Abstract:
A stackable building wall unit adapted to be stacked with a plurality of identical building wall units in a plane to form a wall comprising three rectangular panels each including inner and outer faces, a pair of spaced apart long edges, and a pair of spaced apart short edges joined to the short edges of the other two panels to form a triangular, stackable building wall unit which can be stacked with the exterior surfaces of the panels in abutting relation. The exterior face of at least one of the panels includes a female recess therein for receiving a complementally formed key to facilitate alignment and preclude relative shifting of the stacked units in a direction extending between said long edges between the long edges. The key may suitably comprise a complementally formed male projection extending outwardly from another panel of an abutting unit. One aspect of the invention contemplates a method of constructing a wall with triangularly shaped building units stacked in a plane with the exterior plane or surfaces in abutting relation. Transverse flanges are provided on the long edges.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to the building construction industry and more particularly to a triangular stackable building wall module which can be stacked with a plurality of identically formed modules to form a building wall.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Prior Art and Objects  
           [0004]    Building walls are typically constructed with a frame comprising a pair of upper and lower parallel beams spanned by a plurality of vertical, horizontally spaced apart studs. The individual frame components are delivered to the construction site where they are assembled. Thereafter, holes are drilled through the studs and the horizontal beams for receipt of wiring and plumbing. The inner edges of the studs are covered by interior panels such as wall board and the exterior edges of the studs are covered by exterior sheeting or paneling and siding or brick. Frequently, insulation fills the voids between the studs.  
           [0005]    One of the problems with this prior art construction is the relative ease with which a fire can spread upwardly between the studs in the elongate vertical cavities formed by the studs and the beams. Once a fire starts in the inside of the prior art wall, it is easy for an upward draft to quickly upwardly propel the fire to the upper portions of the building. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel building unit which would inhibit the upward spreading of a fire in the wall of a building.  
           [0006]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a building wall of the type described for encapsulating a fire in the wall and inhibiting it from quickly upwardly spreading from a lower portion of the building to the top of the building.  
           [0007]    A still further object of the present invention is to provide a building wall unit of the type described which will restrict the open airways which extend between the sill plate and the header in a building.  
           [0008]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel building wall unit which will increase the fire rating of a building compared to the conventional construction.  
           [0009]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel building wall module which will increase the fire rating of a building wall of predetermined dimensions compared to a prior art wall of similar dimensions by decreasing the upward spreading of an inadvertent fire in the wall.  
           [0010]    Although prefabricated buildings are becoming more popular, a substantial number of buildings are still constructed with the individual wall components being delivered to the site and assembled at the site. This allows the building components to be subjected to the elements. This construction technique requires the workmen to work in the elements and is considered by many to be very inefficient. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel building wall framing module which can either be shipped to the site for assembly at the site or can be easily used to prefabricate a wall section that is shipped to the site.  
           [0011]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular building unit of the type described which is self contained and includes provisions for the pre-installation and prefabrication of the insulation, wiring and plumbing and inner and outer panels which can be joined with other similarly constructed units to quickly and easily form a building wall.  
           [0012]    Currently, the construction of a building with individual components delivered to a building site typically includes skilled carpenters who are relatively highly paid. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel module for constructing a building which will decrease the skill level required to assemble the building modules utilized to form a building wall.  
           [0013]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-sided hollow building wall unit which can be stacked with a plurality of identical units to form a building wall.  
           [0014]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-sided hollow building wall module including three panels each having a long edge and a short edge with the short edges being coupled together.  
           [0015]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a triangularly shaped building wall unit having three angularly related panels having inner and outer surfaces and coupled together along their shorter edges to form a stackable unit which can be stacked with the exterior surfaces of the units in abutting relation.  
           [0016]    The load bearing capabilities of a wall is always of importance. In many commercial building, steel roof systems are employed. The prior art studs typically comprise 2″×4″ or 2″×6″ wood or metal vertical load bearing unit. Metal studs typically include a C-shaped panel that has a tendency to twist about its longitudinal axis. Such C-shaped studs also bow, are hard to work with and are not highly fire rated. Such C-shaped studs have relatively low load bearing strength. Typically, masonry walls are required to provide sufficient load bearing characteristics to support such roof systems. Accordingly, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel building wall unit which can be assembled with other identical units to increase the load bearing characteristics of a building wall constructed with individual assembled building components.  
