Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/02—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials
  • E04C2/04—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials of concrete or other stone-like material; of asbestos cement; of cement and other mineral fibres
  • E04C2/043—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials of concrete or other stone-like material; of asbestos cement; of cement and other mineral fibres of plaster
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/30—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure
  • E04C2/34—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure composed of two or more spaced sheet-like parts
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/02—Structures consisting primarily of load-supporting, block-shaped, or slab-shaped elements
  • E04B1/08—Structures consisting primarily of load-supporting, block-shaped, or slab-shaped elements the elements consisting of metal
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/343—Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport
  • E04B1/34315—Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport characterised by separable parts
  • E04B1/34321—Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport characterised by separable parts mainly constituted by panels
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/343—Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport
  • E04B1/34336—Structures movable as a whole, e.g. mobile home structures
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/38—Connections for building structures in general
  • E04B1/61—Connections for building structures in general of slab-shaped building elements with each other
  • E04B1/6108—Connections for building structures in general of slab-shaped building elements with each other the frontal surfaces of the slabs connected together
  • E04B1/612—Connections for building structures in general of slab-shaped building elements with each other the frontal surfaces of the slabs connected together by means between frontal surfaces
  • E04B1/6179—Connections for building structures in general of slab-shaped building elements with each other the frontal surfaces of the slabs connected together by means between frontal surfaces with protrusions and recesses on each frontal surface
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B9/00—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation
  • E04B9/001—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation characterised by provisions for heat or sound insulation
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B9/00—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation
  • E04B9/04—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation comprising slabs, panels, sheets or the like
  • E04B9/0464—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation comprising slabs, panels, sheets or the like having irregularities on the faces, e.g. holes, grooves
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B9/00—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation
  • E04B9/04—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation comprising slabs, panels, sheets or the like
  • E04B9/0478—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation comprising slabs, panels, sheets or the like of the tray type
  • E04B9/0485—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation comprising slabs, panels, sheets or the like of the tray type containing a filling element
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B9/00—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation
  • E04B9/22—Connection of slabs, panels, sheets or the like to the supporting construction
  • E04B9/24—Connection of slabs, panels, sheets or the like to the supporting construction with the slabs, panels, sheets or the like positioned on the upperside of, or held against the underside of the horizontal flanges of the supporting construction or accessory means connected thereto
  • E04B9/241—Connection of slabs, panels, sheets or the like to the supporting construction with the slabs, panels, sheets or the like positioned on the upperside of, or held against the underside of the horizontal flanges of the supporting construction or accessory means connected thereto with the slabs, panels, sheets or the like positioned on the upperside of the horizontal flanges of the supporting construction
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B9/00—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation
  • E04B9/30—Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation characterised by edge details of the ceiling; e.g. securing to an adjacent wall
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/30—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure
  • E04C2/40—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure composed of a number of smaller components rigidly or movably connected together, e.g. interlocking, hingedly connected of particular shape, e.g. not rectangular of variable shape or size, e.g. flexible or telescopic panels
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/44—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the purpose
  • E04C2/52—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the purpose with special adaptations for auxiliary purposes, e.g. serving for locating conduits
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D3/00—Roof covering by making use of flat or curved slabs or stiff sheets
  • E04D3/35—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation
  • E04D3/351—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation at least one of the layers being composed of insulating material, e.g. fibre or foam material
  • E04D3/352—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation at least one of the layers being composed of insulating material, e.g. fibre or foam material at least one insulating layer being located between non-insulating layers, e.g. double skin slabs or sheets
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D3/00—Roof covering by making use of flat or curved slabs or stiff sheets
  • E04D3/35—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation
  • E04D3/357—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation comprising hollow cavities
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D3/00—Roof covering by making use of flat or curved slabs or stiff sheets
  • E04D3/35—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation
  • E04D3/358—Roofing slabs or stiff sheets comprising two or more layers, e.g. for insulation with at least one of the layers being offset with respect to another layer
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H1/00—Buildings or groups of buildings for dwelling or office purposes; General layout, e.g. modular co-ordination or staggered storeys
  • E04H1/12—Small buildings or other erections for limited occupation, erected in the open air or arranged in buildings, e.g. kiosks, waiting shelters for bus stops or for filling stations, roofs for railway platforms, watchmen's huts or dressing cubicles
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H1/00—Buildings or groups of buildings for dwelling or office purposes; General layout, e.g. modular co-ordination or staggered storeys
  • E04H1/12—Small buildings or other erections for limited occupation, erected in the open air or arranged in buildings, e.g. kiosks, waiting shelters for bus stops or for filling stations, roofs for railway platforms, watchmen's huts or dressing cubicles
  • E04H2001/1283—Small buildings of the ISO containers type
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H3/00—Buildings or groups of buildings for public or similar purposes; Institutions, e.g. infirmaries or prisons
  • E04H3/08—Hospitals, infirmaries, or the like; Schools; Prisons

Definitions

• Various embodiments are described herein that relates generally to at least one of improved wall panels, roof systems, ceiling systems and floor systems and combinations thereof for making custom enclosures that may be used for portable, permanent and semi-permanent structures including, but not limited to, shipping containers and various types of dwellings, medical units such as portable intensive care units (ICUs) and operating rooms (ORs), step down or isolation rooms, long-term care units, and other segregated isolation chambers, and systems thereof as well as non-medical uses.
• ICUs portable intensive care units
• ORs operating rooms
• step down or isolation rooms long-term care units
• other segregated isolation chambers and systems thereof as well as non-medical uses.
• Mobile structural units can be helpful in providing temporary structures during times of need.
• the mobile structural unit is a mobile medical unit such as, but not limited to, mobile intensive care units (ICUs) or operating rooms (ORs)
• ICUs mobile intensive care units
• ORs operating rooms
• mobile structures can be useful for field medical operations, and for expanding the capacity of a permanent hospital location to enable health care workers to respond to unplanned increases in patient loads.
• FIG. 1 Various embodiments are described in accordance with the teachings herein that generally relate to improved wall panels, roof systems, floor systems and/or ceiling systems for making custom enclosures for use in portable, permanent and semi-permanent structures including, but not limited to, shipping containers and medical units such as portable intensive care units (ICUs) and operating rooms (ORs), step down or isolation rooms, long-term care units, and other segregated isolation chambers, and systems thereof as well as for non-medical uses.
• ICUs portable intensive care units
• ORs operating rooms
• step down or isolation rooms long-term care units
• other segregated isolation chambers and systems thereof as well as for non-medical uses.
• a wall panel for use in a multi-panel wall system having at least two horizontally offset wall panels
• the wall panel comprises: a panel section having: front and back surfaces, the back surface being opposite the front surface; and left and right side sections include side surfaces that each extend away from the panel section and having rear surfaces extending laterally inward therefrom, at least one first interface component at the right side surface, at least one second interface component at the left side surface and at least one third interface component on each of the rear surfaces, wherein the at least one first interface component of the wall panel is adapted to releasably connect to in a lateral manner with at least one corresponding second interface component of an adjacent wall panel, and wherein the at least one third interface component of the wall panel is adapted to releasably connect to at least one corresponding third interface component on an opposing wall panel in a horizontally offset manner.
• a custom enclosure comprising: a multi-panel wall system having at least one side wall; and at least one wall panel, for use with the multi-panel wall system, the at least one wall panel comprising: a panel section having: front and back surfaces, the back surface being opposite the front surface; and left and right side sections that include side surfaces that are each extending away from the panel section and having rear surfaces extending laterally inward therefrom, at least one first interface component at the right side surface, at least one second interface component at the left side surface and at least one third interface component on each of the rear surfaces, wherein the at least one first interface component of the wall panel is adapted to connect in a lateral manner with at least one corresponding second interface component of an adjacent wall panel, and wherein the at least one third interface component of the wall panel is adapted to connect to at least one corresponding third interface component on an opposing panel in a horizontally offset manner.
• the custom enclosure further comprises: a floor system, the multi-panel wall system being connected to the floor system; a ceiling system connected to the multi-panel wall system; and a roof system connected to the ceiling system and the multi-panel wall system.
• the at least one first interface component comprises a male portion or a female portion and the at least one second interface component comprises a corresponding female or male portion.
• the male portion is a hook
• the corresponding female portion is a slot, the hook extending away from the side surface, and the slot being dimensioned to receive the hook of an adjacent wall panel.
• the at least one second interface component comprises a male portion or a corresponding female portion.
• the male portion is a hook
• the corresponding female portion is a slot, the hook extending away from the rear surface, wherein the slot is dimensioned to receive the hook of another wall panel.
• the third interface component on each rear surface is a male portion or a corresponding female portion.
• the male portion is a hook
• the corresponding female portion is a slot, the hook extending away from the rear surface, wherein the slot is dimensioned to receive the hook of another wall panel.
• first and second interface components there are a plurality of first and second interface components along the side surfaces.
• the wall panel comprises at least one prefabricated cutout on the body to allow for installation of an electrical socket, a cable socket or a pipe socket through the interior wall panel.
• the wall panel comprises at least one cutout on at least one of the side surfaces that lines up with at least one corresponding cutout of an adjacent laterally offset wall panel to allow passage of any combination of electrical wiring, at least one cable and at least one pipe therethrough.
• the at least one first, second or third interface component is a slot that includes slits at a lower portion to allow for manufacturing tolerances.
• the wall panel is an interior wall panel or a wall panel for an internal wall and a lower portion of the side surfaces of the wall panel comprises a slot for receiving a connection component of the floor system.
• the wall panel is an exterior wall panel that comprises a lower extension portion for connection to a connection component of the floor system.
• the at least one first interface component is a female connection having a width that is larger than a corresponding male connection on an adjacent exterior wall panel to allow a male connection on an adjacent exterior wall panel to engage the female connection and then be moved forward so that a third interface connector that is a male connection is moved towards a corresponding female connection on an opposing panel.
• the first and second sides sections of the wall panel have a thickness such that the wall panels in the first and second wall panel layers are spaced apart in a horizontally offset manner providing a cavity therebetween that is large enough to accommodate placement of insulation, electrical wiring, water and/or gas piping, electrical boxes, electrical devices, at least one other infrastructure component or any combination thereof.
• the wall panel is an intermediate wall panel.
• the intermediate wall panel also includes at least one intermediate interface component at a front surface near a first side surface and at least one other intermediate interface component at a second side of the front surface to allow for attachment in a horizontally offset manner to at least one corresponding third interface component of another wall panel.
• the intermediate wall panel is coupled in a laterally offset manner to another intermediate wall panel.
• the interface components on side surfaces of the wall panel are vertically aligned with one another.
• the interface components on side surfaces of the wall panel are laterally offset with respect to one another.
• the interface components on side surfaces of the wall panel are vertically aligned with one another or laterally offset with respect to one another.
• some of the laterally offset interface components are located in groups at upper and lower end portions of the side surfaces of the wall panels.
• the interface components on side surfaces of the wall panel are laterally offset with respect to one another and located in groups at upper and/or lower end portions of the side surfaces of the wall panels.
• the wall panel is used in an internal wall and the wall panel comprises a bottom tab that is directed inwardly from a side surface for connection to a portion of the floor system and for holding contents within the wall panel.
• the custom enclosure further comprises a wall panel system for use as in an exterior wall section, the wall panel system comprising: an exterior wall panel layer having a plurality of laterally connected exterior wall panels; an exterior plate layer having a plurality of exterior plates that are horizontally offset and attached to the exterior wall panels; a wood structure that is connected to the exterior plate layer, the wood structure comprising wood studs; and a drywall layer having a plurality of drywall sheets that are attached to the wood structure.
• the wall panel system further comprises: a steel stud layer having a plurality of steel studs; and at least one additional drywall layer attached to the steel stud layer.
• insulation is included in the exterior wall panel layer, the wood structure, the steel stud layer or any combination thereof.
• the exterior wall panel layer has a first height and the wood structure has a second height shorter than the first height, the wood structure having a top surface for receiving an upper longitudinal support beam that is adapted for receiving cross beams that form part of a roof support structure and the longitudinal support beam is adjacent an inner surface of the exterior plate layer.
• the wall panel system further comprises a rain cap member that is above and extends longitudinally along the exterior wall panel layer.
• the wall panel is made from (a) metals including aluminum, marine grade aluminum or steel, (b) polymer materials including carbon fiber, thermoplastic or carbon-fiber based thermoplastic, (c) composite materials, (d) recycled materials or (e) 3D printed material.
• the wall panel has a powder coating, a spray coating or is galvanized.
• the wall panel is made using 3D printing.
• a wall system comprising: a first layer of wall panels having at least one wall panel structured according to a first wall panel type; and a second layer of wall panels having at least one wall panel structured according to a second wall panel type, wherein the wall panels are defined according to one or more of the embodiments described herein.
• the wall system comprises an intermediate wall panel layer that is attached in a horizontally offset manner to an interior wall panel layer.
• the wall system comprises an intermediate wall panel layer that is attached in a horizontally offset manner to another intermediate wall panel layer.
• the wall system comprises an intermediate wall panel layer that is attached in a horizontally offset manner to an exterior wall panel layer.
• the wall system comprises an interior wall panel layer that is attached in a horizontally offset manner to an exterior wall panel layer.
