WO2014006377A1

WO2014006377A1 - Accommodation unit and kit of parts therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2014006377A1
Application number: PCT/GB2013/051715
Authority: WO
Inventors: Glen MONAGHAN
Original assignee: Global Safeguard Ltd
Priority date: 2012-07-02
Filing date: 2013-06-28
Publication date: 2014-01-09
Also published as: EP2867424A1; GB2504664A; GB201211682D0

Abstract

An accommodation unit is described, comprising: an upper part for forming a roof and upper wall segments; and a lower part for forming a base and lower wall segments; wherein the upper part and lower part are adapted to be assembled to each other to provide an accommodation unit comprising a roof, base and walls, said walls comprising said upper wall segments and said lower wall segments; and wherein said upper part and said lower part are each adapted to be nestable with other said upper parts and lower parts respectively. The accommodation unit may include an access part having a first aperture adapted to be received around an opening provided in the upper and lower wall segments, for receiving a door or providing interconnection between two accommodation units. The access part may have a second aperture defining a substantially planar aperture.

Description

ACCOMMODATION UNIT AND KIT OF PARTS THEREFOR

Field of the invention The invention relates to an accommodation unit, and relates particularly but not exclusively to an

accommodation unit which can be stored, transported and assembled for providing temporary accommodation at outdoor events or for humanitarian purposes.

Background

At outdoor events held over several days, such as music festivals, or in humanitarian disaster relief situations, such as in the aftermath of an earthquake or other natural disaster, a large number of people require on-site temporary accommodation. In the case of an outdoor event, this is typically provided by tents, supplied by the visitors. However, not all visitors have access to a tent, and tents can be uncomfortable to sleep in, time-consuming to erect, and can be difficult to use in poor weather.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome one or more disadvantages of the prior art .

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an accommodation unit, comprising:

an upper part for forming a roof and upper wall segments; and

a lower part for forming a base and lower wall segments ; wherein the upper part and lower part are adapted to be assembled to each other to provide an accommodation unit comprising a roof, base and walls, said walls comprising said upper wall segments and said lower wall segments; and

wherein said upper part and said lower part are each adapted to be nestable with other said upper parts and lower parts respectively. Advantageously, the accommodation unit is simple to assemble and efficient to transport, since the roof, base and walls are provided by two main parts which can each be nested for storage or transport of several similar accommodation units. By dividing the walls between the upper and lower parts, the upper and lower parts have a smaller height than the assembled accommodation unit, further enhancing ease of transport and assembly.

Each of said upper part and said lower part may be wider at a first end than at a second end, wherein said first end is for assembly to the other one of the upper part and lower part, an said second end is for forming the roof or base respectively. In addition to enabling each of the upper and lower parts to be nested with other respective upper or lower parts, this feature results in the assembled

accommodation unit bulging outwards between its roof and base. This provides the advantage that the assembled accommodation unit may have a more uniform cross-section from roof to base, and thus a more usefully-shaped interior space, than if the entire accommodation unit were required to taper outwards along its entire height. Said upper wall segments and said lower wall segments may be angled outwards from the interior of the accommodation unit. The upper part and the lower part may be adapted to nest one inside the other.

Advantageously, this reduces the cost of storage and transport .

The upper part and the lower part may be

substantially identical to each other.

Advantageously, this reduces the cost of

manufacture, storage, transport and maintenance, as fewer different component parts are required and the

interchangeable upper and lower parts may be nested together . The accommodation unit may further comprise an access part having a first aperture adapted to be received around an opening provided in the upper and lower wall segments, and a second aperture either:

(i) defining a substantially planar aperture, or (ii) adapted to be received around an opening provided in the upper and lower wall segments of a further accommodation unit.

The access part defined above, when defining a planar aperture, provides the advantage of enabling a standard type of door (e.g. hinged, planar, one-piece) to be provided for access to the accommodation unit. This avoids the need for a specially designed door adapted to the shape of the wall segments. A further advantage of the access part is that it may be used to interconnect two or more accommodation units: where the second

aperture is planar, this can be achieved by aligning the second, planar apertures of two access parts together; where both first and second apertures are adapted to be received around an opening provided in the upper and lower wall segments, a single access part can be used to connect respective openings in two accommodation units. Said access part may be adapted to be nestable with other said access parts.

This feature enables the access part to be

transported and stored more efficiently.

Said upper and/or lower part may further comprise reinforcement where said upper or lower wall segments meet said roof or base respectively. This provides the advantage of making the

accommodation unit more rigid and more robust.

Preferably the reinforcement comprises a hard, smooth material on the external surface of the upper and lower parts to enhance manoeuvrability during delivery and assembly.

Said reinforcement may be provided by one or more thickened areas of said upper and/or lower part. Advantageously, this enables the reinforcement to be formed integrally with the upper/lower part.

Respective spacer means may be provided on the exterior and/or interior of said upper and/or lower part. By providing spacer means, an air gap may be maintained between the roof/base and/or wall segments when multiple upper/lower parts are nested together, preventing the upper/lower parts from becoming difficult to separate. When provided on the exterior of the upper/lower part, the spacer means may also reduce friction between the upper/lower part and the ground for easier manoeuvrability. When provided on the interior, the spacer means may also function to support seating or sleeping platforms.

Said spacer means may be provided by said

reinforcement .

The accommodation unit may further comprise one or more platforms.

These may be used, for example, as seating or to support sleeping mattresses.

At least one said platform may extend between two said upper or lower wall segments. This may advantageously provide additional rigidity to the accommodation unit.

Said spacer means may be adapted to support at least one said platform.

At least one said platform may be adapted to be supported on two or more edges of said lower part .

