GB2195676A

GB2195676A - Modular staging

Info

Publication number: GB2195676A
Application number: GB8624363A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Talbot Fitton
Original assignee: NEWELL DUNFORD Ltd
Current assignee: NEWELL DUNFORD Ltd
Priority date: 1986-10-10
Filing date: 1986-10-10
Publication date: 1988-04-13
Also published as: GB8624363D0

Abstract

The staging comprises a plurality of standardized units adapted to be assembled together to form a waste collection accessing structure. Ramps (1) for cars and the like lead to a drive-on surface formed by a plurality of platforms (2). Walk-on platforms (4) project from the drive-on area provided by the platforms (2) as jetties adjacent which can be deposited skips to be filled with waste material. The platforms and ramps are of a modular structure such that any particular arrangement can be provided in a particular location as required at the minimum of expense with the platforms being relatively readily demountable and moveable should the site need to be reorganised or repositioned. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Modular civic amenity structure This invention relates to a modular civic amenity structure and in particular to a manner of using a plurality of standardized units to provide a facility for the disposal of bulky domestic waste.

In the last few years Local Authorities have been providing facilities for the general public to dispose of bulky domestic waste. Typical materials which are disposed of in this way are old furniture, mattresses, gross garden waste, DIY waste, building rubble etc. In the main this material is bulky material which is not collected with normal domestic waste in dustbins.

Typically a civic amenity area is an areaof Local Authority land on which are provided a collection of skips into which the general public deposit their waste. In its simplest form the civic amenity complex may consist of three of four skips on a piece of waste ground to which the general public come in cars and deposit waste into the skips. More sophisticated versions of civic amenity complexes provide a raised area for the cars to allow easier access to the containers which are placed in a convenient lower position.

These more sophisticated complexes can also sometimes include separate receptacles for recoverable materials such as cardboard, paper and glass.

Various problems have been found with these sites i.e.

a) to provide an easy exit for the vehicles which collect the filled skips without interfering with the general public access.

b) safe separation of the general public and their vehicles from the movement of the large refuse container vehicles, and c) to provide a site which is environmentally acceptable and is designed in such a way so as to avoid random depositing of waste outside the skips by the public and the carrying of windblown material into the neighbouring areas.

The present invention relates to the provision of modular units consisting of ramps, roadways and pedestian areas to permit rapid and simple errection of a civic amenity site containing the basic elements of a safe and environmentally acceptable design. Using the modular structure of the present invention there is no need to use expensive civil construction techniques eg. extensive investment in concrete ramps, roadways and pedestrian acces walkways, which methods of construction would require planning permission and take a long time to organise without the flexibility possible with the present invention.

According to the present invention there is provided a civic amenity modular structure comprising a plurality of standardized units adapted to be assembled together to form a waste collection accessing structure, said units comprising at least one platform of a predetermined height adapted to provide a drive-on surface for cars and similar vehicles, at least one ramp mountable adjacent said platform to provide a drive-on slope from ground level to said platform, and a further elongate platform mountable adjacent said first platform and provided with a walk-on surface whereby in use the or at least one first platform has at least one of said second platforms projecting therefrom as a jetty whereby a person carrying refuse from a vehicle on the first platform can readily dispose of it from the second platform into a skip or the like parked adjacent said second platform.

Conveniently such a modular structure could be assembled using four standard structure steel modules consisting of the vehicle module, or first platform, a pedestrian module, or second platform, a corner module and a ramp module. Each module would comprise a top section, a bottom section, and support legs bolted together to form the various modules with the tops of the modules being covered with load carrying plate on the vehicle modules and plain plate with anti-slip covering on the pedestrian modules. By providing a comparatively flat site, preferably with a concrete pad or base, the modules can readily be assembled and secured to each other. Thus the assembled modules could be located on the base with foundation bolts and levelled with packing.After the required layout has been assembled hand railing, kicking plates and crash barriers would be fitted onto the modules and the open sided construction could then also be clad with materials of the client's choice, for example timber, metal sheet or rubber coated metal.