• the wall panels in the interior wall panel layer are made of a different material than the wall panels in the exterior wall panel layer.
• the wall system comprises an interior wall panel layer, one or more intermediate wall panel layers and an exterior wall panel layer and each wall panel layer is made using different materials and/or housing different materials.
• one of the wall panel layers is an insulation wall panel layer, a bullet resistant wall panel layer or an explosion absorbing wall panel layer.
• the wall panels in one wall panel layer have a different depth compared to the wall panels in another wall panel layer.
• a seal including silicon or another sealant material is applied between at least two adjacent laterally offset wall panels.
• a custom enclosure comprising at least one set of upper longitudinal support beams for at least one side wall, where each upper longitudinal support beam has a first portion for connecting to a portion of the side wall of the wall system and a second portion for receiving a portion of the roof system to form a portion of an enclosure for the custom enclosure.
• the at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprises a top section, an outer side, an inner side, and a lateral shelf extending from the inner side, the outer side having a first length that is smaller than a second length of the inner side and the first and second sides being spaced apart to form a channel therebetween.
• the at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprises a wall adjacent to the lateral shelf that is vertical or angled and a ledge at the upper edge of the wall where the wall is spaced apart from the inner side to form a tray.
• the inner side comprises at least one aperture for access to a corresponding at least one aperture in the at least one side wall to allow for components to pass from the at least one side wall to the tray.
• the roof system comprises roof panels having truncated lower baskets that are recessed from a far edge of the roof panels such that when the far edge of the roof panels overly the at least one upper longitudinal support member a far end of the truncated lower baskets is adjacent to the inner side of the at least one upper longitudinal support member, and a lower surface of the truncated lower baskets overlies the tray of the at least one upper longitudinal support member and includes at least one aperture for allowing the components to pass between the tray and an inner region of the truncated lower baskets.
• the at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprises a downward angled edge at a bottom of the outer side to deflect water or snow from an exterior surface of the at least one side wall.
• an upper portion of the at least one side wall of the wall system is slidably received within the channel of the at least one upper longitudinal support beam.
• a spacer is disposed between an upper portion of the at least one side wall of the wall system and the underside of the top section to increase a height of the sidewall for changing an angle of the roof system.
• the top section is angled for changing an angle of the roof system.
• a lower portion of the roof system is placed on the top section of the longitudinal support beam.
• the custom enclosure comprises a ceiling system having a plurality of ceiling panels and a portion of the ceiling system is placed on an upper edge of the lateral shelf of the at least one longitudinal support beam.
• the length of the inner side of the at least one longitudinal support beam is predefined to provide space for a cavity between the roof system and the ceiling system.
• the cavity is configured to receive insulation, electrical wiring, air and water piping, electrical devices, HVAC components, at least one other infrastructure component or any combination thereof.
• the wall system is defined according to any one or more of the embodiments described herein.
• the at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprises a downward angled edge at a bottom of the outer side to deflect water or snow from an exterior surface of the at least one side wall.
• a roof system that comprises at least one roof panel including a lower basket with a plurality of apertures to provide sound attenuation for sounds generated within the custom enclosure.
• the floor system comprises at least one sub-floor layer that is continuous or discontinuous.
• the corner support members extend at least 50% of the height of the corner formed by two abutting side walls.
• connection system for a custom enclosure
• the connection system comprises: at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprising a top surface, an outer side, an inner side, and a lateral shelf extending from the inner side, the outer side having a lateral extent that is smaller than a lateral extent of the inner side, wherein the at least one longitudinal support beam is connectable to a portion of a wall system and a portion of a roof system to form the custom enclosure.
• the lateral shelf of the at least one upper longitudinal support beam is adapted to support a portion of at least one ceiling panel.
• the at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprises a wall adjacent to the lateral shelf that is vertical or angled and a ledge at the upper edge of the wall where the wall is spaced apart from the inner side to form a tray.
• the inner side comprises at least one aperture for access to a corresponding at least one aperture in at least one side wall of the wall system to allow for components to pass from the at least one sidewall to the tray.
• the roof system comprises roof panels having truncated lower baskets that are recessed from a far edge of the roof panels such that when the far edge of the roof panels overly the at least one upper longitudinal support member a far end of the truncated lower baskets is adjacent to the inner side of the upper longitudinal support member, and a lower surface of the truncated lower baskets overlies the tray of the at least one upper longitudinal support member and includes at least one aperture for allowing the components to pass between the tray and an inner region of the truncated lower baskets.
• the at least one upper longitudinal support beam comprises a downward angled edge at a bottom of the outer side to deflect water or snow from an exterior surface of the at least one side wall.
• the inner side and the outer side are spaced apart to receive a spacer for adjusting a height of the connection system for adjusting an angle of the roof system.
• the top section is angled for changing an angle of the roof system.
• a longitudinal connection member for connecting wall panels of a wall system to at least one lower longitudinal support beam that is part of a floor system
• the longitudinal connection member comprises: a middle horizontal section that is disposed on top of and allows for connection to the at least one lower longitudinal support beam; an outer downward vertical section at a first edge of the middle horizontal section for connection to at least one exterior wall panel of the wall system; and an upward vertical section at a second opposing edge of the middle horizontal section for connection to at least one interior wall panel of the wall system.
• a method of assembling a custom enclosure comprises: assembling a floor and roof skeleton for the custom enclosure; assembling a floor system using the floor skeleton; assembling interior wall panels to form a first wall panel layer for one or more walls of the custom enclosure and connecting the interior wall panels to the floor system; installing components along cavities of the interior wall panels, where the components are used during operation of the custom enclosure; assembling exterior wall panels to form a second wall panel layer for the one or more walls of the custom enclosure and connecting the exterior wall panels to the floor system; installing a ceiling system with ceiling panels where the ceiling system is coupled to the roof skeleton; running at least some of the components from the interior wall panels to above the ceiling system; and installing a roof system having roof panels that are attachable.
• the method comprises installing upper longitudinal support members at an upper portion of the one or more walls for facilitating the connection of the ceiling system and the roof system to one or more sidewalls along the perimeter of the custom enclosure, where the upper longitudinal support members are defined according to one or more of the embodiments described herein.
• the method installing outer and inner corner support members as defined in one or more of the embodiments described herein.
• assembling the floor and roof skeleton includes installing vertical support members.
• the method comprises assembling the floor and roof skeleton comprises using lower longitudinal support members, cross members and longitudinal connection members as defined in one or more of the embodiments described herein.
• assembling the floor system comprises using a layer of corrugated sheets and at least one subfloor as defined according to any one of the embodiments described herein.
• assembling the floor system comprises installing at least one mechanical floor access panel to allow access to a space under the floor system, water supply pipes, drainage pipes, and/or at least one floor electrical access port.
• the method comprises installing one or more intermediate wall panel layers between the interior wall panels and the exterior wall panels. [00100] In at least one embodiment, the method comprises selecting larger depths for the exterior wall panels compared to the interior and intermediate wall panels.
• the method comprises using different materials for the exterior wall panels and the intermediate wall panels and/or including different materials within cavities of the exterior wall panels and the intermediate wall panels.
• the method comprises selecting the different materials to provide insulation, resistance to bullets, and/or absorption or impacts or explosions.
• the method comprises: (a) assembling the floor system, (b) separately assembling the wall system and (c) installing the assembled wall system to the floor system.
• steps (a) and (b) are performed in parallel.
• a releasably connectable roof structure comprising: a first roof structure of a first unit having a first set of longitudinal roof support beams, a first set of support brackets mounted to the first set of roof support beams and a first set of roof panels that are mounted to the first set of support brackets; a second roof structure of a second unit having a second set of longitudinal roof support beams, a second set of support brackets mounted to the second set of roof support beams and a second set of roof panels that are mounted to the second set of support brackets; and a releasable connection system that is adapted to releasably connect the first and second sets of roof support beams adjacent to one another to form a combined roof system structure from the releasable connection of the first and second units.
• the releasable connection system comprises a plurality of releasable bolts that are removably inserted along a length of the first and second sets of longitudinal roof support members.
• the releasably connectable roof structure further comprises a sealing material that is placed between facing surfaces of the first and second sets of longitudinal roof support members before the releasable connection system is applied to reduce any occurrence of leaks in the releasably connectable roof structure whereby application of the releasable connection system applies a compressive force to the sealing material to improve its sealing properties.
• a wall system comprising: a first layer of wall panels having at least one wall panel structured according to a first wall panel type; and a second layer of wall panels having at least one wall panel structured according to a second wall panel type, wherein the wall panels are defined according to one of the embodiment described herein.
• connections that are made by wall panels, roof panels, ceiling panels, floor system components, upper longitudinal support members, lower longitudinal support members, or longitudinal connection members are releasable. In other embodiments described herein at least one of these connections may not be releasable.
• FIG. 3 shows a side view of a mobile unit with an end removed according to another example embodiment described in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 6A-6D show a combination of views of an exterior wall panel according to an example embodiment described herein.
• FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a portion of a wall system with one external wall panel being attached to two interior wall panels according to an example embodiment described herein.
• FIG. 9B shows a semi-transparent perspective view of the wall system of FIG. 9A.
• FIG. 10 shows a top perspective view of a wall system according to an embodiment described herein.
• FIGS. 11A-11 B show front and rear perspective views of another example embodiment of an interior wall panel for a double-panel wall system in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIGS. 11 C-11 D show rear and front perspective views of upper and lower portions of the interior wall panel of FIGS. 11 A-11 B.
• FIG. 11 E shows an upper view of the interiorwall panel of FIGS. 11A- 11 B.
• FIGS. 12A-12B show two rear perspective views of another example embodiment of an exterior wall panel for use with the interior wall panel of FIGS. 11A-11 B for forming a double-panel wall system in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 12C-12D show rear perspective views of upper portions of two opposite sides of the exterior wall panel of FIGS. 12A-12B.
• FIG. 13A shows a rear perspective view of two interior panels releasably connected together, where the two interior panels correspond to the interior panel shown in FIGS. 11A-11 D.
• FIG. 13B shows a rear perspective view of an upper portion of the two interior panels of FIG. 13A near a connection region.
• FIG. 13C shows an upper perspective view of an exterior panel at a first position when being releasably coupled to an interior panel where the exterior panel corresponds to the exterior panel shown in FIGS. 12A-12D and the interior panel corresponds to the interior panel of FIGS. 11 A-11 D.
• FIG. 13D shows an upper perspective view of the exterior panel of FIG. 13C at a second position where it is releasably coupled to the interior panel of FIG. 13C.
• FIG. 14A shows an upper perspective view of an additional exterior panel at a first position when being releasably coupled to an additional interior panel that is already coupled to a portion of a double-wall system having an interior panel and an exterior panel coupled as shown in FIG. 13D where the additional exterior panel corresponds to the exterior panel shown in FIGS. 12A- 12D and the additional interior panel corresponds to the interior panel of FIGS. 11A-11 D.
• FIG. 14B shows an upper perspective view of the additional exterior panel of FIG. 14A at a second position where it is releasably coupled to the portion of a double-wall system and the additional interior panel shown in FIG. 14A.
• FIGS. 14C-14D show views of portions of alternative example embodiments of interior wall panels.
• FIG. 14E shows a view of a portion of an alternative example embodiment of interior and/or exterior wall panels.
• FIG. 14F shows a rear perspective view of an example embodiment of an intermediate wall panel for use in forming a multi-panel wall system in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 14G shows a top view of an example embodiment of a multipanel wall system.
• FIGS. 15A-15C show a combination of views of a roof panel according to an example embodiment described herein.
• FIG. 16A shows a perspective view of a roof system according to an example embodiment described herein that uses the roof panel of FIGS. 15A- 15C.
• FIGS. 16B-16D show a combination of views of a longitudinal support beam according to an example embodiment described herein.
• FIG. 16E shows a perspective view of another example embodiment of a longitudinal support beam with a cable tray.
• FIG. 17 shows an enlarged view of a connection between a roof system and a wall system according to an example embodiment described herein.
• FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the connection between the roof system and the wall system of FIG. 17.
• FIGS. 19A-19B show two perspective front views of an alternative embodiment of a roof panel with a lower basket in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 19C shows an exploded perspective front view of the roof panel of FIGS. 19A-19B including an insulation block.
• FIGS. 20A and 20B shows upper and lower perspective views of a connection between an alternative embodiment of the roof system of FIGS. 19A-19C, the longitudinal support beam and the wall system of FIG. 17.
• FIG. 21A shows a perspective view of a partial double-room enclosure with floor system components in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIGS. 21 B-21C show side and perspective views of a portion of a side wall with a longitudinal connection member providing a connection to a longitudinal support beam of the floor system in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIGS. 21 D-21 E show perspective partial exploded views of the outer and inner surfaces of a portion of a wall panel system along with the longitudinal connection member of FIGS. 21 B-21 C and a portion of the floor system of FIG. 21A.
• FIG. 21 F shows a perspective view of a portion of a roof support system that may be used with the double-room enclosure of FIG. 21A in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 21 G shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a ceiling system, and a roof system that may be used with the wall system of the doubleroom enclosure of FIG. 21 A in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 21 H shows a magnified cross-sectional view of a portion of an example embodiment of a releasable connection between two units that make up a part of all of a custom enclosure structure.
