 2 by hoisting it with a crane etc. At that time, the airtight 
lubricant is smeared on both ends of the main-horizontal member 3, the 
same as with the above-mentioned leg portion of the pillar. Then the 
projection 23, 23 for positioning of the joint parts 2, 2 are inserted 
into the grooves 33, 33 formed at end sides of the main-horizontal member 
3, and the main-horizontal member 3 is dropped until it reaches jaw 21. 
The plan view in FIG. 2, omitting the middle portion of the main-horizontal 
member 3, shows this dropping process halfway completed. In the drawing, 
reference letter F shows a hosting hook, reference letter B shows a 
hoisting band. 
The bump portions 32, 32 for connection are formed integral on the upper 
surface of the main-horizontal members 3, 3 at both of their end sides. 
After the horizontal placing of the main-horizontal member 3 on the jaw 21 
of the joint part 2, it is connected by inserting the fixing member 8 
through the wooden pillar 1, the bump portion 32 and the straight lined 
rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 to the main-horizontal member 3 from the 
exterior of rectangular metal piece 6 (that is, not covered by joint part 
2), in order to prevent the horizontal movement of the main-horizontal 
member 3. 
This embodiment shows that horizontal members are connected in a "L" shaped 
configuration against the wooden pillar 1 at the same level, and 
horizontal movement of the main-horizontal member 3 is prevented by 
arranging the fixing member 8 between the rectangular metal piece 6 and 
the wooden pillar 1, as above-mentioned. However, if desired, horizontal 
members may be connected to both sides of the wooden pillar 1, for 
example, you can realize it by arranging the fixing member 8 between the 
web portions 71, 71 of the "L" shaped members 7, 7 formed integral to the 
upper surface of the main-horizontal member 3, 3. Fixing member 8 runs 
through the rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 and the wooden pillar 1. 
As mentioned above, once the main-horizontal members 3, 3 . . . are 
generally established around the wooden pillars 1, the tops of the wooden 
pillars 1 are generally formed in a single plane (that is, except for the 
construction like a middle second floor or split level floor, where the 
height of the floor is changed intentionally for some purpose.) 
Also, the airtight lubricant may be smeared on a leg portion of the wooden 
pillar 1 for the roof structure or the upper floor structure, at the 
architectural spot. The wooden pillar 1 is vertically connected to the top 
of the fixed wooden pillar 1 of the first floor structure, (that is, the 
wooden pillar 1 for upper floor is connected to the top surface of the 
wooden pillar 1 for lower floor) by dropping the wooden pillar 1 for the 
upper floor among the rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 . . . , and 
integrating to the rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 . . . with the fixing 
members 62, 62. 
Next, the spacers 5, 5 . . . are placed on the top of main-horizontal 
members 3, 3 . . . at a predetermined pitch so as to secure the operating 
space S at the upper surface of the main-horizontal member 3, and 
sub-horizontal member 4, 4 . . . are connected. At that time the airtight 
lubricant is smeared on both end portions of the sub-horizontal members 4, 
4 . . . . In this way, all the horizontal members including the pair of 
the main-horizontal member 3 and the sub-horizontal member 4 are 
connected, up, down and around the wooden pillars 1, 1 . . . to keep the 
operating space S, and the joint structure vertically connecting two 
wooden pillars, is completed. 
Then, end portions of the sub-horizontal member 4, 4 . . . are placed on 
top of the cut ends of joint parts 2. At the same time, exposed portions 
of rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 along with the cut ends of subhorizontal 
member 4 are completely covered with the airtight lubricant. 
The assembly process of the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned 
specific process. For example, the order of assembling the main-horizontal 
member and the sub-horizontal member can be switched and a connecting 
member 9 can be connected at a later time by taking advantage of the 
operating space S. Furthermore, main-horizontal member 3, 3 . . . and the 
sub-horizontal members 4, 4 . . . may be connected around each of the 
pillars 1, 1 . . . through the joint parts 2, 2 . . . after the fixing of 
the all wooden pillars 1, 1 . . . for the upper floor by dropping them 
among the rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 . . . . But in all the assembly 
processes, the airtight lubricant should be smeared on the necessary 
portions. 
In this embodiment, the wooden pillar 1 means a construction pillar (e.g., 
Japanese cypress, cedar or hemlock lumber either 105 mm or 121 mm square). 
The wooden pillar's height should be determined according to the 
dimensions of the horizontal member 3 which composes the architectural 
structure from the base or the sill, that is, the height of the skeleton 
framing of the roof beam and the roof plate etc, or the horizontal member 
3 which composes the floor structure such as second floor and third floor, 
etc, that is, the height of the beam, girder, dosashi (in Japanese name), 
and so on. 
Accordingly, in the construction of not only one-storied houses but also 
multi-storied houses, one is able to use wooden pillars having a 
standardized height thereby making the height of the skeleton framing of 
each floor standardized. 
The rectangular metal piece 6 is used to connect the wooden pillar 1 
vertically, and should be made of material having sufficient strength such 
as a steel plate, for example, and should be formed in a rectangular shape 
having the holes 61, 61 at the planned position so as to allow the 
inserting of the fixing member 62 (such as a bolt and nut pair, for 
example) to connect the wooden pillars to each other and to allow member 8 
to connect the "L" shaped members 7, 7 each other. 
The rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 . . . are fixed on the side surface of 
wooden pillar 1 by the fixing members 62, 62 . . . , projecting about half 
their length above the top surface of wooden pillar 1. Next, the wooden 
pillar 1 of the above floor is dropped from above and is connected to the 
wooden pillar 1 by the fixing members 62, 62 . . . , (such as a bolt and 
nut pair). That is the wooden pillars are connected end to end, by 
placing, the rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 . . . over the top portion of 
wooden pillar 1 and the bottom portion of wooden pillar 1 of the above 
floor. 
The joint part 2 is attached to the side surface of the top portion of 
wooden pillar 1, facing the direction of the horizontal members to be 
connected, including the main-horizontal member 3 and the sub-horizontal 
member 4. The horizontal members may be connected by an adhesive, if 
necessary, and by fixing members 22, 22 . . . (such as a bolt and nut 
pair). 
The joint part 2 supports the main-horizontal member 3 at its jaw 21 and 
the sub-horizontal member 4 at its cut surface. The joint part 2 covers 
the rectangular metal piece 6, (except for its top portion having a height 
of the sub-horizontal member 4), with the side which contacts the wooden 
pillar 1. 
Automatic positioning may be utilized, if necessary, by forming suitable 
methods to position the center of the horizontal member 3 against a center 
of the wooden pillar 1 easily, for example, by forming a projected dowel 
or a simple adjusting formation, such as a convex shape or groove, into 
the wooden pillar 1 and form fitting this formation to the horizontal 
member 3 at the opposite position. 
The horizontal member may include the combination of the main-horizontal 
member 3 and the sub-horizontal member 4, arranged above horizontal member 
3 to leave an operating space spaced with spacer 5, and connected with 
fixing member 9. Both members 3, 4 are a substantially integral horizontal 
member. The horizontal member is connected to the wooden pillars 1, 1, 
indirectly, using as supporting part the jaw 21 and the cut surface of the 
joint part 2, attached integrally to the wooden pillar 1. The preferred 
embodiment contemplates the horizontal member to be connected horizontally 
to side surfaces of the wooden pillar 1, from only one direction; from two 
opposite directions; from two different directions (when the wooden pillar 
1 is square, this connection results in an "L" shaped connection); from 
all directions except one (when the wooden pillar 1 is square, this 
connection results in a "T" shaped connection); from all directions (when 
the wooden pillar 1 square, this connection results in a "+" shaped 
connection). 
The main-horizontal member 3 supports the horizontal force of the wooden 
structure, and bears floor weight. It may be connected to the wooden 
pillar by a tenon insertion, when the joint part 2 can support it at an 
end surface, for example, the jaw of the joint part 2, or by a perch 
connection, when the length of the joint part 2 is about half that of the 
height of the horizontal member 3. In order to prevent horizontal movement 
of the main-horizontal member 3, the fixing member 8 is arranged and fixed 
between the web 71 of the "L" shaped member 7 which is attached integrally 
to the upper surface of the main-horizontal member 3 within the operating 
space S, or between the "L" shaped member and the other "L" shaped member 
when the other horizontal member is connected to the opposite side, 
through the wooden pillar 1 and the rectangular metal piece 6. 
The sub-horizontal member 4 is attached to the main-horizontal member 3 
with the spacers 5, 5 . . . to maintain operating space S, and supports 
end portions of a common joist of the second or third floor, like a header 
joist, and becomes a connecting surface for a ready-made panel for the 
second and third floors. Furthermore the connecting side end portion of 
the sub-horizontal member 4 is placed on the upper end surface of the 
joint part 2, which was previously incorporated to the top of wooden 
pillar 1, and can cover the rectangular metal piece 6 projecting from the 
joint part 2 with its end surface. 
A height of the spacer 5 is equal to the projected length of the joint part 
2 from the upper surface of the main-horizontal member 3 (usually, about 
10 mm), and a thickness of the spacer 5 is, at least on one side, greater 
than a thickness of the horizontal member 3 to have a sufficient section 
to for the fixing member 9 to go through. Especially, in the structure 
which uses a ready-made panel (not shown), somewhat larger members should 
be used as the spacers 5, 5 . . . to be able to support the panel at its 
side portion by a projected portion of spacers 5, 5 . . . (at least 2-3 mm 
of the spacer should extend past one surface of the horizontal member 3). 
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
The method of constructing the building of this invention is extremely 
effective in raising the efficiency in construction and in the assembly of 
the frame members. This is especially true when constructing a building 
having frame members, which compose the body of the building, having a 
fitting structure for connecting at least one end portion, such as a 
pillar, a wall panel, a horizontal member (beam or girder, e.g.) a floor 
panel, and so on. For example, a building constructed by utilizing the 
technical ideas realized by the applicant of this invention (the joint 
structure on top of a pillar, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application 
Nos. HEI3-119482 and HEI4-223463, and the base structure assembly, 
disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. HEI3-86265 and HEI4-275032), 
may be easily made having a structure similar to traditional wooden axal 
structures but also able to be made of ready-made precision members. The 
buildings constructed by "two by four method" or other various kinds of 
prefabrication method cannot make this claim. This invention solves the 
joint formation problems, allowing work space between members, and can 
achieve high insulation and airtight efficiency of a building. 
