Abstract:
An improved building technique includes setting at least one wall for a building into a final position, and then subsequently match-casting a foundation or floor for the building, the foundation/floor being in contact with the base of the wall and helping to secure the wall.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/295,167 to John HANBACK entitled “ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION USING PRECISION ADJUSTMENT, JOINING AND STRENGTHENING TECHNIQUES” and filed on Jan. 15, 2010, the content of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    I. Field 
         [0003]    This disclosure relates to advanced construction techniques. 
         [0004]    II. Background 
         [0005]    Basically, the art of construction has varied little since the Roman times, where buildings were constructed by placing bricks upon bricks using some form of mortar to join and hold the bricks together, and by casting concrete structures on a building sight. Some of the few innovations include the development of modular housing, and the creation of double-wide trailers. 
         [0006]    While there has been some real innovation with a number of “modern” building techniques, such as those that were used to construct the world trade towers, the art of construction is rife with stagnation. Architects, structural engineers and construction companies are loathe to innovation in order to minimize risks and cost overruns. While constant improvement has been made incrementally with respect to items such as cheaper building materials, e.g., particle board, better insulation and so on, the art of construction has natural barriers to inventiveness when it comes to new paradigms of construction. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Various aspects and embodiments of the invention are described in further detail below. In an embodiment, an improved building technique includes setting at least one wall (or portion of a wall) for a building to a final position, and then subsequently match-casting a foundation and/or a floor for the building, the foundation/floor being in contact with the base of the wall and operable to secure the position of the wall. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The features and nature of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which reference characters identify corresponding items. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  depicts various components of a building to be assembled. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  depicts details of a floor plate leveling device, and details of a wall in context with the floor plate. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  depicts details of wall structures including an internal concrete pour that includes a number of columns linked together with a beam. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of an exemplary first type of wall. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of an exemplary first type of wall. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6A  is a plan view of an exemplary sloping roof. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6B  is a side view of the exemplary sloping roof of  FIG. 6A . 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  depicts a flowchart outlining a number of operations for constructing structures. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The disclosed methods and systems below may be described generally, as well as in terms of specific examples and/or specific embodiments. For instances where references are made to detailed examples and/or embodiments, it should be appreciated that any of the underlying principals described are not to be limited to a single embodiment, but may be expanded for use with any of the other methods and systems described herein as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise stated specifically. 
         [0018]    For the purpose of clarity, the following definitions are provided: 
         [0019]    Member: (noun): a structure that may be made of concrete, steel or any combination of materials useful in the construction arts that is formed prior to integration into a building. For example: a concrete T-shaped beam formed at a molding plant, then transported to be integrated into a bridge may be referred to as a structural “member”. 
         [0020]    Pour (noun): a structure formed in-situ by pouring concrete or other similar material (e.g., a geopolymer) into a retaining area (e.g., between two stay-in-place forms) and later allowed to harden into a solid structure. For example: concrete placed into an area defining a floor of a building at the exact building location may be considered a floor “pour”. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  depicts various components of a building  100  to be assembled. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the components include a floor plate  110 , a first-story wall structure  130 , a portion of a second-story wall structure  140  and a ceiling structure  150  that includes a first ceiling structure  150 - 1  and a second ceiling wall structure  150 - 2 . Each of the first ceiling structure  150 - 1  and the second ceiling wall structure  150 - 2  include stiffening members  154  having access holes  156 , and the second ceiling wall structure  150 - 2  has an access plate  152  embedded within it such that a person or device on an upper story may gain ready access to the space immediately below. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  depicts details of a floor plate leveling device for the floor plate  110  of  FIG. 1 , and details of the wall  130  in context with the floor plate  110 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the leveling device includes an adjustment screw  204  embedded within the floor plate  110  extending downward to a ball-and-socket joint, which in turn secures a footing plate  202 . The floor plate  110  may include optional holes  112  in order to make reduce weight. The floor plate  110  may also include locator buttons  208  to help properly align wall  130 , as well as metal prongs  206  useable to secure wall  130  to the floor plate  110 . 