           [0017]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a modular building wall module which can be stacked with other similar building wall modules to provide a strong construction having a substantial load bearing characteristic.  
           [0018]    It has been found, according to the present invention, that a wall constructed of triangularly shaped building wall units, that the vertical load bearing capabilities of the wall is greatly increased compared to conventional construction. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel building wall unit for building a building wall which will have increased load bearing capabilities.  
           [0019]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a triangularly shaped building wall unit which can be stacked atop other identically formed building wall units in a vertical plane to form a vertical building wall.  
           [0020]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a triangularly shaped building wall unit which includes three panels having interior and exterior surfaces with the exterior surfaces of adjacent panels disposed in abutting relation.  
           [0021]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide alignment members on each building unit for aiding the proper alignment of adjacent units in a wall built by unskilled workers.  
           [0022]    Although the adjacent abutting surfaces of the triangularly shaped modules could be coupled together with screws, nails, rivets and other such fasteners to preclude their relative shifting, applicant&#39;s preferred embodiment includes a female recess in at least one of the three panels for receiving a complementally formed key for coupling to an adjacent module. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel triangularly shaped building module of the type described which includes a new and novel keyway for receiving a key to preclude lateral shifting of stacked modules out of the plane of the wall.  
           [0023]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a triangularly shaped building wall module of the type described which includes a female recess in at least one of the three legs and a complementally formed male projection in another of the three legs for being received in the female recess in the abutting leg of an adjacent stacked module to preclude relative lateral shifting of the modules stacked together to form a wall.  
           [0024]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a stackable triangular building wall unit of the type described wherein the apparatus for precluding relative shifting of the units comprises an elongated slot extending between the short ends of at least one of the panels and a complementally formed elongate rib in the exterior face of another of the panels.  
           [0025]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method of constructing a building wall.  
           [0026]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method of constructing a building wall.  
           [0027]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel building wall constructed with a plurality of triangularly shaped stackable modules with the outer faces of adjacent panels disposed in abutting relation.  
           [0028]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel method of constructing a planar building wall with triangularly shaped building units stacked having exterior faces in abutting relation.  
           [0029]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel triangularly shaped stackable building wall unit of the type described which has increased strength and yet is aesthetically pleasing, durable and economical to assemble.  
           [0030]    Another object of the present invention is to provide anew and novel triangular shaped prefabricated stackable building wall unit of the type described including prefabricated provisions for electrical, telecommunications, plumbing, heating, venting and air conditioning roughed in for future typical field applications.  
           [0031]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a prefabricated triangular building wall finished component that can be stacked with other similar building wall finished components to form a finished planar building wall.  
           [0032]    Various patents have disclosed multi-sided elongate beams which are not stacked to form a wall such as that disclosed in the following patents:  
                                                                     Date of Issue   Inventor                                        U.S. Pat. No.                   2,082,792   Jun. 7, 1937   A. G. Dean           2,192,994   Mar. 19, 1947   F. Weever           5,379,567   Jun. 10, 1995   Michael Vahey           PCT International           Publication No.           W088/05850   Aug. 11, 1988   Freeman, et al                      
 
           [0033]    These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily apparent as the description thereof proceeds:  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0034]    A stackable building wall module adapted to be stacked with a plurality of identical, building wall modules to form a planar wall, each module comprising: three sheets each including a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges which are substantially shorter than the long edges; each of the short edges of each of the sheets joined to one of the short edges of the two other sheets to form a triangular, stackable building wall unit which can be stacked with other units with the outside surfaces of the sheets of adjacent units in abutting relation.