The invention will be described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of an amenity complex utilizing the modular structure of the present invention; and Figure 2 is an exploded fragmentary view showing the various modules used to form the structure of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 a complex is shown having a boundary fence 23, typically a wire mesh fence. This complex is provided with entry gates 20 and exit gates 22 for the use of vehicles of people depositing waste at the complex and gates 24 for use by the local authority vehicles to be used to take skips and the like into and away from the site. The modular complex itself comprises a plurality of ramp modules 1 which lead from ground level to a vehicle bearing level comprised of a plurality of rectangular platforms 2 and triangular planform platforms 3, the structure of which will dIscussed in greater detail later. Projecting from the vehicle area are a plurality of elon gated rectangular pedestrian platform modules 4 forming bays adapted to receive skips.In Figure 1 a plurality of skips 26 are shown in these bays with further skips 27 being shown elsewhere on the site ready to be used to replace extracted full skips. A truck 25 is shown as taking a full skip away from one of the bays. The pedestrian platforms are provided with railings which may extend along the side or just at the end of the platform depending upon the manner of use of the particular platform. Thus if high sided skips are normally located beside the length of the platforms no railings would be reuqired at that point as the skips themselves would act to protect pedestians from falling from the platform. The ramps and vehicle bearing area are provided with crash barriers 10 to avoid the risk of vehicles falling from the platforms.

Also referring to Figure 1 there is shown a tank 30 for the receipt of waste oil and also containers 31 fed with chutes 32 for the receipt of different types of useful waste, for example glass of different colours.

The structure of the various modules can better be appreciated from Figure 2. In this Figure there is shown a ramp 1 having a metal support frame and a heavy duty vehicle bearing plate upper surface 6. A similar heavy duty plate upper surface 6 is provided for a rectangular platform 2 and a triangular platform 3, these platforms also having metal support structure 5. A pedestrian elongate platform 4 is shown as having a walk-on antislip surface 10 supported by metal structure 5. Posts 11 are boltable to the ramps 1 and platforms 2 and 3 for the support crash barriers 10.Railings 12 provided with uprights 13 are mountable on the pedestrian platforms 4 and, as indicated above, may simply comprise an end portion or, as shown in the Figure, both an end portion and a side portion, depending upon the particular manner of use intended of these pedestrian platforms or jetties. The sides of the platforms and ramps are preferrably covered with sheeting which will normally be either timber or metal as shown at 9 in Figure 2.

The various modules may be bolted together and also are preferably bolted and secured to a firm foundation base, for example a pad of concrete. With this modular construction the site can be prepared fairly quickly for use in collecting waste materials and the particular arrangement can be modified easily by using further modules or re-assembling the modules already present should this prove desirable. If the site is only used for a relatively limited period of time the modules can then be re-used elsewhere as required in order to provide a complex which can be efficiently used by the public to dispose of waste material and yet in which the public and their vehicles are kept separated from the heavy duty vehicles and skips used to collect the waste.

Claims

1. A civic amenity modular structure comprising a plurality of standardized units adapted to be assembled together to form a waste collection accessing structure, said units comprising at least one platform of a predetermined height adapted to provide a drive-on surface for cars and similar vehicles, at least one ramp mountable adjacent said platform to provide a drive-on slope from ground level to said platform, and a further elongate platform mountable adjacent said first platform and provided with a walk-on surface whereby in use the or at least one first platform has at least one of said second platforms projecting therefrom as a jetty whereby a person carrying refuse from a vehicle on the first platform can readily dispose of it from the second platform into a skip or the like parked adjacent said second platform.

2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the or each second platform is of the same height as the first platform.

3. A structure according to either preceding claim, wherein the each or each first planform is rectangular in plan view and a third, vehicle bearing, platform is provided having a triangular planform and of the same height as the first platform.

4. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein railings are provided for an end and/or side of the or each second platform.

5. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein a crash barrier is provided for the sides of the ramp and first platform.

6. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of said first platforms and a plurality of said ramps are provided for provision of a drive-on drive-off elevated surface for users vehicles.

7. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of said second platforms are provided for the provision of a plurality of skip receiving bays.

9. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each ramp and first platform is comprised of a metal structure with a vehicle bearing metal plate upper surface.

9. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each second platform has an upper surface comprised of a plane plate provided with an anti-slip covering.

10. A structure according to any preceding claim, assembled with the various standardized units secured adjacent one another.

11. A structure according to claim 8, wherein the units are bolted together.

12. A structure according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the units are secured to the ground.

13. A structure according to any preceding claim, wherein the units are secured to a supporting level concrete surface.

14. A civic amenity modular structure con structed and arranged substantially as herein before described with reference to and asillustrated in the accompanying drawings.