That is, in the building which is composed of ready-made members to raise 
the efficiency in construction, it is difficult to use precision members 
because of the difficulty of constructing a fitting joint and a knocking 
joint in accordance with the necessary precise measurements. On the other 
hand, there is a demand to be able to construct a building by using more 
precise members so as to make the space between members and joints as 
little as possible, to thereby prevent air flow and heat or sound 
transmission from the joints or connecting points. Due to the 
above-mentioned circumstances, in the past, the ready-made members whose 
measurement do not hamper the assembly process are used, and tape is 
applied in order to deal with the space. 
In contrast with this invention, the frame member to be connected has 
airtight lubricant smeared on before construction, and during construction 
is fitted and connected to another frame member by a dropping or a heading 
method, for example. Thus, it is possible to connect two members with 
little frictional resistance during the fitting and connecting process due 
to the airtight lubricant. Furthermore, in the completed building, the 
joint portion between the frame members realizes high insulation and 
airtightness in the structure due to the airtight lubricant. That is, not 
only possible to very easily construct the building using precision 
members, but also, the space between the members may be decreased, 
realizing high insulation and airtightness in the structure by placing the 
airtight lubricant in the space. Consequently, this invention has a 
significant benefit that the most effective structure of the building is 
realized along with a high efficiency in construction. 
Especially, the above-mentioned embodiment can not only easily use 
ready-made members, but may be adapted to the structure of the wooden axal 
structure proposed by the applicant of this invention, also realizing high 
insulation and airtightness in the structure at joint portions from the 
start of construction, in addition to the high efficiency in the 
construction. And it can cheaply contribute to the high insulation and 
airtightness in the structure, which has been estimated to be in high 
demand in the future. Moreover by connecting the top of wooden pillar 1 of 
the first floor and the leg of the wooden pillar 1 of the upper floor, or 
roof structure, directly, the excellent axal structure is completed to 
convey the axal direction force smoothly below. When connecting wooden 
pillows of different floors end to end, the rectangular metal pieces 6, 6 
. . . of the joint structure are completely covered, at least on the 
inside of the building, by arranging of the joint part 2, 2 . . . around 
the top of wooden pillar 1 and connecting the horizontal member (including 
the main-horizontal member 3 and the sub-horizontal member 4). 
Consequently, the popular wooden axal structure can be realized, which 
have many people have desired over finishing structures such as a stud 
wall structure, makabe (in Japanese name) structure or open structure 
without walls, for example. 
Additionally, because the joint formation connecting the horizontal members 
does not substantially require impinging the surface of the wooden pillars 
1, 1, (because, the wooden pillars 1, 1 are directly connected end to end, 
and horizontal members are connected to the wooden pillars through the 
joint parts 2, 2 . . . ), it is not necessary to consider the damage to 
the wooden pillar from the joint formation. Thus, it is possible to keep 
the top surface of all horizontal members in the same plane, generally, 
without regard to the connecting position of the horizontal member to the 
pillar in order to avoid section damage. In previous structures, it was 
extremely difficult to keep the top surface of all horizontal member in a 
same plane. In contrast, the use the ready-made wooden pillars 1,1, allows 
establishing the floor structure and roof structure by the ready-made 
members because of their well-ordered structure. Furthermore, not only the 
wooden axal structure type of building can be built easily and rapidly 
without relying on a special expert carpenter, but also the floor 
structure space of each floor and the roof structure may become compact, 
thus the height of building can be lower than previous buildings, and 
three-story buildings of the wooden axal structure can be built 
effectively. 
Moreover, because the horizontal member is composed of a pair of the 
main-horizontal member 3 and the sub-horizontal member 4, and the 
main-horizontal member 3 supports the structure strength, on the other 
hand the joint formation for receiving the other member, such as a common 
joist, a header joist and a hiutihari (in Japanese name), for example, are 
formed on the sub-horizontal member 4, the section damage to the 
horizontal member is extremely easy to consider, so the building is safe, 
and extension and reconstruction work, done after construction, can be 
done safety. 
As mentioned above, according to the method of constructing a building 
according to this invention, a building with high airtightness and 
insulation in the structure can be completely built efficiently by using 
the ready-made and precision members, minimizing the expense of 
construction and maintenance costs of the building. Moreover, by using the 
present invention along with the inventions realized by the applicant of 
this invention, such as the joint structure, for example, the efficiency 
in construction may be increased without effecting the traditional 
structure style, resulting in a building with sufficient structural 
strength. Therefore, this invention can resolve problems due to the lack 
of skilled carpenters while still providing people, who are not satisfied 
with the prefabricated building and who desire the traditional wooden axal 
building, with a high quality wooden axal building at a reasonable price. 
This invention is a new and effective method of constructing of a 
building.