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0035]    These and other advantage of the present invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which:  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a triangularly shaped building wall module constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional end view of the base leg, taken along the section line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 3A is an enlarged sectional end view of one of the upwardly converging legs of the module, taken along the section line  3 A- 3 A of FIG. 2;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 3B is an enlarged vertical sectional end view taken along the section line  3 B- 3 B of FIG. 2;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 4 is a side elevational view illustrating a plurality of triangularly shaped building modules of different vertical dimensions being stacked atop one another to form a prefabricated building wall section;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional end view, taken along the section line  5 - 5  of FIG. 4;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged sectional end view illustrating one of the keyways for aligning and precluding relative shifting of adjacent stacked modular units, taken along the section line  6 - 6  of FIG. 5;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 6A is an under plan partial view illustrating a portion of the keyway trough in the base of one of the assembled modules, taken along the line section  6 A- 6 A of FIG. 3;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 6B is a greatly enlarged sectional end view similar to FIG. 6 illustrating adjacent panels of adjacent units bonded together with water proofing adhesive material disposed therebetween;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional plan view, taken along the line section  7 - 7  of FIG. 4, illustrating a corner column only configured to receive the vertically aligned edges of the endmost modules of a pair of transversely disposed wall sections constructed according to the present invention;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the section line  8 - 8  of FIG. 4, illustrating an end column typically utilized to couple the modular units illustrated in FIG. 4 to a similarly constructed in-line unit;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating another slightly modified triangular stackable building module constructed according to a slightly modified embodiment;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the module illustrated in FIG. 9;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional end view, taken along the section line  11 - 11  of the base leg of the module illustrated in FIG. 10;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 12 is a greatly enlarged sectional end view, similar to FIG. 6, illustrating two of abutting panels of two of the adjacent modules, illustrated in FIGS.  9 - 11 , stacked together to form a vertical wall;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 13 is a sectional end view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating stacked modules having panels with a slightly modified cross section;  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 14 is a sectional end view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating a further slightly modified cross section;  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 15 is a sectional end view similar to FIG. 12 illustrating another slightly modified cross section;  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 16 is a sectional end view, similar to FIG. 3B, illustrating a further slightly modified above grade wall section which includes the module illustrated in FIGS.  10 - 12  including prefabricated rough in for plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and insulation and also includes a layer of exterior sheathing; and  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional end view, similar to FIG. 16, illustrating a below grade prefabricated slightly modified wall section for use in the construction of basements.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0057]    A triangularly shaped, stackable building wall unit or module, generally designated  10 , constructed according to the present invention, includes three identically shaped panels  12 ,  14  and  16  which basically have the same outer dimensions and are arranged in a triangular formation and coupled together at the apices of the triangle as illustrated. Each of the panels  12 ,  14 , and  16  is basically C-shaped in cross-section as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5 and  6  and includes a rectangular sheet  18 , which is generally planar, and a pair of spaced apart parallel long edges  20  and  22  spanned by parallel, spaced apart, laterally extending short edges  24  and  26  which are substantially shorter than the long edges  20  and  22  Each sheet  18  includes inner and outer surfaces  19  and  21 , respectively, spanning the edges  20 ,  22 ,  24  and  26 . The short edges  24  and  26  of each sheet  18  are welded or otherwise suitably fixed to the abutting short edges  26  and  24  of the adjacent sheets.  
         [0058]    Projecting transversely inwardly to the plane of each sheet  18  are elongate transverse inner and outer parallel flanges  28  and  30 , integral with the long edges  20  and  22 , respectively, including offset confronting terminal ends  32  and  34 , respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the overall height  31  of the module  10  between the outer surface  21  of base panel  16  and the upper outer edge of the junction of panels  12  and  14  is at least twice the width  38  (FIG. 6A) of each short panel edge  24  and  26 . The transverse flanges  28  and  30  of each panel  12 ,  14  and  16  are in the planes of the transverse flanges  28  and  30 , respectively, of the adjacent panels  12 ,  14  and  16 .  
         [0059]    The building wall modules or units  10 , which may vary in size, are stacked atop each other, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to complete a modular above grade wall section, generally designated  36 , that can be prefabricated “in-house” and shipped to a remote building site.  
         [0060]    The building wall module  10  may be constructed from various materials including aluminum, galvanized or stainless steel or integrally molded carbon fiber, plastic or graphite.  
