GB2357094A

GB2357094A - Buoyant building for flood protection

Info

Publication number: GB2357094A
Application number: GB9928999A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Meere
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-12-08
Filing date: 1999-12-08
Publication date: 2001-06-13
Anticipated expiration: 2019-12-08
Also published as: GB2357094B; GB9928999D0

Abstract

A building (4) that is able to be lifted up by flood-water instead of being inundated has a support member (18) that acts as a cap on an open-topped tank (2, fig 1, not shown) positioned below the building (4). The walls and base of the tank have in them ducts (14) for the inflow and outflow of flood-water into the tank (2). The support member (18) has projecting into the interior of the tank at least one buoyancy chamber (20), so that when flood-water enters the tank (2), the buoyancy provided by the chamber (20) is sufficient to lift and support the building. The movement of the support (18) may be constrained laterally by vertical guides secured to the tank (2) and contacted by anti-friction members movable with the building. One set of guides may carry rollers. The support member (18) may carry a series of interconnected ballast chambers, where water can be transferred between chambers to counter any tendency of the building to tilt as it is lifted vertically.

Description

2357094 B4tuilding,, This invention relates to buoyant buildings, and

particularly to houses, etc. that normally rest on foundations but which, in time of flood, are able to rise and fall with the floodwater.

At present, buildings are not able to be built in areas subject to periodic flooding, ever when such land is located in desirable positions.

The present invention aims at overcoming this restriction on building land by providing houses and like buildings which look and function as normal buildings but which, in time of flood, are able to be lifted by the floodwater from their apparent foundations, and ride on its surface until it subsides.

Accordingly the present invention provides buoyant buildings which are as claimed in the appended claims.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a tank forming the virtual foundations of one building which is an embodiment of this invention; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section through a house adapted to sit on the tank of Fig.

1 Figure 3 is a like cross-section through the house of Fig. 2, taken at right angles thereto, and Figure 4 is a view of the house of Fig. 3 when lifted from its virtual foundations by floodwater.

While the tank 2 of Fig. 1 may be formed off-site, and lowered into a suitable hole at the intended location of the associated house 4, it is preferred to form the tank, by 2 conventional building techniques, on site and of concrete or like strong material. The tank has vertical walls 6 and a base 8. Forming part of the tank are two extensions 10, of which one allows access for maintenance, and the other acts as a manhole for incoming services, such as electricity, water, gas, telephones. The manner in which the services are supplied to the house, in a manner which preserves their integrity despite the vertical movement of the house under the action of floodwater, does not form part of the subject-matter of this invention, and so will not be described herein in any further detail. If a manhole were provided, it would facilitate easy visual inspection of the level of any water in the tank, which could give notice of an impending flood.

Bolted or otherwise secured to the walls 6 of the tank are four guide rails 12 of U shaped cross-section. Each of these rails extends vertically.

As shown in Fig. 2, located at the base of the walls 6 is a series of horizontal ducts 14. During the formation of the tank, each of the outer faces of the walls has pressing on it a permeable material 16 provided as a backfill. While this backfill may be firm enough to support a lawn-mower, etc., its primary function is to be sufficiently permeable for flood- or ground-water to penetrate it and flow into the ducts 14, thus tending to fill the tank over a period.

Sitting on the upper faces of the walls 6 is a support member 18 in the form of a reinforced floor plate that takes the weight of the house 4. The member 18 is reinforced, and/or provided with bracing members (not shown), to ensure that, while it is supported only at its boundaries, the plate remains flat, and is not bowed by the weight of the overlying parts of the house.

Projecting downwardly from the plate 18 is a body 20 of lightweight impermeable material, such as expended polystyrene. The exposed surfaces of body 20 may be sheathed with a suitable protective material, to prevent the body from being damaged. In an alternative embodiment, the body 20 may be replaced or supplemented by securing one or more hollow chambers to the plate 18. Such a chamber may be made of concrete, steel or other waterproof material, and it may be intended to function as a basement to the building, and used as such. What matters 3 is that the body 20 or other buoyancy providers are effective to provide lift to the plate when they become partially immersed in the water that enters the tank 2.

