Abstract:
The present invention relates to support structures including truss assemblies and purlins, the truss assemblies including struts, wherein utilities such as pipes and cables can be contained within the purlins, and can pass through openings in the struts, to thereby be retained by the support structures so as to be hidden from view.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/406,395, filed Oct. 25, 2010, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a support structure for a building. More particularly, the present invention relates to a roof and associated support structure, where the support structure can accommodate utilities so as to hide them from view. 
         [0004]    2. Brief Summary of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention provides a support structure for supporting a glass structure, the support structure including a top truss chord extending in a first direction and including end portions, a bottom truss chord including end portions, wherein the end portions of the bottom truss chord are coupled to the end portions of the top truss chord, a strut including an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion of the strut is coupled to the top truss chord and wherein the lower portion of the strut is coupled to the bottom truss chord, a purlin extending in a second direction, wherein the purlin is coupled to the upper portion of the strut, and a support coupled to the purlin and configured to support at least a portion of at least one glass panel. 
         [0006]    The present invention also provides a purlin, including a pair of purlin beams positioned apart from each other so as to define a space therebetween, a cover plate extending between the purlin beams at a lower portion thereof, and utilities extending within the space, disposed above the cover plate. 
         [0007]    The present invention also provides an architectural structure, including a top truss chord extending in a first direction and including end portions, a bottom truss chord including end portions, wherein the end portions of the bottom truss chord are coupled to the end portions of the top truss chord, a strut including an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion of the strut is coupled to the top truss chord and wherein the lower portion of the strut is coupled to the bottom truss chord, and wherein the strut defines an opening in the upper portion thereof, a purlin extending in a second direction, wherein the purlin is coupled to the upper portion of the strut, a support coupled to the purlin and configured to support at least a portion of at least one glass panel, and utilities extending within the purlin and through the opening. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0008]    The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further serve to explain the principles of and to enable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the exemplary embodiments described herein. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the building of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the building of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the building of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a support structure of the building of  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of a truss assembly according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a portion of a support structure including a center strut according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional view along line  7 B- 7 B of  FIG. 7A . 
           [0017]      FIG. 7C  is a cross-sectional view along line  7 C- 7 C of  FIG. 7A . 
           [0018]      FIG. 7D  is a front view of the strut of  FIG. 7A . 
           [0019]      FIG. 7E  is a side view of the strut of  FIG. 7A . 
           [0020]      FIG. 8A  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 7B . 
           [0021]      FIG. 8B  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 7C . 
           [0022]      FIG. 8C  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 7E . 
           [0023]      FIG. 9A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a purlin of the support structure of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 9B  is an enlarged view of a portion of a purlin of the support structure of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 10A  is a cross-sectional view along line  10 A- 10 A of  FIG. 9B . 
           [0026]      FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view along line  10 B- 10 B of  FIG. 9B . 
           [0027]      FIG. 11A  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 11B  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 11C  is a front view of a portion of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 11D  is a side view of a portion of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 12A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a center tee support of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0032]      FIG. 12B  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the first tee support to the right of the center tee support of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 12C  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second tee support to the right of the center tee support of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 12D  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the third tee support to the right of the center tee support of the truss assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    The following detailed description refers to the accompanying figures that illustrate exemplary embodiments. Other embodiments are possible. Modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to be limiting. The operation and behavior of the exemplary embodiments presented are described with the understanding that modifications and variations of the embodiments may be within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0036]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a front view of building  100 .  FIG. 3  is a sectional view of building  100  partially showing the interior of building  100 .  FIG. 4  is a top view of building  100 . Building  100  can be constructed of panels, such as, for example, roof panels  114 , which can be included in a roof  110 , side wall panels  104 , and walls  140 . Such panels  114  and  104  can be formed of glass in order to establish a glass look and feel of building  100 . Side wall panels  104  can be attached to one another and supported by attachment features such as, for example, metal fittings  102  intermittently positioned along adjacent panels  104  (see  FIG. 1 ). Likewise, roof panels can be attached to one another and supported by attachment features such as, for example, roof patch fittings  112  (see  FIG. 6 ). As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, various other suitable mounting techniques or hardware may be used for joining panels  114  together and panels  104  together. In some embodiments, roof  110  can be a curved glass roof. Such a curved glass roof  110  can be defined by adjacent roof panels  114  where roof panels  114  are themselves curved. Curved glass roof  110  can be supported from within building  100  by a truss system such as, for example, support structure  120  (see  FIG. 5 ). Support structure  120  can include truss assemblies  200  that conform to the curvature of curved glass roof  110  in order to provide consistent support to roof panels  114  throughout the span of curved glass roof  110 . 