         [0061]    Aligning and stabilizing members, generally designated  40 , are provided to assist in properly aligning the modules  10  with adjacent modules  10  and for inhibiting relative shifting of the modules  10  for example, in the direction of the arrow  42 . The alignment and stabilizing members  40  include an elongate V-shaped female trough  46  formed in the exterior surface  21  in at least one of the panels  12 ,  14  and  16 , such as that illustrated in the base  16  (FIGS. 1 and 3), and a complementally formed elongate male rib, generally designated  48 , projecting outwardly from the exterior surface  21  of at least one of the other two legs of the triangle such as that illustrated in upwardly converging panels  12  and  14  in FIGS. 1 and 2. The embodiment illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 3  is particularly attractive for assembly into a wall section at the building site as the aligning and stabilizing members  40  facilitate accurate alignment by relatively unskilled workers.  
         [0062]    It should be understood that all three of the panels  12 ,  14  and  16  could include either a male rib  48  or a female trough  46  depending upon the particular construction but typically most of the units would include two male ribs  48  and one female trough  46  or two female troughs  46  and one male rib  48 . The troughs or keyways  46  in the various units  10  illustrated in FIG. 4 have been designated with a reference character “F” for a female trough  46  or an “M” for a male rib  48  to illustrate the relationship of the various assembled adjoining modules  10 .  
         [0063]    Each female trough  46  is defined by inwardly converging sheet portions  45  and  47  spanning the short edges  24  and  26  of panel  16  and each male rib  48  is defined by outwardly converging sheet portions  50  and  52  spanning the short edges  24  and  26  of panels  12  and  14 . The shape of the rib  48  is formed complemental to the shape of the trough  46  and is readily receivable therein to easily and accurately orient the adjacent modules  10  when they are being assembled and to inhibit relative movement or lateral shifting thereof. The outwardly diverging sheet portions  50  and  52 , which define the male rib  48 , will guide along the inwardly converging sheet portions  45  and  47  defining the female trough  46  of an adjacent unit to allow an unskilled worker to quickly and easily assemble the units  10  into a building wall section  36 , as illustrated in FIG. 4, lying in a vertical plane  44  (FIG. 5). When the modular wall section  36  is constructed as illustrated in FIG. 4, the cooperating male and female ribs and troughs  48  and  46 , respectively, will inhibit relative lateral movement out of the vertical plane  44 .  
         [0064]    Each of the building units  10  can be prefabricated with a layer of heat transfer insulation  49  (FIG. 5) spanning the laterally outer portions  51 , of the interior surfaces  19  of the sheets  18 . A plurality of wire receiving apertures  53 , which can vary in size, are provided through the laterally inner portions  55  of sheets  18  for receiving wire, plumbing pipes, or heating, ventilating and air conditioning ducts. If desired, the unit  10  can be prefabricated with hollow tubes (now shown) that can be disposed in the apertures  53  to receive either wire or plumbing. An exterior layer or sheathing, generally designated  57 , is disposed on the outer sides of exterior flanges  28 . The sheathing layer  57  may comprise exterior plywood and/or brick veneer or other exterior siding.  
         [0065]    Before the units are stacked with the ribs  48  snugly received in the adjoining adjacent troughs  46 , as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, an asphalt based waterproof membrane  54  may be disposed between adjacent abutting interior surfaces  21  as illustrated in FIG. 6, to preclude the laterally inward passage of rain and/or air therebetween in the direction of the arrow  42 . If desired, the abutting exterior surfaces  21  of abutting sheets  18  may be coated with an adhesive layer  54  (FIG. 6B) to bond the abutting sheets  18  of adjacent modules  10  together and preclude the lateral passage of rain and air therebetween. Such waterproof epoxy adhesive cement, or bonding agent may be that sold under the trademark SCOTCH-WELD® EPOXY ADHESIVE DT-90 by 3M, Minneapolis, Minn., or the acrylic adhesive for metals and plastics sold under the trademark “202” by the Lord Corporation, 2000 West Grand View Blvd., Erie, Pa. 16509. If desired, the abutting sheets  18  could be mechanically fastened with bolts and nuts, tech screws, or suitable welding.  
         [0066]    The modules  10  can be stacked in the condition illustrated in FIG. 1 or prefabricated with pre-wiring, pre-plumbing, insulation, and the outer covering complete as illustrated in FIG. 5. If desired, an interior vertical panel, such as drywall, could also be mounted to the laterally inner filanges  28  of the legs  12 ,  14  and  16 .  