• FIG. 211 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a corner of the structure of FIG. 21 A.
• the wall panels may employ optional reference holes that are used as guides for the placement of tools that are used to form various cutouts for certain interface components such as male interface components.
• FIG. 11 D An example of this is shown in FIG. 11 D with optional references holes 1100h1 and 1100h2 that are located above and/or below the location where the cutout is to be made.
• the holes 1100h1 and 1100h2 may also be referred to as technological holes.
• the shape of the cutout is dictated by the tool that is used and so the shape of the cutout can be altered by using a different tool.
• These reference holes allow the tool to be accurately located to form cutouts (and in this example also tabs) with the same size and shape every time to provide a consistent manufacturing process.
• the reference holes can be any shape and is not limited to circles. Such reference holes may be laser cut.
• the at least one second interface component 1218 of the left side surface 1212 may have a female connection such as a rectangular cutout, or the like
• the at least one first interface component 1210 of the right side surface 1214 may have a male connection such as a hook, or the like, to enable multiple exterior wall panels similar to wall panel 1200 to be releasably connected to one another in a co-planar manner to form a larger (i.e. , longer) wall segment.
• the hook, or other male connector, on the right side surface 1214 of a given wall panel similar to wall panel 1200 may be received by the slot or other corresponding female connector on the left side surface 1212 of another adjacent wall panel similar to wall panel 1200.
• FIGS. 12A-12B there may be a panel extension 1203 along the bottom of the panel section 1201 as shown in FIGS. 12A-12B.
• the panel extension 1203 may be used to attach the exterior wall panel 1200 to a portion of a custom enclosure.
• the panel extension 1203 may be used to attach the wall panel 1200 to a floor system, an example of which is shown and discussed with respect to FIGS. 21A-21 E.
• the interior wall panel 1304 has a side surface 1314 with a male connector 1316 and a cutout 1322 as well as a rear surface 1317 also with a female connector 1318 and slits 1320.
• the male connector 1316 is a hook with a width that is slightly less than the width of the female connector 1308 which is a slot.
• the male connector 1316 is releasably engaging the female connector 1308.
• FIGS. 14A-14B shown therein are upper perspective sectional views of a portion of double wall system 1400.
• FIG. 14A-14B shown therein are upper perspective sectional views of a portion of double wall system 1400.
• FIG. 14A-14B shown therein are upper perspective sectional views of a portion of double wall system 1400.
• FIG. 14A shows exterior wall panel 1352 being releasably connected to a double wall panel assembly in which exterior wall panel 1402 is already releasably coupled to interior wall panel 1404, and interior wall panel 1354 is already releasably connected to interior wall panel 1404.
• FIG. 14B shows a section of the double wall panel system in which: (a) adjacent interior wall panels releasably engage one another laterally, (b) exterior wall panels releasably engage one another laterally and (c) interior and exterior wall panels that are horizontally opposite one another releasably engage one another.
• two interior panels 1354 and 1404 releasably engage one another laterally
• two exterior panels 1352 and 1402 releasably engage one another laterally
• exterior and interior panels 1352 and 1354 are opposite one another and releasably engage one another
• exterior and interior panels 1402 and 1404 are opposite one another and releasably engage one another.
• the exterior wall panels 1352 and 1402 are similar to exterior wall panel 1200 and the interior wall panels 1354 and 1404 are similar to interior wall panel 1100.
• the exterior wall panel 1352 includes a female connector (i.e., wide slot) 1360 on a side surface and a male connector 1362 on a rear surface.
• the term “wide slot” means that a slot is at least about two to about five times as big, for example, as the width of a male connector that releasably engages the "wide slot” depending on the amount of real estate available for the placement of the slow.
• the interior wall panel 1354 includes a female connector (i.e., narrow slot) 1368 on a rear surface with slits 1370 at a lower portion thereof.
• the term “narrow slot” means that a slot is not as wide as or is narrower than a “wide slot” and a “narrow slot” is just a bit wider than the width of a male connector that releasably engages the “narrow slot” (e.g., about 5 to 10% larger or so enough to account for manufacturing tolerances while allowing for a near friction -fit).
• the exterior wall panel 1402 includes a male connector 1408 extending in a direction that is opposite the direction of the male connector 1362 on the rear surface of the adjacent exterior wall panel 1352.
• the male connector 1362 may have a hook member pointed downwards and the male connector 1408 may have a hook member pointed upwards.
• male connectors 1362 and 1408 point or are directed towards opposite directions which allows the exterior wall panel 1352 to releasably engage a laterally offset exterior wall panel 1402 at the same time as a horizontally offset interior wall panel 1354.
• This is partly enabled by the wider female connector 1360 since the exterior wall panel 1352 can be first moved towards the exterior wall panel 1402 such that the male connector 1408 moves through the female connector 1360 near the front edge or mid portion of the female connector 1360 until the side surface of the wall panel 1352 moves adjacent to the side surface of the adjacent wall panel 1402 (here the front edge of the female connector 1360 is closer to the panel section of the wall panel 1352).
• the exterior wall panel 1352 is then moved towards the interior wall panel 1354 such that the male connector 1408 moves laterally along the female connector 1360 towards the rear edge of the female connector 1360 while the male connector 1362 moves through the female connector 1368 of the interior wall panel 1354 near the top portion of the female connector 1368 and the rear surface of the exterior wall panel 1352 becomes adjacent to the rear surface of the interior wall panel 1354.
• the male connector 1408 of the exterior wall panel 1402 is now positioned near the rear edge of the female connector 1360 as is shown in FIG. 14A.
• the piecewise releasable connection of interior wall panels and exterior wall panels means that one or more interior wall sections of the mobile unit 300, or another custom enclosure, may be formed first before any exterior wall panels are releasably coupled to the wall panels of the interior wall sections. This then allows for work to be conducted on the inside of the mobile unit 300, or other custom enclosure, while the entire double-panel wall system is not fully completed.
• the interior wall panels may be put in place originally and work may continue on the inside of the mobile unit 300, while insulation, wires, electrical necessities, piping, electrical devices including, but not limited to, sound measuring and pressure control devices, or any other functional and/or mechanical infrastructure components are installed at the outer surfaces of the interior wall panels.
• the exterior wall panels may then be installed to complete the wall structures of the mobile unit 300 or other custom enclosure.
• FIGS. 14C-14E shown therein are front and rear perspective views of portions of alternative example embodiments of interior wall panels 1430 and 1440, respectively, which are similar to the interior wall panel 1100 but have interface components that are laterally offset or laterally staggered from one another on at least one side surfaces thereof. Accordingly, similar elements for wall panels 1100, 1430 and 1440 use similar reference numerals in the figures.
• the alternative interior wall panel 1430 has an interface component 1116 that is similar to that of interior wall panel 1100, but there is another interface component 1432, which may be about midway along the length of the side surface 1112 where it is situated closer to the rear surface 1102 compared to the front surface 1100b.
• the interface component 1432 includes a male connector 1432a and a cutout 1432b that is left behind when the male connector 1432a is cut from and pulled away from the left side surface 1112.
• the male connector 1432a may be shaped like male connector 1116a for the reasons given when the male connector 1116a was described.
• the right side surface of the interior wall panel 1430 is not shown, it should be understood that it may have interface connectors that are female connectors (i.e. , slots) similar to slot 1118 that was shown for interior wall panel 1100 (see FIG. 11 C) except that the slots on the right side surface are also laterally offset or laterally staggered at approximately the same locations as the interface components on the left side surface 1112.
• This allows the interface components of the interior wall panel 1430 to be releasably coupled to corresponding interface components on a similar adjacent interior wall panel (not shown) that are also laterally offset in a corresponding manner (e.g., at the same position).
• corresponding manner means that the interface components on the adjacent interior wall panel are shaped and positioned to releasably mate with the laterally staggered interface components of the wall panel 1430.
• the laterally staggered interface components 1116 and 1432 provide for increased structural stability.
• the various alternatives for the interface components described for interior wall panel 1100 also apply to the staggered interface components of interior wall panel 1430.
• the alternative interior wall panel 1440 is similar to the alternative interior wall panel 1430 except that the staggered interface components 1116 and 1442 are positioned much closer to one another vertically, or in other words along the length of the side surface 1112, such that they may be referred to as a pair of laterally staggered interface components positioned near an end portion of the interior wall panel 1440.
• the pair of laterally staggered interface components may be at a lower end portion of the side surface 1112, an upper end portion of the side surface 1112, one or more locations between the upper and lower end portions of the side surface 1112 or combinations thereof.
• the interface component 1442 also includes a male connector 1442a and a cutout 1442b similar to male connector 1432a and a cutout 1432b, respectively.
• a different longitudinal spacing i.e., vertical spacing
• interior wall panel 1440 such as how the interior wall panel 1440 may be laterally releasably coupled with a similar interior wall panel (i.e., having corresponding or mating interface components at the same location along its side surfaces) and the alternative embodiments for the interface components 1106, 1116 and 1442.
• FIG. 14E shown therein is a rear perspective view of a portion of an alternative example embodiment of an exterior wall panel 1450, which is similar to exterior wall panel 1200 except for the use of staggered interface components on the side surfaces thereof. Accordingly, similar elements for wall panels 1100, 1430 and 1440 use similar reference numerals in the figures.
• the exterior wall panel 1450 has staggered interface components 1210 and 1452, which may be referred to as a pair of laterally staggered interface components.
• exterior wall panel 1450 in terms of how the exterior wall panel 1450 may be laterally releasably coupled with similar exterior wall panels (i.e., having corresponding interface components I mating interface components at the same location along its side surfaces) and the alternative embodiments for the interface components 1106, 1116 and 1442.
• FIG. 14F shown therein is a rear perspective view of an example embodiment of an intermediate wall panel 1460 for use in forming a multi-panel wall system, an example of which is shown in FIG. 14G, in accordance with the teachings herein, where “multi” means more than two.
• the intermediate wall panel 1460 is similar in structure as the exterior wall panel 1200 except that it does not include the panel extension 1203. Accordingly, the intermediate wall panel 1460 is able to releasably engage an interior wall panel such as interior wall panel 1100.
• FIG. 14F there may be alternative embodiments of the intermediate wall panel 1460 which include staggered interface components on side surfaces thereof as was explained for the exterior wall panel 1450.
• the intermediate wall panel 1460 includes additional interface components through the wall panel section (i.e., the additional interface components extend from the front surface to the rear surface of the wall panel section near side end portions of the front and rear surfaces of the panel section).
• the additional interface components may also be referred to as intermediate interface components. While three intermediate interface components are shown near the far right and far left sides of the front/rear surfaces of the intermediate wall panel 1460 in FIG. 14F, there may be other embodiments with one intermediate interface component, two intermediate interface components or more than three intermediate interface components. Although not visible in FIG. 14F, it should be understood that there are similar intermediate interface components that extend through the panel section of the wall panel near the other side surface of the exterior wall panel 1460.
• the number and location of the intermediate interface components 1464 may correspond with at least two interface components 1208 on the rear surface 1204 of an exterior wall panel or another intermediate wall panel and at least two interface components 1206 on the rear surface 1202 of an exterior wall panel or another intermediate wall panel.
• the intermediate interface components 1464 may be slidably engaged by correspondingly located interface components on the rear surface of an exterior wall panel or another intermediate wall panel which may occur in a similar manner as was described when an interior wall panel is being engaged by an exterior wall panel, an example of which was described with respect to FIGS. 13C-13D.
• the intermediate wall panel 1460 may releasably engage with an interior wall panel, such as wall panel 1100, in a horizontally offset manner and then an exterior wall panel, such as wall panel 1200, may releasably engage the interior wall panel 1460 also in a horizontally offset manner.
• This may be referred to as a three-panel wall system.
• the interior wall panel 1472 may be laterally releasably engaged with other interior wall panels as was described in for interior wall panels 1302 and 1304 as shown in FIGS. 13A-13B, for example.
• the intermediate wall panel 1474 may be laterally releasably engaged with other intermediate wall panels in a similar manner as was shown for exterior wall panels 1302 and 1402 in FIGS. 14A- 14B.
• the exterior wall panel 1476 may be laterally releasably engaged with other exterior wall panels in a similar manner as was shown for exterior wall panels 1302 and 1402 in FIGS. 14A-14B. Therefore, a large section of a three-panel wall system can be made having a desired length by laterally releasably coupling similar wall panels in each layer or row of wall panels while also coupling opposite wall panels in adjacent rows together in a horizontally offset manner.
• a multi-wall panel structure may be extended by releasably coupling additional intermediate wall panels in a horizontally offset manner where the innermost wall panel is an interior wall panel, the outermost wall panel is an exterior wall panel and there can be one or more intermediate wall panels that are all horizontally offset from one another.
• Each of these wall panels may then be laterally releasably coupled to like-manner wall panels to create a larger wall section as explained previously. For example, a four-panel wall system is shown in FIG.
• first wall panel layer of interior wall panels including interior wall panel 1472, a first intermediate wall panel layer including intermediate wall panel 1474, an additional intermediate wall panel layer of intermediate wall panels including intermediate wall panel 1476 and a final wall panel layer of exterior wall panels including exterior wall panel 1478.