         [0023]    Wall  130  has four major components including an inner wall  238 , a chamber  236 , an internal wall  234 , an insulation barrier  232 , and an outer façade wall  230 . The outer façade wall  230  and insulation barrier  232  can be secured to the inner wall using anchors  240  and guides  242 . Complementary locator contours  208 - 2  may be formed to help align the wall  130  to floor plate  110 . 
         [0024]    Jumping to  FIG. 7 , a flowchart outlining a number of operations usable to assemble the components depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is provided. The process starts in step S 100  where various components (e.g., floor plates, various walls for various stories of a building, ceiling (a.k.a. upper floor) structures may be cast. Such components may be cast in a special facility to enable the appropriate humidity and heat profiles over time in a curing process usable to create high strength concrete well beyond the 6,000-10,000 PSI concrete that is typically created without such processing. Further assembly, e.g., the addition of the floor leveling devices and addition of insulation barriers and facades may also occur. Control continues to step S 102 . 
         [0025]    In step S 102 , a construction site may be appropriately prepared, which may involve the formation of various footer trenches, the addition of base materials, e.g., fine gravel or sand, and the leveling of such materials in the footer trenches. Next, in step S 104 , various base plates may be appropriately placed on the prepared construction site. The number and placement of such floor plate may vary from building to building and given the (x, y) dimensions of the floor plates. For example, should the floor plates be 8 feet by 20 feet, and a 40 foot by 40 foot building be desired, a 5-by-2 array floor plates may be used noting that such floor plates may abut one another. Control continues to step S 106 . 
         [0026]    In step S 106 , various leveling devices located at each end (or corner) of each floor plate may be appropriately adjusted so as to adjust each individual floor plate to be level as well as to level the overall floor of the desired building. Next, in step S 108 , a footer pour may be cast/poured so as to lock the pre-cast floor plates in place and together noting that, depending on the particular geometries involved, large holes in the pre-cast floor plates may be used to allow rebar and the locking concrete to pass across certain portions. Control continues to step S 110 . 
         [0027]    In step S 110 , a number of pre-cast wall segments/members may be placed over the floor plates, and ceiling plates may be added as well so as to construct one or more stories of the building. The wall segments/members may be aligned to the floor plates using the locator buttons seen in  FIG. 2 . Once the other members are placed over the floor plates, concrete may then be poured (step S 112 ) to form a system of rigid columns within the walls, and should the wall members be appropriately designed, internal beams may be formed in the same pour. Such a system of columns and connecting beam may be seen in  FIG. 3 , where the design of the inner wall chamber  236  (see left-hand and top (plan) drawings, may give rise to a single structure having beam  138  connecting columns  236 - 1  to  236 - 4 . Note that for present embodiment, column chambers  304  may be lined with an expansion layer to allow for thermal expansion and contraction. 
         [0028]    Jumping to  FIG. 4 , a plan view of an “outside” wall structure is shown, and  FIG. 5  shows an interior wall structure. Again, note the placement of a liner to allow for thermal expansion for both structures. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6A  is a plan view of an exemplary sloping roof.  FIG. 6B  is a side view of the exemplary sloping roof of  FIG. 6A . As seen in  FIG. 6B  the roof includes a lower member  612  and an upper member  610  connected by a series of separating members  616 . An insulative material may be place in chambers  620 , and insulation pads  622  used with the separating members  616  to minimize heat transfer. Atop the upper member  610  may lie a patterned member  630  having a sawtooth look. The sawtooth pattern in useful in that shingles having a uniform thickness (as opposed to a tapered thickness) may be used. Generally, such tiles may be places atop the patterned member  630  an affixed using screws, adhesive, locking pins, or any other known or later developed manner. 
         [0030]    What has been described above includes examples of one or more embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the aforementioned embodiments, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of various embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the described embodiments are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.