         [0037]    In  FIG. 3 , truss assembly  200  for supporting glass roof  110  is shown spanning the entire width of building  100 , and is supported at ends thereof by wall supports  130 . Truss assembly  200  can be coupled to wall supports  130  by any suitable means as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, however, truss assembly  200  need not span the entire width of a building or structure in which it is used. In building  100 , for example, cooperating truss assemblies  200  could each span half the width of building  100 , and could meet and be supported in the middle of the width of building  100  at, for example, an additional wall support  130 , other support post, or the like. Similarly, more than two truss assemblies may be used in a building or structure as desired or required. 
         [0038]    Support structure  120  can also include purlins  300  (see  FIG. 4 ) that act in cooperation with truss assemblies  200  to support glass roof  110 . Purlins  300  are structural elements that extend in a longitudinal direction L and are supported by truss assemblies  200  that extend in a transverse direction T (see  FIG. 5 ). In order to help maintain the glass look and feel of building  100 , building utilities can be routed through support structure  120 , hiding them from view and thereby preventing them from interrupting or interfering with the glass look and feel of building  100 . To accomplish this, utilities can be routed within purlins  300 . Positioning of building utilities in this regard will be discussed below in greater detail. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, building  100  is not limited to the building depicted in the figures, but may be any suitable architectural structure. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a support structure  120  for supporting glass roof  110  according to an embodiment of the invention. To aid in visualizing the invention, purlins  300  appear transparent in  FIG. 5 , however purlins  300  are not necessarily transparent.  FIG. 5  depicts two truss assemblies  200  and seven purlins  300 , however, support structure  120  can include more or fewer truss assemblies  200  or more or fewer purlins  300 . Truss assemblies  200  can be spaced apart by any suitable distance as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, for example, by 7 feet, 6 inches. 
         [0040]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of a truss assembly  200  according to an embodiment of the invention. Truss assembly  200  includes a top truss chord  210  and a bottom truss chord  220 . Ends of top truss chord  210  meet with ends of bottom truss chord  220 . Each strut  230  is, at one end thereof, connected to bottom truss chord  220 , and is also connected to top truss chord  210 . Thus, struts  230  span an area defined by top truss chord  210  and bottom truss chord  220 . Struts  230  extend beyond top truss chord  210  to connect to purlins  300  to assist in supporting glass roof  110 . Struts  230  can connect to purlins  300  by any suitable technique as would be apparent to one of skill in the art, such as, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. Alternatively, no direct connection mechanism may be provided, in which case struts  230  and purlins  300  maintain relative positions by other means, such as, for example, by virtue of other indirect connection mechanisms, or by virtue of incident forces, such as, for example, forces due to gravity. 
         [0041]    As one of skill in the art would appreciate, struts  230  can be of various lengths to suit a particular application. Struts  230  can, as depicted in  FIG. 6 , be of increasing length as struts  230  approach the center of truss assembly  200 . In other words, struts  230  nearest the center of truss assembly  200  may be the longest struts  230  of truss assembly  200 , and, moving from the center towards the ends of truss assembly  200 , each strut  230  may be shorter than the previous strut  230 . Struts  230  can be evenly spaced in the transverse direction. For example, centerlines of adjacent struts  230  may be separated by a distance of 7 feet, 6 inches. Struts  230  can be of any suitable diameter as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, 2 and ½ inches. Moreover, struts  230  can be formed of any suitable material as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, stainless steel. 
         [0042]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a portion of support structure  120  for supporting glass roof  110  that includes a center strut  230  according to an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional view of the center strut  230 .  FIG. 7C  is a cross-sectional view of the center strut  230 .  FIG. 7D  is a front view of the center strut  230 .  FIG. 7E  is a side view of the center strut  230 . As is apparent from at least  FIGS. 6 and 7A , each top truss chord  210  can be formed of a pair of continuous top truss beams  212 , each top truss beam  212  spanning the length of top truss chord  210 . Each pair of top truss beams  212  can be spaced apart by a distance sufficient to accommodate struts  230 , for example, by 3 inches. Top truss beams  212  may be formed of any suitable material as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, stainless steel. Struts  230  can be fastened between the top truss beams  212  using connections  234 . Connections  234  can include, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. Top truss beams  212  may have a width of, for example, 1 foot, 3 inches, and a thickness of, for example, 1 inch. Connections  234  may include a lower connection  234  and an upper connection  234 . The lower connection  234  may be centered 4 and ¼ inches from the bottom of top truss chord  210 , for example. The upper connection  234  may be centered 4 and ¼ inches from the top of top truss chord  210 , for example. 