• the intermediate wall panels may be formed using the exterior wall panels 600 (e.g., see FIGS. 6A-6D) and adding the intermediate interface components and removing the extension portions as was described for intermediate wall panel 1460 having intermediate interface components 1464.
• one or more intermediate wall panel layers may be used to provide additional properties to the multi-panel wall system by using different materials for the intermediate and/or exterior wall panels or placing different materials within the cavities formed between (a) two horizontally offset intermediate wall panels for wall panel systems with at least two intermediate wall panel layers and/or (b) horizontally offset exterior and interior wall panels.
• the cavities formed between horizontally offset interior and intermediate wall panels may be used for passing various electrical, mechanical and/or infrastructure components as was described in previous embodiments where an exterior wall panel was horizontally offset from an interior wall panel.
• these components can be electrical wiring, communication cables, power cables, gas lines, and/or any other mechanical, electrical and/or structural components.
• the intermediate and/or exterior wall panels may be made of certain materials and/or have certain surface coatings.
• certain materials can be placed within the cavities formed between two horizontally offset intermediate wall panels and/or the cavities formed between horizontally offset intermediate and exterior walls panels to allow the custom enclosure to have certain properties and/or certain ratings such as a certain fire ratings, certain insulation ratings, certain safety ratings, certain sound ratings or any combination thereof.
• the custom enclosure is used in an environment that is especially cold then additional insulation may be placed within one or more of these cavities (which are the shaded regions shown in FIG. 14G).
• the intermediate and exterior wall panels may be made of fire retardant material and/or coated with fire retardant coatings and optionally fire resistant material may be inserted into the cavities
• the custom enclosure that incorporates the multi-panel wall system may be used in applications where there is a risk of explosions or in areas where there is live ammunition.
• the aforementioned cavities may have materials that are selected to handle/withstand different aspects of this environment.
• one or more of the cavities between horizontally offset, releasably coupled exterior and intermediate wall panels may optionally be filled with material that can absorb an impact from an explosion and may be referred to as the explosion absorbing wall panel layer.
• one or more cavities between two horizontally offset, releasably coupled intermediate wall panels may optionally use material that is bullet resistant and be referred to as the bullet proof wall panel layer.
• the cavities within one or more intermediate panels that are horizontally offset and releasably coupled to interior wall panels or the interior wall panels themselves may be used for other purposes such as containing insulation material while the cavities of the one or more interior or intermediate wall panels can be used for routing different components as described previously.
• Selecting materials having the desired properties such as, but not limited to, explosion or impact absorbing, bullet resistant and/or insulation, for example, may be done using off the shelf materials.
• the depths (e.g., length of the side surface) of the interior, exterior and intermediate wall panels may be selected to be the same.
• different types of wall panels may have different depths which will allow more material to be used within the cavities of those wall panels.
• the depth of the exterior wall panels may be selected to be larger than the depth of the interior wall panels.
• the exterior wall panels may have a depth of about 4 to 5 inches and the interior wall panels may have a depth of about 2 to 3 inches.
• the intermediate wall panels may have a depth that is larger than the depth of the interior wall panels and/or the exterior wall panels.
• the intermediate wall panels used for one layer such as the intermediate wall panels 1476 used in the bullet resistant wall panel layer of FIG. 14G, may be larger than the depth of the intermediate wall panels used in another layer, such as the intermediate wall panel 1474 used in the insulation wall panel layer.
• wall panels described herein may be referred to as having different wall panel types where one wall panel type is an interior wall panel type, another wall panel type is an exterior wall panel type and another wall panel type is an intermediate wall panel type.
• These wall panel types are similar in that they have interface components on side surface and bended rear surfaces that allow for lateral releasable connection with a wall panel having the same wall type and for horizontally offset releasable connection with wall panels of another wall panel type.
• the intermediate wall panel type includes additional interface components that extend through the front and rear surfaces of the panel section to allow for horizontally offset releasable connection with another wall panel type (e.g., interior or exterior wall panel types) or the same wall panel type (e.g., intermediate wall panel type).
• another wall panel type e.g., interior or exterior wall panel types
• the same wall panel type e.g., intermediate wall panel type
• FIGS. 15A-15C there is shown multiple views of an example embodiment of a roof panel 1500 that may be used to construct a roof system for mobile unit 300 or another custom enclosure, in accordance with the teachings herein.
• FIG. 15A shows a right view, a bottom view, a left view and a top view, respectively
• FIG. 15B shows right and left perspective views, respectively
• FIG. 15C shows a top view.
• the roof panel 1500 comprises a roof section 1501 having a bottom surface 1502 and an upper surface 1504, as well as a first side section 1506 having a side surface 1511 and a second side section 1508 having a side surface 1513 that both extend away from the upper surface 1504 of the roof section.
• the first side section 1506 comprises a first connecting component having a first lateral portion 1510.
• the second side section 1508 comprises a second connecting component having a second lateral portion 1512.
• the second lateral portion 1512 may be slightly smaller in length than the first lateral portion 1510.
• the first connecting component further has a first transverse extent 1514 extending from the first lateral portion 1510 thereby providing the first connecting component forms a channel 1510c.
• the roof panel 1500 may generally have a width between about 16 and about 24 inches and a length between about 96 and about 144 inches. Alternatively, for certain applications in which the mobile unit 300 or other custom enclosure is smaller or larger, the roof panel 1500 may have other dimensions. [00251] In at least one embodiment, the roof panel 1500 may be releasably connected with a similar roof panel which may be adjacent and interconnected to either of the side sections 1506 and 1508. In addition, another similar roof panel may be releasably connected to the other side section of the roof panel 1500 (an example of which is shown in FIG. 16A).
• the first connecting component of the first roof panel 1500 may be placed over the second connecting component of an adjacent roof panel such that the first lateral portion 1510 encompasses the entirety of the second lateral portion 1512, thereby forming a friction fit therebetween.
• This connection may provide structural integrity to a resulting roof structure/roof system made using the roof panels 1500 while not requiring a truss for support underneath the roof panels 1500.
• one or more trusses may be used as described further below.
• the connection components of the roof panels 1500 are structured to avoid deflections of the roof panels 1500 from varying loads and thus provide a similar function as a truss. For example, once a plurality of these roof panels 1500 are connected together, depending on the material used for the roof panels 1500, the roof panel system may hold up the weight of a human standing on it.
• first connecting component over the second connecting component may also allow for the connections between adjacent roof panels 1500 to provide partial or full water resistance from various weather elements such as rain or snow.
• further weather proofing may be done by applying sealant at the areas where the edges of a given roof panel 1500 end over adjacent roof panels.
• the various connections between adjacent roof panels 1500 may be further secured by using fasteners such as screws, bolts, nails, staples, or any other securing device.
• FIG. 16A there is shown a perspective view of a roof system 1600.
• FIG. 16A shows multiple roof panels 1602a-1602c, a ceiling panel 1604, and a longitudinal support beam 1606.
• the roof panels 1602a- 1602c are typically similar to the roof panel 1500. It should be noted that only a few of the roof panels 1602-1602c are labelled for simplicity and that there are multiple ceiling panels although only one is shown. Furthermore, it should be understood that there may be several longitudinal support beams that are arranged sequentially to cover the length of the mobile unit 300 or custom enclosure. Also, it should be noted that there are one or more other longitudinal support beams at the other side of the roof system for the other side wall which is not seen in FIG. 16A.
• the second side 1612 further comprises the lateral shelf 1614 extending laterally outwards from a lower portion of the second side 1612 and may be used for supporting a portion of one or more ceiling panels 1716 of the ceiling system.
• the distance between the upper surface 1608 and the lateral shelf 1614 of the longitudinal beam (which may also be referred to as a single piece trim 1606) can be increased to provide a greater height for the space 1718 between the roof structure 1703 and the ceiling panels.
• FIGS. 20A and 20B show a doublepanel wall system
• the longitudinal support beam 2002 can be used with a single panel wall system or a multi-panel wall system with three or more horizontally offset wall panels by varying the distance between the side walls 1610 and 1612 thereby varying the size of the channel 1606c.
• the components of the floor system 2104 may be made using structural steel which is more heavy-duty.
• Other materials that may be used for the floor system 210 include, but are not limited to, wood joists, engineered wood (e.g., engineered laminate veneer lumber), composite materials which may include carbon thermoplastics or 3D printed materials, for example.
• the longitudinal support beams 2108a-2108d may be referred to as floor longitudinal support beams, lower longitudinal support beams or C-shaped support beams (for the example shown).
• some of the longitudinal support beams 2108a-2108d may be used to releasably couple different sections of the floor system 2104 together. Accordingly, some of the cross beams including floor cross beams 2106a and 2106c are used to form a first section of the floor system 2104 and other cross beams including floor cross beams 2106b and 2106d are used to form a second section of the floor system 2104. Accordingly, in this case, the longitudinal support beams 2108b-2108c are coupled to one another and to the first and second floor sections, respectively.
• the enclosure 2100 is a double-width enclosure that provides the same space as two rooms side-by-side but without a wall situated near the middle section of the enclosure 2100, several posts 2114 and a roof support structure 2112 may be used to support the ceiling system and the roof system which are both not shown. Only one of the posts 2114 is labeled for simplicity of illustration.
• the enclosure 2100 may also be referred to as a double-room enclosure.
• FIG. 21 B-21C shown therein are side and perspective views, respectively, of a portion of a side wall 2102a with a longitudinal connection member 2120 for providing connection between the side wall 2102a and the longitudinal support beam 2108a of the floor system 2104 in accordance with the teachings herein.
• the longitudinal connection member 2120 may also be referred to as a Z channel beam.
• longitudinal connection members 2120 that are arranged sequentially to substantially or totally cover the length of the side wall 2102a.
• the inner upward vertical section 2120a slidably receives the comprise slotted end portions 1120 and 1122 (not shown) of an interior wall panel and one or more releasable fasteners such as screws or bolts may be used to releasably couple the upward vertical section 2120a to the lower portion 1103 of an interior wall panel such as interior wall panel 2102ai of double panel side wall 2102a.
• any of the releasable couplings described herein may be replaced with more permanent connections such as welds, for example.
• FIGS. 21 D-21 E shown therein are perspective partial exploded views of the outer and inner surfaces of a portion of the side wall 2102a along with the longitudinal connection member2108a of FIGS. 21 B- 21C and a portion of the floor system of FIG. 21 A.
• the longitudinal connection members 2120 are first attached to the longitudinal support beams 2108a.
• Several longitudinal connection members 2120 and 2121 are shown attached in an abutting fashion to one another (there may be more than two longitudinal connection members that are used depending on the length of these members and the lengths of the side wall 2102a).
• the assembly and attachment of the double-panel wall 2102a and a first half (e.g., left half) of the interior and exterior wall panels for side wall 2102b may be done to complete the left half of the outer shell for the enclosure 2100. Certain interior components for the first half (e.g., left half) of the enclosure 2100 may then be installed/assembled. The assembly and attachment of the double-panel walls 2102a and the second half (e.g., right half) of the interior and exterior wall panels for side wall 2102b may then be done (or done in parallel with the assembly of the left half) to complete the right half of the outer shell for the enclosure 2100. Certain interior components for the second half (e.g., right half) of the enclosure 2100 may then be installed/assembled. In this fashion two halves of the double-room enclosure 2100 may first be constructed and then transported separately to the installation site where they are assembled together.
• the connectors 2140 and 2142 may be used to releasably connect to an upper portion of support posts, such as support post 2144, which provide some load bearing support for the ceiling system and/or roof system.
• the lower portion of the support posts may be releasably coupled to the longitudinal floor support beams 2108b and 2108c.
• a forward- most portion of the roof support system 2112 may be releasably coupled to a front wall while the rearward most position of the roof support system 2112 may be releasably coupled to a portion of the rear side wall 210b using releasable fasteners such as bolts for example.
• FIG. 21 G shown therein is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a ceiling system 2150 and a roof system 2160 that may be used with the wall system of the double-room enclosure 2100 of FIG. 21 A or another custom enclosure in accordance with the teachings herein. Insulation may be used but is not shown in FIG. 21 G.
• the floor system 2104 is not shown and the first and third walls 2102a and 2102c are shown along with longitudinal support beam 1606a and 1606b which are similar to the longitudinal support beam 1606.
• the ceiling system 2150 comprises a plurality of right section ceiling panels 2152 and left section ceiling panels 2154.
• the roof system 2160 comprises a plurality of right section roof panels 2162 and left section roof panels 2164 along with a roof crown or roof caplet 2166. It should be understood that there may be a plurality of longitudinal support members 1606a and 1606b, a plurality of roof support beams 2130 and 2132, a plurality of support brackets 2134a and 2134b, a plurality of roof panels 2162 and 2164 and a plurality of roof caplets 2166 that span all or a substantial portion of the length of the enclosure 2100.
• the roof caplet 2166 may extend for at least about 1 foot, for example, and is used to cover two half-roofs so as to provide a sealing function from the environmental elements.
• the enclosure 2100 may also include vertical support posts 2165a and 2165b (which are optional and shown with dotted lines) that are releasably connected to the roof support beams 2130 and 2132, respectively.
