Multi-story building having load bearing walls and method to construct the building
A building includes load bearing walls that are able to withstand vertical loads and lateral loads. The building may be a low-rise building or a mid-rise building. The load bearing walls, as well as floor-ceiling panels, corridor panels, utility walls, and other parts of the building are pre-manufactured off-site and then installed on-site at the site of the building. The floor-ceiling panels are hung from the load bearing walls, utility walls are hung from the load bearing walls, and corridor panels are hung from the utility walls.
1 . A method to construct a multi-story building, the method comprising:
installing a stair and elevator module at a ground level of the building;
installing brace members, wherein the installed stair and elevator module is used as an erection aid that guides a positioning and an orientation of the brace members during installation of the brace members;
constructing a steel transfer structure that is linked to the brace members, wherein the steel transfer structure includes vertical columns and horizontal beams;
installing pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels by hanging the pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels from the beams;
positioning pre-manufactured first load bearing walls on top of the beams, wherein the first load bearing walls support vertical loads of the building;
installing pre-manufactured utility walls by hanging the utility walls from the first load bearing walls; and
installing corridor panels by hanging the corridor panels from the utility walls.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the utility walls span a single story in height.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the pre-manufactured first load bearing walls on top of the beams includes:
installing spigots at respective ends of a particular beam;
positioning a particular first load bearing wall over the particular beam such that openings of vertical tubular members, located at vertical edges of the particular first load bearing wall, receive the spigots installed at the respective ends of the particular beam; and
affixing the spigots to the vertical tubular members,
wherein the spigots provide alignment and structural support for the particular first load bearing wall.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the building is a low-rise building having five or less stories.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the building is a mid-rise building having at least six stories.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
installing pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panels by hanging the pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panels from tops of the first load bearing walls; and
positioning pre-manufactured second load bearing walls on top of the first load bearing walls.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein installing the pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panels by hanging pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panels from tops of the first load bearing walls includes:
positioning a horizontal section of an angle of a particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel over a top plate on top of a particular first load bearing wall, wherein the angle includes a vertical section that is attached to a top portion of the particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel, and wherein the particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel further includes a shear angle having a vertical section attached to the vertical section of the angle and a horizontal section attached to a top surface of the particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel; and
placing a bottom plate of an adjacent load bearing wall on top of the horizontal section of the shear angle.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first load bearing walls include demising walls and shear walls.
9 . A method to construct a multi-story building, the method comprising:
installing a stair and elevator module at a ground level of the building;
installing brace members, wherein the installed stair and elevator module is used as an erection aid that guides a positioning and an orientation of the brace members during installation of the brace members;
constructing a steel transfer structure that is linked to the brace members, wherein the steel transfer structure includes vertical columns and horizontal beams;
installing pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels by hanging the pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels from the beams;
positioning pre-manufactured first load bearing walls on top of the beams;
installing pre-manufactured utility walls by hanging the utility walls from the first load bearing walls; and
installing corridor panels by hanging the corridor panels from the utility walls, wherein the corridor panels each include an angle attached to a top edge of the corridor panels, wherein the angle includes a horizontal section, and wherein installing the corridor panels includes laying the horizontal section of the angle on top of a horizontal member located at a lower portion of the utility walls.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising connecting together multiple horizontal members located at lower portions of the utility walls so as to provide linkage for transfer of lateral load.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein installing the pre-manufactured utility walls that are hung from the first load bearing walls includes positioning tabs of the utility walls into corresponding slots of the first load bearing walls.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein load is transferred from the first load bearing walls to a horizontal diaphragm formed by the pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels, and then from the diaphragm to the brace members or steel transfer structure.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
constructing the steel transfer structure includes constructing a frame that includes vertical columns, horizontal girders that join two consecutive columns, and horizontal beams attached perpendicularly to a pair of the girders, and
the steel transfer structure includes columns that are positioned at every other beam such that consecutive beams do not both have a column positioned at ends of the consecutive beams.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the building includes respective brace members connected to stair and elevator modules at all stories of the building, and
a structural frame, other than the brace members connected to the stair and elevator modules at all stories of the building, is absent above a first story of the building.
15 . A multi-story building, comprising:
a stair and elevator module at a ground level of the building;
brace members that are positioned and oriented relative to the stair and elevator module;
a steel transfer structure that is linked to the brace members, wherein the steel transfer structure includes vertical columns and horizontal beams;
pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels that are hung from the beams;
pre-manufactured first load bearing walls positioned on top of the beams, wherein the first load bearing walls support vertical loads of the building;
pre-manufactured utility walls that are hung from the first load bearing walls; and
corridor panels that are hung from the utility walls.
16 . The building of claim 15 , wherein the utility walls span a single story in height, and wherein the corridor panels each include an angle attached to a top edge of the corridor panels, wherein the angle includes a horizontal section, and wherein the corridor panels are installed such that the horizontal section of the angle is laid on top of a horizontal member located at a lower portion of the utility walls.
17 . The building of claim 15 , further comprising spigots installed at respective ends of a particular beam, wherein:
a particular first load bearing wall is positioned over the particular beam such that openings of vertical tubular members, located at vertical edges of the particular first load bearing wall, receive the spigots installed at the respective ends of the particular beam; and
the spigots are affixed to the vertical tubular members,
wherein the spigots provide alignment and structural support for the particular first load bearing wall.
18 . The building of claim 15 , wherein the building is a low-rise building having five or less stories.
19 . The building of claim 15 , further comprising:
pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panels that are hung from tops of the first load bearing walls, wherein:
a horizontal section of an angle of a particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel is positioned over a top plate on top of a particular first load bearing wall, wherein the angle includes a vertical section that is attached to a top portion of the particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel, and wherein the particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel includes a shear angle having a vertical section attached to the vertical section of the angle and a horizontal section attached to a top surface of the particular pre-manufactured second floor-ceiling panel; and
a bottom plate of an adjacent load bearing wall is placed on top of the horizontal section of the shear angle; and
pre-manufactured second load bearing walls that are positioned on top of the first load bearing walls.
20 . The building of claim 15 , wherein load is transferred from the first load bearing walls to a diaphragm formed by the pre-manufactured first floor-ceiling panels, and then from the diaphragm to the brace members or steel transfer structure.