Preferably the volume of the body 20 is significantly less than the volume of the tank interior, to leave spaces outside the body or chambers sufficiently large to allow access to the tank interior when the tank is dry, for maintenance or like purposes.

Although not shown in the drawings, the plate 2 may have several separate chambers secured to its underside. These chambers would be spaced apart around the plate perimeter, and their function would be to ensure that the centre of gravity of the building is vertically aligned with the centre of thrust of the buoyancy provided by floodwater in the tank. For this purpose, the chambers would be interconnected to each other and to a water pump, by means of appropriate valves. When the building is being lifted hydraulically by flood (or test) water, any misalignment of the two centres would tend to cause the building to tilt, and possibly jam in the upright guides 12. This tendency is detected by suitable sensors, and these produce signals leading to ballast water being pumped into and out or the appropriate chambers to counter the tilting moment.

Although the balancing chambers or the basement chamber may be intended to rest of the floor of the tank when it is dry, it is within the purview of this invention for vertical props or chocks to be provided on the base of the tank. These props may be intended to come into load-bearing contact with the plate 18 when the tank is empty, to transfer some of the weight of the house to the tank base, thus enabling the buoyancy chambers to be of lighter construction than would be the case if they had to transmit load to the base as well as holding water or providing buoyancy.

Secured to the plate 18 are the various structural members from which the remaining parts of the building are formed. None of these other members is secured to the ground so that, when the weight of the house 4 and body 20 becomes balanced by the upthrust on the body from the displacement of water, the plate, and all supported by it, is able to lift off the tank as the water level rises. Secured to light steel framing within the external walls of the house are internal guide rails 22. As shown in Fig. 1, these carry rollers 24 that are able to roll on the inner faces of the guide rails 12, should the house be displaced laterally, when it is floating on the water, sufficiently to 4 bring some of the rollers into contact with the downwind rails 12. Each set of two guide rails 12 and 22 extends vertically for such a height as may be necessary to accommodate the highest expected flood. In many cases, this would mean that the rails have their upper ends above roof level. In accordance with one aspect of this invention, these projecting ends are rendered visually acceptable by enclosing them in false chimneys 26.

When in its usual position, in dry weather, the appearance of the house may be improved by providing non-load-bearing walls 28 on top of at least some of the tank walls. These 'false' walls 28 shield the lower parts of the guide rails from view. As the house has to be built mainly from timber to reduce its mass, the walls 28 may be built from brick or stone to give a pleasing texture andlor colour.

It will thus be seen that this invention provides a house which is not able to be inundated and yet which is of unexceptionable appearance when there are no floods or excess ground water.

Claims

1 A buoyant building located on a reinforced support member that functions as a liftable cap on an open-top tank either let into the ground or formed in situ, the walls and/or base of the tank having jn them ducts for the inflow and outflow of flood water, the support member having at least one buoyancy chamber projecting into the interior of the tank when empty, the total buoyancy provided by the chamber(s) being sufficient, as the tank fills with flood water, to lift the support and building upwardly from the tank.

2 A building as claimed in claim 1, in which movement of the support laterally of the tank is constrained by the side surfaces of the buoyancy chamber coming into contact with the walls of the tank.

3 A building as claimed in claim 1, in which movement of the support laterally of the tank is constrained by vertical guides secured to the tank and contacted by anti friction members movable with the building.

4 A building as claimed in claim 3, in which guide rails movable with the building co6perate with the said guides.

A building as claimed in claim 4, in which one set of guide members carries rollers rotatable about horizontal axes, the rollers being able to come into contact with an inner face of the opposing guide member to limit lateral movement of the building, when floating, towards the respective guide member.

6 A building as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the support member carries a series of interconnected ballast chambers having means for transferring water between them to counter any tendency of the building to tilt as it is being lifted vertically by floodwater.

7 A buoyant building substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 1-4 of the accompanying drawings.