         [0043]    Top truss chord  210  curves downward, corresponding to the curve of curved glass roof  110 , and bottom truss chord  220  curves upward. Top truss chord  210  and bottom truss chord  220  are spaced apart by struts  230 . Top truss chord  210  may exhibit a curvature having a radius of 165 feet at its bottom, and 167 feet, 10 inches at its top. The radius of a line connecting lower connections  234  along top truss chord  210  may be, for example, 165 feet, 4 and ¼ inches. The radius of a line connecting upper connections  234  along top truss chord  210  may be, for example, 165 feet, 10 and ¾ inches. 
         [0044]    Bottom truss chords  220  can be formed of a pair of rods  222 , each spanning approximately half the length of the bottom truss chord  220 , and meeting at the center of bottom truss chord  220 . Rods  222  can be of any suitable diameter as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, 2 and ½ inches, and can be formed of any suitable material as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, stainless steel. Rods  222  can connect to struts  230  by extending through holes at the ends of struts  23 G. In the case of a center strut  230 , as shown in  FIG. 7B , rods  222  can connect to center strut  230  via a coupler  224 , which also can connect adjacent ends of the pair of rods  222  of a bottom truss chord  220 . Coupler  224  can be formed of any suitable material as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, stainless steel. As one of skill in the art would appreciate, bottom truss chords  220  can be formed of more or fewer rods  222 , which can connect to struts  230  by any of the techniques noted above, other techniques that would be apparent to one of skill in the art, or any combination thereof. 
         [0045]    Purlins  300  can be positioned above top truss chords  210  and can be aligned approximately perpendicularly to truss assemblies  200 , and assist in supporting glass roof  110 . Purlins  300  need not necessarily be aligned perpendicularly to truss assemblies  200 , however. As one of skill in the art would appreciate, purlins  300  can be aligned with truss assemblies at a variety of angles to suit a particular application. 
         [0046]    Purlins  300  can extend longitudinally between pairs of truss assemblies  200 . Adjacent purlins  300  can meet at a purlin joint  310 , which may coincide with the longitudinal center of a truss assembly  200 . Alternatively, purlins  300  may extend continuously through one or more truss assemblies  200 . Each purlin  300  can be formed of a pair of purlin beams  302  spaced apart by a distance at least sufficient to accommodate struts  230 , for example, by 3 inches. 
         [0047]    Purlin beams  302  may be formed of any suitable material as would be apparent to one of skill in the art, including, for example, stainless steel. Purlin beams  302  may have a height of, for example, 1 foot, 3 inches, and a thickness of, for example, ¾ inches. Utilities  500 , which can include, for example, fire sprinkler pipe  502  and electrical conduit  504 , can be positioned between purlin beams  302  of a purlin  300 . Such positioning of utilities  500  within purlins  300  can provide a variety of benefits, including hiding utilities  500  from view, thereby increasing the aesthetic appeal of support structure  120  and glass roof  110  while maintaining the functionality that utilities  500  may provide. 
         [0048]      FIG. 8A  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 7B .  FIG. 8B  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 7C .  FIG. 8C  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 7E . In order to avoid interference of utilities  500  with struts  230  between paired purlin beams  302  of a purlin  300 , struts  230  can define openings  232  through which utilities  500  can pass. Openings  232  can be variously sized and shaped in order to accommodate various sizes and shapes of utility components, as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art. Openings  232  are depicted as rectangular with rounded corners, however, openings  232  need not define a closed shape; openings  232  can extend to an outer edge of a strut  230 . For example, opening  230  shown in  FIG. 8A  can be extended in an upwards direction to define a U-shaped cavity opening at the top of strut  230 , or extended in a right-side direction to define a C-shaped opening along a side of strut  230 . 