         [0067]    The modules  10  can be stacked atop a sill plate  56  (FIG. 5) mounted atop a building foundation  64 . The elongate sill plate has a planar section  58  with an upwardly projecting, elongate male rib  60  thereon. The front outer edge of the sill plate  56  also includes a depending vertical, flange  62  disposed on the outside of the building foundation  64 .  
         [0068]    If desired, the wall section  36  is illustrated to include three vertically abutting rows  66 ,  67  and  69  of triangular modules  10 . The base of each unit in the bottom row  66  of the building units  10  will have a female trough  46  for receiving the male rib  60  in the sill plate  62 .  
         [0069]    One end of the wall section  36 , illustrated at the right side of FIG. 4, includes a vertically disposed, hollow end coupling column  68  (FIG. 8) for joining the wall section  36  to an adjacent in-line wall section  36  (not shown) at the building site. The opposite end of each modular prefabricated building wall section  36  can include a similar vertical column  68  but is illustrated as including a vertically disposed hollow corner coupling column  70  (FIG. 7) for coupling the wall section  36  to another transversely disposed wall section  36  (not shown) at the building site. It should be realized that a vertical in-line column  68  could likewisely be used instead of column  70  if each end is to be coupled to an adjacent in line wall section  36  in the plane  44 . The in-line column  68 , which is rectangular in cross-section, includes vertical side walls  69  spanned by vertical end walls  71  having vertically disposed troughs  72  and  74 . The trough  72  receives the vertically aligned male projections or ribs  48  on the endmost units  10  located on the right hand edge of each of the units  10  illustrated in FIG. 4. The trough  74  would receive the upstanding, endmost male ribs  48  of an adjacent wall section  36  (not shown) to be coupled thereto.  
         [0070]    The corner column  70  which is rectangular in cross-section, similarly includes vertical side walls  73  and  75  spanned by integral end walls  77  and  79 . The innermost end wall  74  includes a vertical trough  76  for receiving the endmost vertically aligned male ribs  48  located at the left hand side of each of the modules  10  illustrated in FIG. 4. Only the sidewall  77  includes offset trough  78  which will be utilized to couple the wall section  36  to a second transverse wall section (not shown) which is transverse to plane  44  the wall section  36  illustrated in FIG. 4.  
         [0071]    The wall section  36  includes a header, generally designated  80 , spanning the upper ends of the columns  68  and  70 . The header  80  includes (FIG. 5) a planar section  82  provided with a downwardly projecting male elongate rib  84  for receiving female troughs in the base  16  of each of the uppermost units  10  in the uppermost row  69  of units as illustrated in FIG. 4. If desired, rather than inserting waterproof membrane  54  between the adjacent units, a layer of waterproof cement  54  or acrylic adhesive (FIG. 6B), such as that sold under the trademarks SCOTCH-WELD® EPOXY ADHESIVE DT-90 by 3M, Minneapolis, Minn., or “202” by the Lord Corporation, may be utilized to preclude moisture and air from passing between the adjacent abutting surfaces  21  of adjacent units. Also, for certain uses and/or in certain climates, the waterproofing membrane  54  or  54 A may be eliminated. If desired, the adjacent units may be mechanically fastened as outlined hereinbefore.  
         [0072]    If the wall section  36  is prefabricated the columns  68  and  70 , the header  80 , and the sill plate  56  are welded or otherwise suitably coupled together “in-house” to facilitate shipping. If the modules  10  are individually shipped to the building site, the wall section  36  is assembled at the building site. If desired, an additional sell plate (not shown) and header could be mounted atop the foundation  64  and the header  80  (not shown) to span several prefabricated in-line wall sections  36 .  
       The Method  
       [0073]    A plurality of triangularly shaped stackable building wall modules or units, such as that illustrated at  10  in FIGS.  1 - 3 , constructed and stacked together as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 with the male ribs  48  received by the female troughs  46  of the adjacent abutting units  10 . The modules  10  are stacked in the vertical plane  44  to provide an upstanding wall section  36 .  