• One side edge of the plurality of right section ceiling panels 2152 rests on the lower flange portion of the support bracket 2134b and the other side edge of the plurality of right section ceiling panels 2152 rests on the lower flange portion of the longitudinal support beam 1606b.
• one side edge of the plurality of left section ceiling panels 2154 rests on the lower flange portion of the support bracket 2134a and the other side edge of the plurality of right section ceiling panels 2154 rests on the lower flange portion of the longitudinal support beam 1606a.
• the ceiling panels 2152 and 2154 may generally be releasably connected to the brackets 2134a and 2134b and the longitudinal support beams 1606a and 1606b using releasable fasteners such as bolts or screws, for example. After the ceiling panels 2152 and 2154 are assembled, a sealant can be applied to the seams to provide an airtight seal if the enclosure 2100 is being used in a medical or laboratory setting or other applications where air quality and air pressure in the enclosure 2100 is important.
• One side edge of the plurality of right section roof panels 2152 rests on the top surface of upper horizontal flange of the support bracket 2134b and the other side edge of the plurality of right section ceiling panels 2152 rests on an upper surface of the longitudinal support beam 1606b.
• one side edge of the plurality of left section roof panels 2164 rests on the top surface of the upper horizontal flange portion of the support bracket 2134a and the other side edge of the plurality of right section roof panels 2164 rests on the upper surface of the longitudinal support beam 1606a.
• the roof panels 2162 and 2164 may generally be releasably connected to the brackets 2134a and 2134b and the longitudinal support beams 1606a and 1606b using releasable fasteners such as bolts or screws.
• roof caplets 2166 may be releasably connected at the midpoint of the roof system 2160 along all or substantially (e.g., at least 75%) all of the length of the enclosure 2100 to provide further structural integrity to the roof system 2160.
• a sealant can be applied to any seams to provide a watertight seal if the enclosure 2100 is exposed to the elements.
• the roof system 2160 may also have a releasably coupled configuration which allows each half of the custom enclosure 2100 to be manufactured and then releasably connected together during installation by releasably connecting certain structures together including the left and right sections of the roof system 2160.
• this may include releasably connecting the roof support beams 2130-2132 to one another. This may be done using releasable fasteners and sealing material, examples of which are discussed with respect to FIG. 21 H.
• FIG. 21 H shown therein is a magnified cross- sectional view of a portion of an example embodiment of a releasable connection between two units that may be releasably joined together to create part or all of a roof structure 2160a for a larger custom enclosure.
• One of the units has a first roof structure and the other unit has a second roof structure.
• Similar reference numerals are used for similar elements in FIGS. 21 G and 21 H.
• the roof caplet is not shown in FIG. 21 H but may be used to cover the region where both roof structures meet or are closest to one another.
• the first and second roof structures together include first and second sets of roof panels 2162a and 2162b that have truncated baskets 2164a and 2164b and first and second sets of upper longitudinal support members 2002a and 2002b that are mounted to first and second sets of support beams 2132 and 2130, respectively, such that the top of the sets of support beams 2130 and 2132, respectively, are received within the channels of members 2002b and 2002a to provide a structural connection to the roof panels.
• the roof panels 21262a and 2162b, the truncated roof baskets 2164a and 2164b and the longitudinal support members 2002a and 2002b have a somewhat similar structure to the example shown in FIGS. 20A-20B.
• a releasable connection system is adapted to releasably connect the first and second sets of roof support beams adjacent to one another to form a combined roof system structure from the releasable connection of the first and second units.
• the roof structure 2160a may be referred to as a releasably connectable split roof since the two custom enclosure units may be assembled independently, delivered to a site and then releasably connected to one another during site installation of the full custom enclosure.
• the releasable connection system comprises a plurality of bolts that are removably inserted along a length of the first and second sets of longitudinal roof support members.
• An example of a bolted flange releasable connection is shown at 2167.
• the releasable connection system may be used instead of welding (which is conventionally used).
• This releasable connectivity is advantageous in that the custom enclosure may be disassembled if needed and transported to another site where it may be re-assembled, which is not possible if welding were used.
• sealing material 2168 which is used to prevent any water, rain, snow or other environmental elements from entering into the enclosure.
• the sealing material 2168 may be made from neoprene foam, closed cell foam or other suitable sealing materials.
• the sealing material is placed between facing surfaces of the first and second sets of longitudinal roof support members before the releasable connection system is applied which results in the two units including the two half roof structures being mechanically pulled or other urged together with the sealing foam material in place.
• Application of the releasable connection system which may be done using a stud assembly, applies a compressive force to the sealing material to improve its sealing properties. As the support beams 2130 and 2132 are pulled closer together and releasably secured together, this compresses the sealing form 2168 to form a leak proof seal to reduce any occurrence of leaks in the releasably connectable roof structure.
• FIGS. 211 and 21 J shown therein are top cross- sectional and top perspective views, respectively, of a portion of a corner of the custom enclosure 2100 of FIG. 21 A showing how at least one corner support member 2103o may be used to provide additional structural support where the double panel walls 2102a and 2102b meet one another.
• the corner support members 2103o and 2103i may be implemented using L beams or L-brackets with two sections or arms 2103oa, 2103ob and 2103ia, 2103ib, respectively, that each have lengths that are sufficient to provide a desired amount of structural support.
• the lengths of these sections 2103oa, 2103ob, 2103ia, 2103ib may be different than what is shown in FIG. 211 in other embodiments.
• these sections 2103oa, 2103ob, 2103ia, 2103ib do not all have to have the same lengths and the section 2103ob may be made longer to provide more structural support in some cases.
• the corner support members 2103o and 2103i may be made of steel or another material that can provide a desired amount of rigidity but also flex when the custom enclosure experiences temporary forces due to wind or explosions, for example.
• the corner support members 2103o and 2103i may also be made using material having certain properties, such as being fire retardant or anticorrosive, or may have a coating with these properties.
• the corner support members 2103o and 2103i may be referred to as corner support trim and may have a height that substantially extends from a top end portion of the double-panel walls 2102a and 2102b near, adjacent or overlying the longitudinal support members (also known as the wall caps) to a bottom end portion of the double-panel walls 2102a and 2102b near, adjacent or overlying the lower longitudinal support members at the floor system.
• the corner support members 2103o and 2103i may have shorter lengths such that they cover about 50% to about 95% of the height of the walls 2102a and 2102b.
• FIG. 21 J it is noted that an alternative embodiment of a roof panel 1500a is shown in which the outermost edge does not have an upper straight wall such as the side wall 1511 but rather has a downward angled side wall 1511a which aids with deflecting the environmental elements away from the outer surfaces of the exterior wall panels of the custom enclosure similar to the downward angled edges 1611a and 1611 b of the wall caps in that region.
• FIG. 22A shown therein is an upper perspective view of a laboratory 2200 (with the roof system removed) that may be constructed using the construction techniques and one or more embodiments described herein for the double-panel wall system, the floor system and/or the roof system.
• the laboratory 2200 has a modular layout in that the laboratory 2200 comprises a series of similar laboratory units 2202, 2204, 2206 and 2208 assembled side by side. In addition, each laboratory unit comprises half units that are joined together.
• the laboratory unit 2202 comprises half units 2202a and 2202b joined at seam 2202s
• the laboratory unit 2204 comprises half units 2204a and 2204b joined at seam 2204s
• the laboratory unit 2206 comprises half units 2206a and 2206b joined at seam 2206s
• the laboratory unit 2208 comprises half units 2208a and 2208b joined at seam 2208s.
• each of the half units may be mostly (e.g., 95%) orfully pre-fabricated and tested at a manufacturing location and then transported separately to the site and assembled together at the installation site. This allows for a reduction in time for installing the laboratory at the installation site. Furthermore, since the laboratory half units 2202a-2208b are releasably connected to one another during assembly at the installation site, the laboratory half units 2202a-2208b can be easily disassembled and then transported to another site and assembled once more. In at least one embodiment, each half unit may have dimensions to allow them to be transported on a transport truck. In such cases, each half unit may have a dimension that is similar to an intermodal shipping container although each half-unit is a part of a custom enclosure.
• One or more of the laboratory units 2202-2208 may have an air handling system that is accessible through a maintenance room.
• each of the laboratory units 2202-2208 have their own respective air handling system accessible by their own respective maintenance rooms 2202m-2208m, respectively.
• the maintenance rooms 2202m- 2208m for each laboratory unit 2202-2208 house electrical and HVAC components and can be accessed from the exterior which significantly reduces the number of times that service personnel ever have to enter into the laboratory units 2202-2208.
• each laboratory unit 2202-2208 may also have their own UPS system in case of power failure.
• the air handling system as described in PCT patent application no. PCT/CA2021/051031 filed on July 23, 2021 , allows the laboratory units 2202- 2208 to independently operate in different pressure environments including negative pressure environments.
• FIG. 22B shown therein is a top perspective magnified view of a portion of the laboratory 2200 of FIG. 22A.
• the lab unit 2206 is shown comprising half units 2206a and 2206b that are connected along seam 2206s.
• the seams 2206s are joints between the half units which may be covered using cover plates, for example.
• Each of the half units 2206a and 2206b may be constructed to utilize different structures and have different functions.
• the half unit 2206 may be provided with doors that allow entry into a common space 2210 which is separated by a door and a double-panel cross wall from an anteroom 2214 which may also function as a changing room.
• the anteroom 2214 itself is separated by another doublepanel cross wall and door from a laboratory workspace 2218b.
• the anteroom 2214 may be kept at negative pressure relative to the entrance area (on the south side of the anteroom 2214 according to the layout in FIGS. 22A and 22B).
• the laboratory workspace 2218b includes various workspaces 2220b including desks and cabinets and a fume hood 2222b.
• the laboratory workspace 2218 may also be maintained at a negative pressure with respect to the anteroom 2214 or other rooms in the structure 2200.
• the half unit 2206a includes a workspace 2212 which may have a desk and chairs.
• the workspace 2212 is separated by a double-panel cross wall and a door that leads into a lavatory 2216 with a sink and another cross wall and door that leads to a toilet.
• the lavatory 2216 is separated by another double-panel cross wall from a larger laboratory workspace 2218a that includes various workspaces 2220a including desks and cabinets and a fume hood 2222a.
• any openings near an end of a given wall that do not have a hung door may be capped with a trim piece to hide the interface components of the wall panels that make up the given wall.
• any inner corners between wall panels may include a corner support member such as corner support member 2103i, for example, where structural support is needed or a trim piece can be used for finishing purposes at areas of the structure where there are internal corners, at the ends of internal walls such as the end of wall 2332 that faces the inside of the of the laboratory workplace (see FIG. 22B) and also for support posts such as support posts 2226.
• the trim piece may be made using HSS tubing, for example.
• flashing kits may also be used where needed for weatherproofing.
• mechanical fasteners or angled clips can be used.
• the modular design of releasable connection of the various building components allows custom enclosures to be easily made according to any size requirements since modular enclosures can be combined to create a larger custom enclosure.
• the interior wall panels may be releasably removed to provide more open interior space within the custom enclosure, such as in an open layout, and other structural elements such as roof support systems with posts in some cases and/or trusses in other cases may be used to provide the structural support needed for the roof system.
• the half-units 2202a-2208b may have different sizes or have different internal structures relative to one another depending on the design and operational requirements of the laboratory 2200.
• the interior wall panels, the exterior wall panels, the roof panels, the ceiling tiles, and the various longitudinal support beams and connection beams of the mobile unit 300, the custom enclosure 2100 and other custom enclosures made using the construction elements and construction techniques described herein may be formed using materials such as metals, polymer materials, composite materials or recycled materials that can provide the required structural strength and/or rigidity.
• metals include aluminum, marine grade aluminum, or steel.
• AL 5052 marine grade aluminum may be used.
• the marine grade aluminum is lightweight, and it may also provide corrosion resistance and may tolerate constant contact with water.
• the exterior wall panels and the roof panels may be formed of another metal such as, for example, A36, 44W, or any other suitable ASTM grades.
• polymer materials include, but are not limited to, plastics, thermoplastics, carbon fiber, and carbon-fiber based thermoplastic materials.
• Composite materials may include materials that have been 3D-printed, examples of which are described with respect to FIG. 23. Recycled materials can be reclaimed materials from previous structures that have been disassembled and repurposed.
• the construction elements may be powder coated or spray coated with an anti-corrosive spray or the construction elements may be galvanized.
• the materials that are used for the aforementioned elements may inherently be fire retardant or coated with a fire resistant material.
• the interior and exterior wall panels, the ceiling tiles, the floor panels (not shown) and the roof panels may be coated with a fire-retardant spray to prevent damage to the interior of the mobile unit 300, enclosure 2100 or other custom enclosure.
• the various construction elements described herein may be made using more conventional metal forming techniques and cutting. For example, laser cutting may be used.
• 3D printing may be used to manufacture the construction elements and may significantly reduce any wasted materials.
• 3D printing may be used to create a compound construction element which would otherwise be constructed as two separate construction elements using conventional manufacturing techniques such as the longitudinal support beam 2108a and the longitudinal connection member 2120.
• 3D printing may be used to create various different geometric shapes which may be used for various purposes such as the male and female connection elements described herein.
• two or more materials may be used with 3D printing to create a compound material that may be used to manufacture construction elements where the compound material has certain desired characteristics, such as strength and/or flexibility, and/or certain properties such as being fire retardant and/or anti-corrosive.