         [0049]    Struts  230  can be formed of two parts, upper part  230 A and lower part  230 B. Upper part  230 A can be connected to lower part  230 B via the same connection  234  that connects strut  230  to the support beams of purlin  300 . Alternatively, upper part  230 A can be connected to lower part  230 B via a connection different from connection  234 . Upper part  230 A and lower part  230 B can be connected at a joint, and can be fixed in place via connections  234 . Alternatively, struts  230  can be formed of a single part, or of more than two parts, and parts of struts  230  can be connected via a variety of connection techniques, as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. 
         [0050]    Supports  430  can be positioned at the top of purlins  300 , and can span the distance between paired purlin beams  302  of purlins  300 . Supports  430  can be coupled to purlins  300  by any suitable technique that would be apparent to one of skill in the art, including, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. Alternatively, supports  430  can be integral with purlins  300 . Supports  430  can be positioned at intervals in the longitudinal direction along purlins  300 . Supports  430  can be located at positions over truss assemblies  200 , and at positions between truss assemblies  200  (see  FIGS. 9A and 9B ). Support posts  420  can be coupled at one end portion thereof to supports  430 , and can be coupled at the other end portion thereof to tee supports  410 . Support posts  420  can be formed of any suitable material as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, stainless steel, and can be coupled to supports  430  and tee supports  410  by any suitable technique that would be apparent to one of skill in the art, including, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. Alternatively, support posts  420  can be integral with either or both of supports  430  and tee supports  410 . Tee supports  410  can support glass roof  110  and can extend between adjacent roof panels  114 , which may exhibit a curved shape similar to that of top truss chord  210 . For example, roof panels  114  may exhibit a curve in the transverse direction having a radius of 167 feet, 10 inches. Tee supports  410  may correspond to roof patch fittings  112 , which can be positioned on top of roof panels  114  so as to overlap portions of adjacent roof panels  114 . Tee supports  410  can be positioned above purlins  300  by a distance sufficient to accommodate fire sprinklers, for example, by approximately 2 and ⅝ inches. Tee supports  410  can interface with roof panels  114  and roof patch fittings  112  by any suitable technique that would be apparent to one of skill in the art, including, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. Tee supports  410  can be formed of any suitable material as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, stainless steel. Tee supports  410  may have a thickness of, for example, ½ inch, and may have a transverse width of 4 and ½ inches. 
         [0051]      FIG. 9A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of purlin  300  of support structure  120 .  FIG. 9B  is an enlarged view of a portion of a purlin  300  of support structure  120 .  FIG. 10A  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of purlin  300  coinciding with a position of a fire sprinkler  506 .  FIG. 10B  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of purlin  300  coinciding with a position of a support post  420 . Fire sprinkler pipe  502  may include fire sprinklers  506  intermittently along its length in the longitudinal direction. Fire sprinklers  506  can be of any suitable type as would be recognized by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, upright pendant sprinklers. Fire sprinklers  506  can be spaced so as to be positioned between adjacent supports  430 . 
         [0052]    Electrical conduit  504  can be used to provide electricity to various components throughout a building or other structure of which support structure  120  is a part. For example, electrical conduit  504 , positioned within purlins  300 , can be used to provide electricity to light fixtures  508 , which can be positioned intermittently along a purlin  300  in the longitudinal direction. Light fixtures  508  can be attached to purlins  300  by any suitable technique that would be apparent to by one of skill in the art, including, for example, by a lighting track  340 . Lighting track  340  can extend longitudinally within a purlin  300 , occupying space between paired purlin beams  302  of a purlin  300 . The bottom of lighting track  340  may align with the bottom of purlins  300 . Lighting track  340  can be coupled to a cover plate  330  that extends between and is coupled to paired purlin beams  302  of a purlin  300 . 
         [0053]    Cover plates  330  can be positioned at a lower portion of purlin beams  302 , for example, approximately 1 and ¾ inches from the bottom of purlin beams  302 , and can serve to help maintain spacing of pairs of purlin beams  302 , and to cover the area between paired purlin beams  302  from view from below. Cover plates  330  can be coupled to purlin beams  302  by any suitable technique as would be apparent to one of skill in the art, such as, for example, screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, welds, glue, or solvent. Alternatively, cover plates  330  can be integral with purlin beams  302 . Cover plates  330  can extend longitudinally between adjacent truss assemblies  200 . Cover plates  330  may be spaced from struts  230  of truss assemblies  200  by, for example, ¼ inch. 