         [0074]    The wall section  36  can be prefabricated in-house and shipped to the building site or shipped as individual components which are assembled at the building site as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Although only three different size modules  10  are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, it should be realized that any number of various size triangular modules  10  could be assembled in various relationships depending upon the particular application.  
         [0075]    The modules  10  can be prefabricated with the insulation layer  49 , interior panels (not shown) exterior sheathing  57 , and appropriate heating and ventilating ducts, and openings  53  for receiving wiring and plumbing pipes  
         [0076]    The exterior panels are selected and constructed so as to complementally mate with similar parts on an adjacent module  10  to provide internal joints that can be mudded and taped as in any conventional drywall construction. Likewise, the exterior sheathing  57  will complementally mate with the sheathing  57  to provide a smooth exterior building surface. The apertures  53  can be pre-engineered and located so as to be in alignment with the apertures  53  of an adjacent module  10 .  
         [0077]    The modules  10  are quickly and easily aligned in the plane  44  via the complementally formed troughs  46  and male ribs  60  which also inhibit relative shifting of the stacking modules  10 . The outer abutting faces or surfaces  21  provide a relatively large bearing area which will support a substantial load.  
         [0078]    The modules  10  can be cast or molded from carbon, plastic or graphite or assembled from individual panels  12 ,  14  and  16  which are welded at their abutting short ends  24  and  26 .  
       Modified Embodiment  
       [0079]    Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 9, 10,  11 , a slightly modified stabilizing triangularly shaped stackable building wall unit, generally designated  10 A, is illustrated and generally similar parts will be referred to by generally similar reference characters followed by the letter subscript A. The module  10 A differs from the module  10  in that the planar sheet  18 A does not include the aligning and stabilizing members  40  which have the female trough  46  and the male rib  48  for aligning the modules and preventing lateral shifting. This embodiment is more likely to be assembled “inhouse” into a wall section which is then sent to a building site. The cross section of each individual sheet  18 A is illustrated in FIG. 11 and the cross section of the abutting sheets  18 A of adjacent modules  10 A is illustrated in FIG. 12. If desired, an epoxy layer  54 A is sprayed on the confronting exterior surfaces  21 A to bond the adjacent units  10 A together.  
         [0080]    It should be realized that the sheets  18  and  18 A could be formed in cross sections such as that illustrated in FIGS. 13, 14,  15  to include curvilinear ribs and grooves  18 B (FIG. 13), trapezoidally shaped ribs and grooves  18 C (FIG. 14), or doubled V grooves and ribs  18 D (FIG. 18D).  
         [0081]    The module  10 A further differs in that hollow tubes or pipes  59  are received by apertures  53 A and welded or otherwise fixed to the sheets  18 A of adjacent legs  12 A,  14 A and  16 A. The pipes  59  can be of differing widths than that illustrated and aligned with the openings  53 A and pipes  59  in an adjacent unit to provide wire, plumbing, or heating, ventilating and air conditioning ducts.  
       Another Modified Embodiment  
       [0082]    Referring now more particularly to FIG. 16, another slightly modified construction, generally designated  10 E, is illustrated and generally similar parts will be identified by generally similar reference characters followed by the letter subscript E. The unit  10 E differs in that each unit  18 E includes a plurality of apertures, generally designated  53 E, which receive hollow conduits  59 E, to provide wiring, plumbing pipes or heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning ducts. A layer of heat insulation  49 E is disposed along the outer portion  51 E of the section  18 E.  
         [0083]    The conduits  59 E will be received in the apertures  53 E and will serve as conduits for the passage of wiring between the openings  53 E and abutting members  18 E.  
         [0084]    Yet Another Embodiment  
         [0085]    Referring now more particularly to FIG. 17, yet another slightly modified embodiment 1° F. is illustrated and similar parts are identified by similar reference characters followed by the letter subscript F. The module  10 F does not include keyways or apertures in the sheets  18 F nor pipes spanning the sheets  18 F. The unit 1° F. is a below grade unit and includes a layer  49 F of heat insulation which spans the entire interior surfaces  19 E and substantially envelopes the entire inside of the unit  10 F. The unit  10 F is illustrated as including a layer of wallboard  95  mounted on the laterally inner flanges  28 F.  
         [0086]    It is to be understood that the drawings and descriptive matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.