• a compound material 2300 that may be constructed on a printing table 2302 using a 3D layering technique which blends one type of material 2302a and 2302b (e.g., type 1 material) with another type of material 2304 (e.g., type 2 material). This manufacturing technique may be used to create certain areas in the material having increased strength such as where the type 2 material is shown.
• Such a compound material may be used for various construction elements described herein such as the interior wall panels, the exterior wall panels and/or the roof panels described herein.
• materials that may be used for the type 1 and type 2 materials include, but are not limited to, carbon fiber, thermoplastic or carbon-fiber based thermoplastic. Carbon fibers are advantageous as they have greater strength than steel.
• FIGS. 24A-24C shown therein are front perspective, magnified front perspective and rear perspective views of an example embodiment of a double-panel wall system 2400 including first and second wall panels 2401 and 2402 that may be used for internal walls in a custom enclosure in accordance with the teachings herein.
• the wall panels 2401 and 2402 each have at least one interface component on both side surfaces and bended rear surfaces similar to other pairs of interior and exterior wall panels described herein, such as wall panels 600 and 700, respectively, except that wall panels 2401 and 2402 are used for internal walls, which may be done for creating rooms within a custom enclosure, for example.
• only some elements of the wall panels 2401 and 2402 are numbered.
• Wall panels 2401 and 2402 include upper channels 2401 c which may be used to suspend the wall panels 2401 and 2402 and move them to a certain location for installation.
• the channels 2401c may also be used to fasten together adjacent wall panels that are connected in a lateral fashion to build a larger wall section.
• wall panel 2401 On one side surface of wall panel 2401 there is at least one interface component 2403 with a male portion 2403m, such as a tab, and a cutout 2403s.
• the cutout 2403s is a rectangular cutout that does not have to have the shape of the tab of the male portion 2403m.
• On the other side surface of the wall panel 2401 there is at least one interface component 2405 which may be a narrow slot that is sized to be slightly larger than the male portion 2403m which allows for the lateral connection of another wall panel that has the same structure as wall panel 2401.
• the interface components on both side surfaces of the wall panel 2401 are at corresponding heights to allow these interface components to mate with corresponding interface components of an adjacent wall panel having the same structure as wall panel 2401 .
• the wall panel 2401 also includes at least one set of cutouts 2407 which may be at a lower half portion of the wall panel 2401 .
• the set of cutouts 2407 may be used for passing wiring, pipes and other infrastructure components between wall panels that are laterally adjacent to one another.
• the example in FIGS. 24A-24C includes two sets of cutouts 2407.
• the wall panel 2401 may also include at least one bottom support tab located at the bottom of the wall panel 2401 and directed inwards.
• the bottom support tabs 2408a and 2408b may be used to fasten the wall panel 2401 to a support structure such as flooring or support beams. Accordingly, the support tabs 2408a and 2408b may have apertures for receiving fasteners such as screws or bolts.
• the support tabs 2408a and 2408b may also be used to retain objects that are placed within the cavity of the wall panel 2401 so that the objects do not fall out the bottom of the wall panel 2401 when the wall panel 2401 is lifted. Examples of such objects include blocks of insulation.
• the wall panel 2402 is similar to wall panel 2401 and has at least one interface component 2409 on one side surface that is a female component in the shape of a wide slot and at least one interface component 2410 on another side surface that has a male component 2410m and a cutout 2410s.
• the slot 2409 is a wide slot which allows for the lateral connection of the male interface component of another wall panel that has the same structure as wall panel 2402.
• the interface components on both side surfaces of the wall panel 2402 are at corresponding heights to allow these interface components to mate with corresponding interface components of an adjacent wall panel having the same structure as wall panel 2402. For increased structural stability, there may be several of the interface components 2409 and 2410 that are spaced apart on the side surface of the wall panel 2402.
• the wall panel 2402 also contains sets of cutouts on the side surfaces for similar reasons as the set of cutouts 2407 of wall panel 2401.
• the wall panel 2402 also includes an L-shaped slot 2411 at the bottom ends of the side surfaces which allows the wall panel 2402 to be mounted and releasably fixed to an angle iron or L-bracket as described for other embodiments of wall panels.
• any of the wall panels described herein may have an indicator to show direction of installation when the wall panels are being connected to one another laterally.
• An example of this is indicator 2401 i in FIG. 24B.
• FIG. 24D shown therein is a side view of the interior double-panel wall having wall panels 2401 and 2402 and a portion of a floor system including a support beam 2412, with a roughing floor layer 2413 (also called a sub-floor layer) and finishing floor panels or floor tiles 2414 and an L- bracket 2415.
• the support beam 2412 may be similar to the longitudinal support beam 2108a-2108d, for example.
• the L-bracket 2415 may be attached to the sub-floor 2414 using fasteners such as bolts or screws, for example.
• the wall panel 2402 is then placed on top of the L-bracket 2415 such that the vertical portion of the L-bracket 2415 is received in the L-shaped slot 2411.
• the bottom portion of the wall panel 2402 may then be secured to the vertical portion of the L-bracket 2415 through fasteners like screws or bolts, for example.
• the L- bracket 2415 is preferably longer that the width of the wall panel 2402.
• the end side surfaces of the wall formed by wall panels like wall panels 2401 and 20402 may be against another wall or may be flashed and sealed or otherwise finished so that they are not exposed.
• the floor tile 2414 may be made from material such as, but not limited to, vinyl material used for hospital floors.
• the sub-floor layer 2413 may be continuous or discontinuous (which assists with sound attenuation).
• the wall panels 2421 a and 2421 b are exterior wall panels while the wall panels 2422a and 2422b are interior wall panels.
• the wall panels 2421 a, 2421 b and 2422a, 2422b each have at least one interface component on both side surfaces and bended rear surfaces similar to other pairs of interior and exterior wall panels described herein, such as wall panels 2401 and 2402, respectively, except for the location and shapes of certain interface components and cutout holes.
• only some elements of the wall panels 2421a, 2421 b and 2422a, 2422b are numbered.
• wall panels 2421 a, 2421 b and 2422a, 2422b where planar adjacent wall panels are laterally connected and facing panels are horizontally connected to one another in a similar fashion as explained for previous wall panels described herein to form larger wall segments.
• wall panel 2421a, 2421 b there is at least one interface component 2423 with a male portion 2423m, such as a tab, and a cutout 2423s.
• the cutout 2423s is a rectangular cutout similar to cutout 2403s.
• the interface components on both side surfaces of the wall panel 2421a, 2421 b are at corresponding heights to allow these interface components to mate with corresponding interface components of an adjacent wall panel having the same structure as wall panel 2421a, 2421 b.
• the rear bended surfaces of the wall panels 2421a, 2421 b and 2422a, 2422b have interface components (not shown) as was described for other embodiments of wall panels described herein.
• the wall panels 2421a, 2421 b and 2422a, 2422b also include at least one set of cutouts 2424 which may be at a lower third portion and mid portion of the wall panels 2421 a, 2421 b and 2422a, 2422b.
• the set of cutouts 2424 may be used for passing wiring, pipes and other infrastructure components between wall panels that are laterally adjacent to one another.
• the example in FIGS. 24E-24G includes two sets of cutouts 2424.
• the wall panel 2421 a, 2421 b also includes an L-shaped slot 2427 at the bottom ends of its side surfaces which allows the wall panel 2421a, 2421 b to be mounted and releasably fixed to an angle iron or L-bracket as described for other embodiments of wall panels.
• the wall panel 2422a, 2422b is somewhat similar to the wall panel 2421a, 2421 b and has at least one interface component 2427 on one side surface that is a female component in the shape of a wide slot and at least one interface component 2428 on another side surface that has a male component 2428m and a cutout 2428s.
• the slot 2427 is a wide slot which allows for the lateral connection of the male interface component of another wall panel that has the same structure as wall panel 2422a, 2422b.
• the interface components on both side surfaces of the wall panel 2422a, 2422b are at corresponding heights to allow these interface components to mate with corresponding interface components of an adjacent wall panel having the same structure as wall panel 2422a, 2422b.
• the wall panel 2422a, 2422b also contains sets of cutouts on the side surfaces for similar reasons as the set of cutouts 2424 of wall panel 2421a, 2421 b.
• FIG. 24G shown therein is a front perspective view of an example embodiment of another double-panel wall system 2429 which may be used for external walls of a custom enclosure in accordance with the teachings herein.
• the wall panels of the wall system 2429 have a similar structure as the wall panels of the wall system 2420 except that they are shorter. This allows the wall panels of the wall system 2429 to be used above a doorframe (an example is shown in FIG. 24N) or above and below a window frame (an example is shown in FIG. 240).
• FIG. 24H-24K shown therein is a side view, an exploded perspective view and two magnified views of the exploded perspective view, respectively, of an example embodiment of another wall panel system 2430 in accordance with the teachings herein.
• the wall panel system 2430 may be used for exterior walls of a custom enclosure. Insulation (not shown) may be included in various locations of the wall panel system 2430 for some applications.
• the wall panel system 2430 includes a rain cap 2431 , an exterior wall panel 2432, an exterior plate 2433, a wood structure 2434, a first drywall sheet 2435, steel studs 2436, a second drywall sheet 2437 and a third drywall sheet 2438. While these elements are referred to in the singular and reference numerals are used for one instance of these elements in FIG.
• a wall section made using the wall panel system 2430 has a layer of exterior wall panels, a layer of exterior plates, one or more wooden structures (depending on the length of the wall section, a first drywall sheet layer with several drywall sheets, several pairs of steel studs, a second drywall sheet layer with several drywall sheets and a third drywall layer.
• a custom enclosure that is made using the wall panel system 2430 may have insulation requirements and so insulation may be included at one or more layers of the wall panel system 2430 including the cavities of the exterior wall panels, the spaces between adjacent studs of the wooden structure, the spaces between adjacent steel studs, or any combination thereof.
• the wooden structure and steel studs layer have insulation.
• the exterior wall panel 2432 has one side surface with at least one interface component 2432s, two rear bended surfaces that have at least one interface component 2432h and another side surface with at least one interface component (both not visible in FIGS. 24H-24K).
• the interface component 2432s may be a female component such as a wide slot, while the interface component at the same height on the other side surface may be a male component that can mate with interface component 2432s of an adjacent exterior wall panel that has the same structure as exterior wall panel 2432.
• the interface component 2432h is a narrow slot that is sized to receive a corresponding male component (e.g., hook) from a horizontally offset exterior plate 2433.
• interface components 2432s on the side surface that are vertically spaced from one another, several of the interface components on the other side surface that are vertically spaced from one another and several of the interface components 2432h that are vertically spaced apart on the bended rear surface of the wall panel 2432 for making several connections with laterally adjacent exterior wall panels and with horizontally offset flat panels 2333.
• the wall panel 2432 includes at least one cutout 2432c which may be at a lower bottom portion of the wall panel 2432.
• the cutout 2432c may be used for passing wiring, cables, pipes and other infrastructure components between the exterior wall panels that are laterally adjacent to one another.
• the wall panel 2432 also includes an extension portion 2432c that may be connected to a portion of the floor system that the wall panel 2432 is attached to during manufacturing or installation.
• the exterior wall panel 2432 may also include apertures 2432a to facilitate the attachment of the exterior wall panel 2432 to a portion of the floor system or other objects such as the exterior plate 2433.
• the exterior wall panel 2432 may also include apertures 2432p at upper end portions of the side surfaces of the exterior wall panel 2432.
• the apertures 2432p may be used to support the wall panel 2432 when it is moved into place using construction equipment for installation.
• the apertures 2432p may also be used as another connection location to fasten together laterally adjacent wall panels 2432.
• the rain cap 2431 is a trim piece that has a top longitudinal strip with inner and outer downward extending portions on either side of the longitudinal strip to form a U-shaped channel 2431c.
• the rain cap 2431 also has a downward slanted strip 2431 s extending away from the outer downward extending portion for deflecting away environmental elements, such as rain or snow, from the outer surface of the exterior wall panels 2432.
• the channel 2431c may be large enough so that the rain cap 2431 slidably receives the top of the exterior wall panel 2432 and the rain cap is secured to the exterior wall panel 2432 with suitable fasteners.
• the width of the channel 2431c may be large enough so that the rain cap 2431 also slidably receives the exterior plate 2433 and the rain cap is secured to the exterior wall panel 2432 and the exterior plate 2433 with suitable fasteners.
• the rain cap 2431 may be optional in some cases.
• the exterior plate 2433 is a flat panel that replaces the interior wall panels described herein in this wall panel system 2430 which allows for a reduced thickness for the exterior wall compared to embodiments where interior wall panels are used.
• This structure may also provide improved fire rating as it allows the exterior wall panel 2432 to act as a cladding and wires can be run through the cavities of the exterior wall panels 2432.
• the same materials may be used to make the exterior wall panels 2432 and the exterior plates as described for other wall panel systems herein.
• the exterior plate 2433 includes a plurality of apertures 2433a arranged in columns that may be used to pass electrical, mechanical and/or structural components therethrough.
• the apertures 2433a also allow the exterior plate 2433 to be made using less material which reduces manufacturing costs as well the weight of the wall panel system 2430.