         [0054]    Lighting track  340  can be coupled to cover plate  330  by any suitable technique that would be apparent to one of skill in the art, including, for example, via an attachment clip  342 . Cover plate  330  can be coupled to purlin beams  302  by any suitable technique that would be apparent to one of skill in the art, including, for example, via angles  332 . Cover plate  330  can be of any suitable thickness as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, such as, for example, ¼ inches. Lighting track can be formed of longitudinal segments positioned between truss assemblies  200 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 11A  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of truss assembly  200 , focusing on a non-center strut  230 .  FIG. 11B  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of truss assembly  200 , focusing on the non-center strut  230  shown in  FIG. 11A .  FIG. 11C  is a view of a portion of truss assembly  200 , focusing on the non-center strut  230  shown in  FIG. 11A .  FIG. 11D  is a view of a portion of truss assembly  200 , focusing on the non-center strut  230  shown in  FIG. 11A . The non-center strut  230  is angled with respect to a tangent of bottom truss chord  220  at the point where the non-center strut  230  meets bottom truss chord  220 . The non-center strut  230  forms an obtuse angle with this tangent on one side of the non-center strut  230  and an acute angle with this tangent on the other side of the non-center strut  230 . Referring back to  FIGS. 7A ,  7 B, and  7 D, in contrast, the center strut  230  forms an approximately perpendicular angle with a tangent of the bottom truss chord  220  at the point where the center strut  230  meets bottom truss chord  220 . 
         [0056]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , on one side of truss assembly  200 , for example, an angle θA may be 88.7 degrees, an angle θB may be 91.3 degrees, an angle θC may be 86.1 degrees, an angle θD may be 93.9 degrees, an angle θE may be 83.5 degrees, an angle θF may be 96.5 degrees, and an angle θG may be 80.45 degrees. Corresponding angles on the other side of truss assembly  200  may be similar. 
         [0057]      FIG. 12A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a center tee support  410  of truss assembly  200 .  FIG. 12B  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the first tee support  410  to the right of the center tee support  410  of truss assembly  200 .  FIG. 12C  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second tee support  410  to the right of the center tee support  410  of truss assembly  200 .  FIG. 12D  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the third tee support  410  to the right of the center tee support  410  of truss assembly  200 . As is evident considering these figures together, the angle with respect to vertical at which tee supports  410  extend between roof panels  114  increases as tee supports  410  are positioned farther from the center tee support  410 , in order to correspond to gaps between adjacent roof panels  114  of glass roof  110 . For example, the angle with respect to vertical at which the center tee support  410  extends between roof panels  114  may be zero degrees, the angle with respect to vertical at which the first tee support  410  to the right of the center tee support  410  extends between roof panels  114  may be 2.56 degrees, the angle with respect to vertical at which the second tee support  410  to the right of the center tee support  410  extends between roof panels  114  may be 5.13 degrees, and the angle with respect to vertical at which the third tee support  410  to the right of the center tee support  410  extends between roof panels  114  may be 7.7 degrees. These values are exemplary only. As one of skill in the art would appreciate, the angles with respect to vertical at which tee supports  410  extend between roof panels  114  can vary according to the particular application. 
         [0058]    The embodiments described above are exemplary only. As one of skill in the art would appreciate, the present invention can be embodied in various alternative embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in some embodiments utilities other than or in addition to fire sprinkler pipes  502  and electrical conduits  504  can be accommodated by support structure  120 , such as, for example, data lines, cable lines, phone lines, and plumbing lines. 
         [0059]    Additionally, though the above embodiments have been described in the context of a support structure used for a roof of a building, the invention is not so limited. The invention also encompasses a support structure used in various applications, such as, for example, as a floor or a wall. 
         [0060]    Additionally, though the above embodiments have been described in the context of a support structure used for a building, the invention is not so limited. The invention also encompasses support structures used in various mobile structures, such as, for example automobiles, airplanes, and spaceships. Embodiments of the invention may be used in an automobile chassis, or in an airplane cabin or wing structure, for example. 
         [0061]    Additionally, embodiments of the invention may be used in relatively immobile structures other than buildings, including, for example, bridges, windmills, utility towers, and works of art. 
         [0062]    Additionally, embodiments of the invention may be used in atmospheres different from those of the surface of Earth, including, for example, in subterranean structures, in stations or structures in orbit around Earth or another celestial body, and on the surface of another celestial body.