Hybrid Building System, Building and Method

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/999,240, filed on Dec. 23, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/907,338, filed on Sep. 26, 2022 which is a National Stage Application of PCT/GB2022/051271, filed May 19, 2022, which applications are incorporated herein by reference. The present applications also claims priority to GB Application Number 2107248.3 filed on May 20, 2021, GB Application Number 2107247.5 filed on May 20, 2021, GB Application Number 2107245.9 filed on May 20, 2021, GB Application Number 2107244.2 filed on May 20, 2021, and GB Application Number 2107243.4 filed on May 20, 2021. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above applications.

The present disclosure relates to a hybrid building system, a hybrid building and a method of constructing a hybrid building. The present disclosure also relates to first and second building sections forming part of such buildings.

In 2018, the construction industry contributed £117 billion to the UK economy, 6% of total GDP. In 2019, there were 2.4 million construction industry jobs in the UK, accounting for 6.6% of all jobs. New orders to the construction industry were worth £61.7 billion in 2017. Notably, new housing orders accounted for 35% of all construction orders. Commercial orders accounted for 25% and infrastructure orders accounts for 19%.

Despite this substantial valuation and level of activity, little advancement has been made in the methods of construction of housing. The majority of new homes in the UK are built using traditional blockwork/masonry construction. Housing built entirely using traditional masonry construction, whilst having a long life-span and other advantages, are slow to construct, expensive, and can have considerable environmental impact due to the materials involved. Timber frame construction is becoming increasingly popular for the construction of housing. However, such methods do not substantially reduce build times, and have other associated disadvantages.

In conventional housing construction, services, including electricity and water supply, are installed on-site during a “First Fix” and a “Second Fix”. In electrical installation, a “Third Fix” is sometimes performed, wherein conductors are terminated at accessories and protective devices. Electricians, plumbers, and other skilled tradespeople are required to be on-site during the aforementioned fixes to ensure correct installation of the services and perform necessary tests. This adds to complexity of the build, and can increase build times and, ultimately, build costs. In addition, differences in the skill levels of tradespeople from one site to another, and even from one building to another, can lead to significant variations in quality.

In light of increasing housing demand, skills shortages and higher sustainability standards, the UK Government is encouraging the construction sector to use and develop modern methods of construction in an attempt to meet these challenges. Other governments, in other countries, are taking the same approach.

Prefabricated housing has been developed in an attempt to meet these challenges. Prefabricated housing may refer to buildings having built in components (e.g. panels), modules, or transportable sections. However, commercially available prefabricated houses and methods of construction do not suitably address the problems identified above.

Examples of known prefabricated housing include so-called “modular” buildings. These are buildings which are assembled using an arrangement of prefabricated units or sections that have been constructed in a factory or facility, and then shipped to a final location for the building. Whilst manufacture of the building units in a factory addresses some of the problems with conventional construction methods, there remain significant disadvantages with buildings of this type.

In particular, there is a requirement to construct a series of building units in the factory which, when assembled at the final location, form the entire volume of the finished building. The building units each comprise an internal void or volume which defines part of the total volume of the assembled building, and are transported to the building site in that form. A consequence of this is that there is a requirement to construct and store all of the finished building units at the factory location, which takes up significant space. A large premises is therefore required.

In addition, it is necessary to transport all of the relatively bulky building units from the factory to the final location for subsequent assembly. This can be a time-consuming and expensive procedure. Further, the building units must be both large enough to minimise final assembly, and small enough to be handled and transported (typically by rail and/or road) to their final location.

Some modular buildings comprise pre-constructed building units of this type, and a flat panel or frame-type structure which is connected to the pre-constructed building unit at the final location, in order to form the completed building. However, these panel or frame-type structures still have to be stored at a factory, and transported to the final location for subsequent assembly. Although this can reduce the volume of some of the structures that have to be transported, they are still comparatively bulky, and can be relatively costly to manufacture. Also, the part of the building formed from the flat panel/frame-type structure is not self-supporting, and relies on the pre-constructed unit for support. As a result, the pre-constructed unit must be placed at the final location before any further assembly work can take place.

For these and other reasons, modular building options have often been discounted as being unsuitable by many housebuilders, particularly on housing sites comprising a significant number of properties.

According to the present invention there are provided hybrid residential buildings and systems, first and second building sections of such a building, and methods as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

It will be noted that the word ‘storey’ is used throughout this document. In some territories the term ‘story’ has an equivalent meaning, and may be used in its place.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

The access route may facilitate movement between the upper and lower living spaces of the first building section by an occupant of the building (and so may provide a ‘walkable’ route or space). The access route may pass from the internal volume of one of the upper and lower storeys of the first building section, into the internal volume of the second building section, and from the internal volume of the second building section to the internal volume of the other one of the upper and lower storeys. A majority or all of the access route may be defined by the second building section. However, part of the access route may be defined by the first building section.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

The second building section may facilitate movement between the upper and lower living spaces of the first building section by an occupant of the building. An occupant may pass from the internal volume/living space of one of the upper and lower storeys of the first building section into the internal volume of the second building section, and from the internal volume of the second building section to the internal volume/living space of the other one of the upper and lower storeys.

The internal volumes may be isolated in that they may be physically out of communication with one another, so that it is not possible to pass from one of the internal volumes to the other internal volume solely within the first building section. The second building section may provide a ‘walkable’ route or space between said volumes/living spaces.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

The access route may be or may provide a main accessway into the first building section and/or the building (and so again may provide a ‘walkable’ route or space). The access that is provided may be a main access into the first building section and/or the building.