• the width of each exterior plate 2433 may be selected so that one piece of exterior plate 2433 releasably engages two laterally adjacent exterior wall panels.
• the exterior plate 2433 includes interface components in the form of slots 2433s, as described for previous wall panels, that are engaged by the interface components (e.g., male components 2433m) of the exterior wall panels 2432 so that the plate 2433 is engaged with the exterior wall panel 2432 in a horizontally offset manner.
• the interface components of the exterior plate 2433 may be male components and the corresponding interface components exterior wall panel 2432 may be female components.
• the interface components of the exterior plate 2433s are spaced apart at the same height so that they collectively engage with interface components of two adjacent exterior wall panels.
• the wood structure 2434 is a wooden frame with several wood studs that is attached to the inner surface of the exterior plate 2433 which is the surface of the exterior plate that faces towards the inside of the custom enclosure. This attachment may be through fasteners that engage apertures 2433h on the plate 2433 and extend into the wood structure 2434. be Insulation may optionally be placed between the wood studs of the wood structure 2434.
• the wood structure 2434 includes a lower wood beam 2434p that extends longitudinally along the bottom of the wood structure 2434. The wood studs are attached so inward (e.g., directed towards the interior of the custom enclosure) facing surfaces are flush with an inward facing surface of the wood beam 2434 so that they are offset away from the outward facing surface of the wood beam
• the first drywall sheet layer includes drywall sheets 2435 that are fastened to the wood structure 2435.
• the drywall sheets are fastened to the wood structure 2435.
• 2435 are used as a finishing layer for the wall panel system 2430 and there are no additional layers. This may be done in cases where layers 2432 to 2435 are sufficient to meet thermal insulation requirements and additional layers may not be added due to reduced footprint for installation.
• the wall panel system 2430 includes the steel studs 2436 and the second drywall layer including drywall sheets 2437.
• other material having suitable strength and rigidity may be used instead of steel.
• the steel studs 2436 are attached to the drywall sheets 2435 and aligned with the wood studs of the wood structure 2434.
• insulation material may be placed between adjacent steel studs 2436 to increase thermal and/or acoustic insulation for the wall panel system 2430.
• the drywall sheets 2437 of the second drywall layer may provide a surface that may be finished (i.e., taped and painted) for the wall panel system 2430 where additional insulation is not needed.
• a third drywall layer including drywall sheets 2438 may be fastened to the second drywall layer to provide additional thermal and/or acoustic insulation in which case the drywall sheets 2438 may act as a surface for finishing for the wall panel system 2430.
• the steel studs 2436 and drywall sheets 2437 and 2438 may be included to increase the fire rating for the wall panel system 2430 to meet the construction codes.
• the lower wood beam 2434p of the wood structure 2434 may first be attached to the floor system, such as to a longitudinal support beam of a floor system.
• the exterior plates 2433 is then installed.
• the exterior plates 2433 contains a plurality of holes 2433h (see FIG. 24K) that receive fasteners for fastening the exterior plates 2433 to the wood structure 2434.
• the exterior panels 2432 may then be attached to the exterior plates 2433 by mating the interface components on the inward facing surfaces of the exterior panels 2432 to the interface components on the outward facing surfaces of the exterior plates 2433.
• the drywall sheets 2435, 2437 and 2438 may have a thickness of 5/8 inches and provide an insulation level of R5 per inch of thickness.
• the steel stud layer may include insulation to also provide an insulation level of R5 per inch of thickness.
• the steel studs may be 1 ! x 21 in size.
• certain components of the wall panel system 2430 may have different heights.
• the exterior wall panel 2432 and the exterior plate 2433 may have a first height
• the wood structure 2434 and layer of drywall sheets 2435 may have a second height
• the steel studs 2436 and the layers of drywall sheets 2437 and 2438 may have a third height.
• the first, send and third heights do not have to be the same.
• the first height is larger than the second height.
• the third height may be larger than the second height to allow for the placement of other structures above the wood structure 2434 such as longitudinal support beams to improve structural stability (e.g., see FIG. 24L).
• FIG. 24L shown therein is a cross-sectional view of an end portion of a unit of a custom enclosure 2440 that uses the internal double-panel wall and external wall panel system of FIGS. 24A-24K.
• the roof system is not shown. Insulation materials are not shown but may be included depending on the thermal requirements for the enclosure 2440.
• the enclosure 2440 may include pads 2441 that run along its perimeter. Longitudinal support beams 2442 are placed on top of the pads 2441 and run along edges of the unit and cross beams 2423 of the floor system run perpendicular and are connected to the longitudinal support beams 2442 (similar to what was described and shown in FIGS. 21A-21 E).
• a layer of corrugated sheets 2444 may then be placed on top of the cross beams 2423 to provide a base and strength for the floor system. Insulation may be added to the channels of the corrugated sheets 2444 to provide thermal insulation and/or acoustic attenuation for the custom enclosure 2440.
• Panels for a subfloor 2445 may then be installed on top of the corrugated sheets 244.
• the subfloor 2445 may be continuous.
• Panels for another subfloor 2446 may be installed on top of the subfloor 2445.
• the subfloor 2446 may be discontinuous to aid with sound attenuation.
• Sheets of plywood e.g., % inch
• a finishing layer for the floor may be installed on top of the subfloor 2446.
• the finishing layer for the floor may be floor tiles or material that is used in hospitals or schools.
• one of the subfloor 2445 and 2446 may be optional.
• FIG. 24L Also shown in FIG. 24L are exterior wall panel systems 2448 and 2453 that may be made using the wall panel system 2430.
• the bottom beam of the wood structure of the exterior wall panel system 2448 sits on the longitudinal support member 2442 to provide a thermal break.
• the exterior wall panel of the exterior wall panel systems 2448 is full height and extends to the top of the custom enclosure 2440.
• the wood structure and adjacent drywall layer of the exterior wall panel system 2448 is shorter and a longitudinal support beam 2449 is installed above the wood structure.
• Cross beams 2451 may be connected to the longitudinal support beam 2449 and panels (e.g., drywall) from a roof support layer 2452 provide support for the roof system (not shown).
• the ceiling system 2449 is constructed using a plurality of tiles or panels that may be suspended from the cross beams 2451 defining a ceiling cavity therebetween 2450 within which various mechanical, electrical or other infrastructure components may be run as was described for custom enclosure 2100, for example.
• the interior wall panel system 2447 may be made using the wall panel system 2400.
• One of the wall panels of the wall panel system 2447 may be attached to an L-bracket 2447L that is in turn attached to one of the floor components such as sub-floor 2445, for example.
• the interior wall panel system 2447 may be used as a partition wall to form a room within the custom enclosure 2440.
• the interior wall panel system 2447 may have a height that extends up to the ceiling system 2449.
• FIG. 24M shown therein is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a custom enclosure 2458 showing the exterior wall and roof system (the ceiling system is not shown for simplicity of illustration).
• the custom enclosure 2458 includes an exterior wall panel system 2460 that is made according to the exterior wall panel system 2430 of FIGS. 24H-24K.
• the custom enclosure 2458 may also include an eavestrough structure 2479 for draining water to the ground.
• the exterior wall panel system 2460 includes a roof cap 2461 , an exterior wall panel 2462, an exterior plate 2463, a wood structure 2464, a first drywall layer 2465, a steel stud layer 2466, a second drywall layer 2467 and a third drywall layer 2468.
• the exterior wall panel 2462 does not include insulation.
• insulation material 2469 is included in the wood structure 2464 and can be wrapped around the studs of the wood structure 2464.
• insulation material 2470 may also be included in the steel stud layer 2466 by being wrapped around the steel studs.
• the custom enclosure 2458 includes longitudinal support beams 2471 and 2472.
• the longitudinal support beams 2471 run parallel with the exterior wall panel system 2460 and are mounted on top of the wood structure 2464.
• An upper wood beam of the wood structure 24234 acts as a thermal break.
• the longitudinal support beams 2472 are perpendicular to the exterior wall panel system 2460 and provide support for the roof system.
• the ceiling system may be suspended from the longitudinal support beams 2472 in some embodiments.
• the roof system includes sheets of corrugated steel 2473 that are mounted on the longitudinal support beams 2472 to provide strength and rigidity for the roof system.
• Material other than steel may be used for any corrugated steel sheets described herein where the material has suitable strength and rigidity properties.
• a first sub roof layer is installed on top of the corrugated sheets 2473.
• a second sub roof layer 2475 is installed spaced apart from the first sub roof layer and insulation 2478 may be installed in this space. Roof panels 2476 may then be installed on the second sub roof layer 2475.
• the roof system may be implemented so that the outermost surface is sloped in some areas.
• a roof truss structure may be used.
• FIG. 24N shown therein is an example embodiment of a portion of custom enclosure 2480 that incorporates the wall panel systems of FIGS. 24A-24K (the ceiling and roof systems are not shown for ease of illustration).
• the exterior walls 2481 of the custom enclosure 2480 are made using the exterior wall panel system 2430 that are installed on top of longitudinal support beams 2482.
• the exterior wall panel section 2483a on top of the door, and the exterior wall panels 2483b and 2483c above and below the window may be made using the exterior wall panel system 249.
• the interior wall panel sections 2484a, 2484b and 2484c can be made using the wall panel system 2400.
• the enclosure 2480 also includes a roof support structure 2485 that is made up of longitudinal support beams and cross beams as described for the custom enclosures 2440 and 2458.
• the enclosure 2480 also includes vertical support members 2487 that are used to support the roof support structure 2486.
• the ceiling panel system (not shown) may be suspended from the roof support structure 2486.
• the ceiling panel system can be hung by wires that are connected to joists of the roof support structure 2486.
• the portion of the custom enclosure 2480 is formed from units 2480a and 2480b which may be separately constructed, transported to the installation site and then installed by connecting abuting components such as the roof support structure where the adjacent longitudinal support members are connected together, an example of which is shown at region 2485a. Similarly adjacent vertical support posts are connected together, an example of which is shown at region 2487a. In a similar manner other adjacent components of the two units 2480a and 2480b are fastened together.
• the north east side of the custom enclosure 2480 is “open” so that another unit can be attached to this open side to increase the size of the custom enclosure.
• FIG. 240 shown therein is an example embodiment of a portion of a custom enclosure 2490 (the ceiling and roof systems are not shown for ease of illustration).
• the custom enclosure 2490 is made by attaching custom enclosure 2480’ to another unit 2492 by attaching various adjacent components from both of these structures, an example of which is shown for the longitudinal members of the roof support structures at region 2494.
• Custom enclosure 2480’ is somewhat similar to custom enclosure 2480 except for additional windows.
• FIG. 25 shown therein is a flow chart for an example embodiment of a method 2500 for assembling a custom enclosure, such as custom enclosure 2100, 2480 or 2490 in accordance with the teachings herein.
• the steps of the enclosure assembly method 2500 may be modified or implemented in a different way depending on the nature of the enclosure that is being constructed (e.g., medical, laboratory, classroom, etc.) and the space that is available at a manufacturing facility.
• a plurality of the double-panel walls may be assembled to form various wall sections (e.g., pre-fab) which are then dropped into place in the custom enclosure.
• the enclosure may be constructed in place (e.g., in situ), such as by following steps 2508 to 2154, with various wall panels being installed one at a time.
• the method 2500 is provided as an example and may be modified when assembling different enclosures. For ease of illustration purposes only, the assembly method 2500 will be described in relation to the custom enclosure 2100.
• the roof and floor skeleton structure may be assembled. This may be done as was described for floor system 2104, in which a first set of longitudinal support beams for a portion of the floor system 2104 may be releasably attached to one another, such as longitudinal support beams that may be in-line with the longitudinal support beam 2108a and then first ends of cross members 2106 may be releasably connected thereto. Once that is done, a second set of longitudinal support beams may be releasably connected together in a linear fashion and then releasably connected to the other ends of the cross members 2106.
• both sets of longitudinal support members for the floor system may be assembled first and then opposing ends of the cross beams may be releasably connected to the sets of longitudinal support members to build out the floor system 2104. This may be repeated several times depending on the size of the enclosure.
• custom enclosure 2100 is a double-room enclosure so the above operations are performed twice to build out two sections of the floor system 2104.
• Vertical support posts 2114 are then connected to the lower longitudinal support members of the skeletal floor structure. Longitudinal support members and cross beams for the roof support structure (as was described for enclosures 2440 and 2458) may then be assembled and attached to the vertical support posts 2114.
• the number of vertical support members and the upper longitudinal members may be installed as needed depending on the size of the custom enclosure. For example, when the custom enclosure is a double-width, triple-width or larger custom enclosure, then a roof support structure and one or more posts, such as roof support structures 2112 and vertical support posts 2114, for example, may be used to build. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, a truss system may also be used as described earlier to provide an additional roof support structure.
• the upper longitudinal support members that are used may depend on whether a cable tray is needed in which case longitudinal support members 1650 or 2002 may be used. Alternatively, if a cable tray is not needed then the longitudinal support members 1606 may be used or another type of upper longitudinal support member, if needed.
• the upper longitudinal support members may be selected based on the size of the spacing between the downward side portions that is selected so that the channel defined therebetween is large enough to releasably and slidably receive one or more horizontally offset wall panels of the wall system.
• An example of the skeleton structure for the roof support structure and the vertical posts is shown in FIGS. 24N and 240.
• the layout for the skeleton for the vertical support posts and the upper longitudinal support members depends on the manufacturing technique used to form the walls (see step 2506) and/or whether certain objects will be dropped into place during assembly in which cases some sections of the roof structure may not be connected to provide space for this “drop assembly”.
• other elements of the floor system may be installed such as two or more subfloor layers that may be installed on top of the longitudinal support beams and cross beams of the floor skeleton.
• a first subfloor layer may be a corrugated layer with sufficient strength, such as a corrugated steel sheets, to provide strength and support for the floor of the custom enclosure.
• Additional subfloor layers may be added on top of the corrugated layer such as continuous or discontinuous (for sound attenuation) floor layers. There may be several subfloor layer that are used as was described for custom enclosure 2440. As described earlier, in at least one embodiment, when the floor system is assembled, other functional elements can be installed such as, but not limited to, mechanical floor access panels, water supply pipes and drainage pipes, floor electrical access ports and any other floor entry points or structural components as needed.
• L- brackets are installed on various locations of the floor system where wall panels will be installed.
• the L-backets are installed close to the perimeter of the enclosure where double-panel wall, multi-panel wall or exterior panel wall systems may be installed.
• the L-brackets may also be installed at locations where interior double-wall panels may be located.
• the L-brackets may be installed to the longitudinal connection members (e.g., Z channel beams 2120) used for the floor system for defining locations where external wall sections are to be installed.
• Other L-brackets may be installed to the longitudinal support members that are not at the periphery of the custom enclosure to define locations where internal walls (e.g., partition walls) are to be assembled.
• step 2506 it is determined whether there is sufficient space at the manufacturing facility and whether the manufacturing assembly line is set up to assemble wall sections fully and later install them to the floor system (e.g., modular construction) in which case the method 2500 proceeds to step 2516 or whether the wall panels should be installed in situ, one at a time, on the floor system in which case the method 2500 proceeds to step 2506.
• the interior wall panels may be assembled by releasably connecting the interior wall panels to the floor system as well as to each other. This may be done one wall at a time, so the interior wall panels for wall 2108a may first be assembled and releasably connected to the floor system 2104.
• This step may involve releasably attaching a first interior wall panel may be releasably attached to the longitudinal connection member, which may be done as was explained with reference to FIGS. 21 B and 21 C. Then a subsequent interior wall panel may be releasably attached to the previous installed wall panel, which may be done in a similar manner as was explained with reference to FIG. 7, or FIGS. 13A and 13B, for example, depending on the embodiment of the interior wall panel that is used. This subsequent interior wall panel may then be releasably attached to the longitudinal connection member. This process is repeated until all of the interior wall panels for a given wall are assembled. This may also be done for interior wall panels that are used for the exterior walls of the custom enclosure as well as interior walls of the custom enclosure.
• any of the interior wall panels that make contact with an upper longitudinal support member may be releasably fastened thereto.
• Athermal break may be optionally installed between the upper surface of the longitudinal connection member and the lower surfaces of the interior wall panels or between the longitudinal connection members and the longitudinal support members.
• various components may be installed along the cavities of the interior wall panels as needed depending on the nature and operational requirements of the custom enclosure.
• electrical wires, communication cables, power lines, gas lines as well as other mechanical, electrical and/or infrastructure components may be installed.
• step 2512 if any of the walls of the custom enclosure are multipanel walls having three or more horizontally offset wall panels, then the intermediate wall panels may be installed for those particular walls. Accordingly, step 2512 is optional depending on the design of the custom enclosure. Although not shown in FIGS. 21 B-21 C, for any walls that have three or more horizontally offset wall panels, the widths of the floor longitudinal support beams and longitudinal connection members may be increased accordingly in order to be able to accommodate/support the additional intermediate wall panels.
• the intermediate wall panels may be assembled one at a time by first positioning a given intermediate wall panel for releasable attachment to a corresponding horizontally offset interior wall panel (or horizontally offset intermediate wall panel when there is more than one intermediate wall panel layer) while also positioning the given intermediate wall panel for releasable attachment to a laterally offset previously installed intermediate wall panel and then moving the given intermediate wall panel into its final position, which may be done as was described for FIGS. 14F and 14G (and FIGS. 14A and 14B if the exterior wall panel in those figures is treated as an intermediate wall panel). Certain material may also be placed in the cavities of the intermediate wall panels depending on their functionality (an example of this was given in the description of FIG. 14G).
• the exterior wall panels are then assembled for each wall. This may be done in a similar manner as the intermediate wall panels. Accordingly, this may be done one wall panel at a time, so a first exterior wall panel for wall 2108a may first be releasably attached to an opposite interior wall panel (or an intermediate wall panel if it exists) in accordance with the teachings herein and then this first exterior wall panel can be releasably connected to the floor system 2104 and to any longitudinal support member (that may be part of the roof support structure) that the top of the exterior wall panel makes contact with.
• next horizontally offset wall panel which may be an interior or intermediate wall panel
• next exterior wall panel which may be an interior or intermediate wall panel
• a spacer may be optionally installed above the upper surfaces of the wall panels and within the U shaped channel of the longitudinal support member.
• the spacer may be made from a thermal insulating material so that it acts as a thermal break.
• the various external and internal wall sections needed for the custom enclosure can instead be assembled in a manufacturing space at step 2516.
• the entire assembled external wall sections (at the perimeter of the custom enclosure) and internal wall section (for internal walls like partition walls of the custom enclosure) may be “dropped into place” and connected to components of the floor system such as the L brackets as well as components of the roof skeletal structure such as certain upper longitudinal support members.
• any inner and outer corner support members such as inner and outer corner support members 2103i and 2103o, may also be releasably attached at this point to provide further structural stability to the walls of the custom enclosure. If there are any internal walls or half walls (as shown in the example laboratory structure of FIGS. 22A-22B), then similar corner support members and/or finishing trim pieces may be installed (such as those described with respect to the laboratory of FIGS. 22A-22B).
• the ceiling system is installed. This may be done such that the ceiling is a drop ceiling (e.g., false ceiling) or not as previously explained with respect to FIGS. 17 and 18 or FIGS. 20A and 20B.
• the ceiling panels may be releasably installed using fasteners placed on the top surface of the ceiling panels so that someone inside the custom enclosure cannot access the space above the ceiling panel for safety purposes.
• at least a portion of the ceiling panels may be installed such that they are easily removable if access to the interior of the custom enclosure is needed from equipment that is outside of the custom enclosure such as a boom or a crane that is positioning equipment inside or removing equipment from the custom enclosure.
• the ceiling system may be installed based on the structure shown in FIGS. 24L and 24M and the ceiling system may be suspended from the roof support structure.
• certain components such as wiring, cables, gas lines, as well as other electrical, mechanical and/or infrastructure components that have been installed inside the walls may be run along the top of the ceiling system as needed for connection to a maintenance room, an electrical room or certain fixtures (e.g., lights) or openings in the ceiling system.
• fixtures e.g., lights
• the roof system may then be installed. This may be done as was previously described with respect to FIGS. 15A to 20B.
• the type of roof panels that are used may be roof panels 1500, 1900 or 2000, or other suitable roof panels may be used, depending on the application of the custom enclosure. For example, if the custom enclosure includes equipment which generate loud noises or have components that need to be removed for servicing or replacement, such as a large engine for example, then the roof panels 1900 with the sound attenuating properties may be used. Alternatively, if the custom enclosure is used for medical or laboratory purposes, then the roof panels 1500 or 2000 may be used. Alternatively, the roof system may be installed based on the structures shown in FIG. 24N or FIG. 240.
• the finishes may be installed. This may include installing the finishing for the floor system where floor tiles or floor panels may be attached to the uppermost subfloor layer.
• the material for the floor tiles may be selected based on the application of the custom enclosure. For example, materials used for hospital flooring may be used when the custom enclosure is a healthcare facility. Alternatively, materials used for school flooring may be used when the custom enclosure is an educational facility. Inner surfaces of external walls and surfaces of internal walls may be finished as needed which may involve performing taping and painting drywall surfaces and/or install flashing on any exposed surfaces of wall panels and/or internal vertical support members.
• the floor system may be assembled at the same time and separately from the assembly of the side walls, ceiling and roof systems of the custom enclosure.
• the assembly of side walls, ceiling and roof systems may then be “slid over” the floor system and releasably attached thereto.
• standard door frames may be used that may be attached via bolts, or other releasable fasteners, and any male connectors of adjacent wall panels may be taken off or bent such that the side surfaces of the wall panels that are adjacent to the door frame are smooth and have no protrusions.
• doors can then be mounted therein. An example of this can be seen in FIGS. 22A and 22B, which show an example embodiment of a laboratory 2200.
• the mobile unit 100 or custom enclosure 2100 can be combined with other similarly constructed structures, which may have other designs and/or purposes, but can be connectable to one another for forming compound structures of various configurations.
• An example of this is also shown with the laboratory of FIGS. 22A and 22B.
• the ceiling panels described herein may be formed in a similar manner as some of the wall panels described herein, but without the features for interfacing with angle irons or other interconnection structures. Once in position, the ceiling panels may be releasably fastened together with bolts, or other fasteners, and then a sealant such as silicone, which may be industrial grade or medical grade depending on the use of the enclosure, may be applied to the gaps between adjacent ceiling panels if needed. A medical grade sealant is resistance to germs and certain types of chemicals.
• a vapour barrier film may also be included in any of the custom enclosures described herein in order to control condensation. The vapour barrier film may be applied between at least one of the interior and adjacent exterior wall panels or at least one of the ceiling panels and the exterior walls of the housing and/or between at least one of the ceiling panels and the roof panels.
• a sealant such as a silicone sealant, which may be medical grade, may be applied along the interfaces between one or more of these panels to provide an air-tight seal (for custom enclosures that have air-sealing requirements, such as a medical or laboratory structure).
• the sealing material which is used may be mold resistant.
• the sealing material which is used may be air-tight and mold resistant.
• a custom enclosure which is made using the materials and construction techniques described herein may be generally provided with air handling components and power components that are suitable for the use for the use of the custom enclosure.
• air handling components and power components that are suitable for the use for the use of the custom enclosure.
• these enclosures may be coupled to a 208 Volt, 50-Ampere connection via a manual transfer switch with connections for connecting to a backup generator, in at least one embodiment.
• custom enclosures may further incorporate an electrical distribution system that incorporates or can connect with an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for ensuring that power continues to be routed to key receptacles in these structures in the event of a municipal or facilities power failure.
• UPS uninterrupted power supply
• power to these enclosures may be provided by alternate power sources such as renewable or non-renewable energy sources including, but not limited to, solar, wind, electric, natural gas, diesel, turbine and electric vehicles through a bi-directional charging station.
• custom enclosures described in accordance with the teachings herein may be divided into patient rooms for medical purposes.
• the floor system of each patient room may be clad with a medical-grade polyurethane floor such as the medical-grade Polyclad Pro PU available from Polyflor Limited in the United Kingdom.
• Alternative formats or suppliers of materials for the floor system that comply with the applicable quality and safety standards may be employed.
• the floor system may feature a raised perimeter running six (6) inches up the walls, providing a floor-to-wall barrier to dirt, fluids and other contaminants.
• the floor system may be constructed, in at least one embodiment, such that it is suitable for use in ISO1466-11999 Class 4 clean rooms, and may be classified as a Class A product, including non-shedding to ASTM F51 , complying with CAN/ULC - S102.2.
• the mobile unit 300, enclosure 2100 or other enclosure may have a floor made of structural steel, or another material having suitable strength and desirable properties such as the compound printed material described with reference to FIG. 23.
• custom enclosures described in accordance with the teachings herein that are usable for forming compound structures of various configurations, that may be mobile, semi-permanent or permanent, may be fully insulated to provide reliable operation within temperatures ranging from about -50°C (-22°F) to about 50°C (113°F).
• the insulation may be selected to enable another temperature range for custom enclosure described in accordance with the teachings herein based on the use of these structures.
• at least one of the cavities that is formed between certain interior and exterior wall panels or between certain roof panels and ceiling panels and/or the basket 1920 may include insulation panels to provide the desired amount of insulation.
• Such insulation panels may be made of polystyrene or some other thermally insulating material and/or acoustic dampening material that has a size to allow for installation in the above-noted cavities and/or baskets.
• the use of the terms “releasably attached”, “releasably coupled”, “releasably installed” and the like throughout the description means that two components may be fastened together such that the components are structurally secure and held firmly in place but can also be easily disassembled when needed.
• the manner in which the roof panels and/or ceiling panels are removably attached to wall panels and other support elements allows for relatively simple disassembly of portions of the roof system and ceiling system to allow for access to the interior of an enclosure for various purposes such as installing or removing large equipment which cannot be moved through any doors or windows of the enclosure.
• portions of the roof system may be easily removed allowing for access to the region above the ceiling where certain components may require servicing.
• the portions of the roof system and optionally the ceiling system that were removed may be easily reassembled to close the enclosure. This is in contrast to other conventional enclosures in which the roof system and/or ceiling system may be welded in place which makes it more difficult to disassemble and reassemble these elements.

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