The second building section may comprise a doorway which: provides the access route into the first building section; facilitates access between the exterior of the building and the first building section; or facilitates communication between the internal volume of the second building section and the building exterior. The doorway may be a main doorway of the building. The first building section may be devoid of a doorway (or at least a main doorway) to the building exterior.

The second building section may define a circulation space/zone or transition space/zone for the building. The circulation space may: define or comprise at least part of the access route; provide the required access; and/or facilitate the communication between the internal volume of the second building section and the building exterior. Access into the first building section from the building exterior may be provided via the circulation space.

The first building section may be free-standing and/or self-supporting.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

The first and further living spaces may be isolated in that they may be physically out of communication with one another, so that it is not possible to pass from one of the living spaces to the other living space solely within the first building section. The second building section may again provide a ‘walkable’ route or space between said living spaces.

The first and further living spaces may be provided in a common storey, and/or at a common level, within the first building section.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

Access into the first building section from the outside of the building may be provided via the circulation space. An access route between an exterior of the building and the first building section may be provided by the circulation space. The circulation space may be arranged to provide access between an exterior of the building and the first building section.

The circulation space (also referred to herein as a circulation zone or transition space/zone) of the second building section may define or comprise at least part of an access route between the upper and lower living spaces of the first building section; and/or may facilitate communication between the internal volume defined by the upper storey of the first building section, and the internal volume defined by the lower storey of the first building section, to thereby connect the internal volumes.

The circulation space may comprise one or more of: a staircase/stairs, hallway, landing, and one or more doorway. The circulation space may comprise a doorway into the second building section, which may provide a main access route into the first building section (and so the building). The doorway may form a main or front doorway of the building. The first building section may be devoid of a main or front doorway, the doorway being provided by the second building section, when connected to the first building section.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building comprising a first building section and a second building section, in which:

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hybrid residential building system comprising:

Optional further features of the hybrid residential buildings and systems set out in the first to fourteenth aspects of the invention are set out below.

Reference is made in this document to a ‘hybrid’ residential building. The residential building is a hybrid in that part of the building is an on-site construction at the final location (the first building section), and part is constructed separately and transported to the final location (the second building section). The building is formed at the final location by connecting the first and second building sections together.

Reference is made in this document to the first building section being an on-site construction. This should be taken to mean that the first building section is constructed at the site using an arrangement of parts, components and/or materials which are provided at the site. This is in contrast for example to modular buildings which are assembled at a final location using building units or sections that have been constructed off-site (e.g. in a construction facility or factory) and which, in their constructed form, define part of an internal volume of the finished building.

The second building section may be constructed away from the final location. The second building section may be an off-site construction, and may be transportable to the site in the substantially assembled form.

The first building section may be constructed first, and the second building section subsequently connected to the first building section to form the building. Alternatively, the second building section may be located on the site, and the first building section subsequently constructed and connected to the second building section (suitably during the construction process). The first building section may be built on or from the second building section, for example using the second building section as a support or platform for part or parts of the first building section.

Reference is made in this document to a site for the building, and to on-site and off-site constructions. It will be understood that the site may be or may define the final location for the building (which may be a fixed location), or may be a larger building/construction site comprising a plurality of plots (the final location being provided by one of said plots). In either case, it is envisaged that the second building section will generally be constructed away from the site. Options include a factory or facility that is distanced from the site, and accessible by road and/or rail from the site. Other options include a factory or facility provided on or as part e.g. of such a larger building site (but distanced from the plot), for constructing a plurality of second building sections which are to be used in the construction of a plurality of buildings.

The provision of a hybrid residential building comprising the first and second building sections offers numerous advantages over prior buildings and associated construction techniques, including over prior modular buildings.

For example, construction of the first building section at the final location enables the use of conventional (non-modular) construction techniques. These can be relatively simple, enabling construction of the first building section in a time and cost-effective manner. A relatively large proportion of the total building volume may be provided by the first building section, and so construction using conventional techniques can be beneficial in minimising costs.

Furthermore, and in contrast to prior modular buildings, it is not necessary to construct relatively large/bulky modular building units off-site (to be used to form the first building section), e.g. in a modular construction facility or factory. Prior units of this type each define an internal void or volume which forms part of the total volume of the assembled building. This can provide the related benefits that: it is not necessary to provide a large assembly space within the facility for constructing the modular building units; it is not necessary to transport such bulky units from the facility to the site (e.g. by road/rail); and it is not necessary to provide space for storing such bulky units either at the facility, or at the site where the building is to be formed.

Construction of the second building section away from the final location has the benefit that skilled tradespeople need not be constantly in attendance on-site, and can instead work remotely in a specialised facility. The second building section can be transported on-site for use in construction of the hybrid residential building as and when required. As will be described below, the second building section may comprise more complex parts of the finished building, such as a staircase/stairs, bathroom, ensuite, and a W.C./washroom, amongst other things. Construction away from the final location by dedicated workers may facilitate the construction process and improve quality control. Limiting such construction to the more complex second building section enables these positive outcomes to be achieved whilst minimising transportation of bulky components to the final location. It may also simplify construction of the first building section. A balance can therefore be reached in which the first building section can be constructed at the final location in a cost and time-effective manner using simple conventional techniques, whereas the more complex second building section can be constructed in a reliable and quality-controlled manner whilst minimising the size (volume) of components that need to be transported to the final location.