An advantage of this feature is that it avoids the need for additional supports for the platform.

Said upper part and/or said lower part may comprise a flange.

This feature may provide the advantages of a means for connecting the upper and lower part to each other, a support surface during transport or storage of the upper/lower part, and a support surface on the lower part for receiving a sleeping platform inside the

accommodation unit.

At least one said platform may comprise a rim for retaining a mattress supported on the platform, wherein said rim is preferably hollow.

By providing a hollow rim, multiple platforms may be nested together for transport .

In some embodiments, each wall segment may be angled outwards between 10 and 20 degrees from parallel.

In some embodiments, each wall segment may be angled outwards by about 15 degrees from parallel.

These angles optimise the number of upper/lower parts which can be stacked together to fit within typical height and width constraints for road transport.

The accommodation unit may further comprise a sealing member for sealing said upper and lower part to each other when assembled.

The accommodation unit may further comprise ventilation means.

The accommodation unit may further comprise at least one window received in a respective opening in the upper and/or lower part.

The upper and/or lower part may comprise a drainage outlet .

This allows the upper/lower part to be drained after washing down .

The accommodation unit may further comprise one or more ladders or support posts extending from base to roof .

This feature may provide additional rigidity, in addition to providing access or support to said

platforms .

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an accommodation unit, comprising:

an upper part for forming a roof and upper wall segments; and

a lower part for forming a base and lower wall segments ;

wherein the upper part and lower part are adapted to be assembled to each other to provide an accommodation unit comprising a roof, base and walls, said walls comprising said upper wall segments and said lower wall segments ;

wherein each of said upper part and said lower part are wider at a first end than at a second end, wherein said first end is for assembly to the other one of said upper part and said lower part, and said second end is for forming the roof or base respectively; and

further comprising an access part having a first aperture adapted to be received around an opening

provided in the upper and lower wall segments, and a second aperture defining a substantially planar aperture.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit of parts for assembly into an

accommodation unit as defined above.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a part for an accommodation unit, said part being one of :

an upper part for forming a roof and upper wall segments of the accommodation unit; or

a lower part for forming a base and lower wall segments of the accommodation unit;

wherein said part is adapted to be assembled to an other one of an upper part or a lower part to form an accommodation unit as defined above.

Brief description of the drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an accommodation unit according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cut-away section through the accommodation unit of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the accommodation unit of Figure 1;

Figure 4 illustrates nesting of the upper/lower parts of the accommodation unit of Figure 1;

Figure 5 illustrates nesting of the access parts of the accommodation unit of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 shows an arrangement of sleeping platforms for the accommodation unit of Figure 1.

Detailed description of the embodiments

With reference to Figures 1 to 3 , a preferred embodiment of an accommodation unit 10 according to the invention comprises an upper part 12 for forming a roof 14 and upper wall segments 16, and a lower part 18 for forming a base 20 and lower wall segments 22.

The upper part 12 and lower part 18 are adapted to be assembled to each other such that the assembled accommodation unit 10 comprises a roof 14, base 20 and walls, each wall being formed of an upper wall segment 16 and a lower segment 22.

The upper part 12 and the lower part 18 are each adapted to be nestable with other similar upper parts 12 and lower parts 18 respectively when disassembled, as shown in Figure . In order to nest multiple upper parts 12 or lower parts 18 together, each of the upper and lower parts 12, 18 are wider at their open end than at the end which forms the respective roof 16 or base 20. In this embodiment, the upper wall segments 16 and lower wall segments 22 are angled outwards from the interior of the accommodation unit 10. In alternative embodiments, the upper or lower parts may be curved or domed, or upper and lower parts 12, 18 may be produced in slightly different sizes so that the upper and lower parts 12, 18 corresponding to different accommodation units fit inside each other. The upper and lower parts also preferably nest one inside the other. In this embodiment, the upper and lower parts 12, 18 are substantially identical. This not only means that upper and lower parts 12, 18 can be nested together for transport and storage, but also that there is no need to match up different respective upper and lower parts to form an accommodation unit, further simplifying the assembly process. Thus although Figure 4 is labelled to show multiple nested lower parts 18, it could equally represent multiple nested upper parts 12, or a mix of upper and lower parts nested together.

As explained above, the upper and lower wall

segments 16, 22 diverge outwards in order to enable multiple upper/lower parts 12, 18 to be nested together. The variation in width between the open end and the roof/base end of the upper/lower parts 12, 18 depends on the degree to which the wall segments 16, 22 diverge. By dividing the walls of the assembled accommodation unit 10 between the upper and lower parts 12, 18, the overall variation in width from the roof/base 14, 20 to the open end of the upper/lower part 12, 18 is significantly reduced compared to an alternative type of shelter in which the full height of the walls are provided by a single nestable part. It also means that the assembled accommodation unit 10 bulges outwards between the roof 14 and base 20, rather than continuously increasing in width from roof to base. This assembled accommodation unit 10 therefore has a relatively uniform cross-section from roof 14 to base 20, making the interior space more convenient to use.

The accommodation unit 10 also includes an access part 24 which enables a standard type of door 26 (see Figure 3) to be used for access to the accommodation unit 10. The access part 24 has a first aperture 28 (see Figures 3 and 5) adapted to be received around an opening 30 provided in the upper and lower wall segments 16, 22 on one side of the upper and lower parts 12, 18, and a second, planar aperture 32 for receiving a door 26. As a result, it is not necessary to specially adapt a door to the angled or curved profile of the opening 30, for example by using stable doors or a roller door. In addition, two accommodation units 10 may be

interconnected by positioning the accommodation units 10 with the planar apertures 32 of their respective access parts 24 positioned or connected back-to-back . An alternative means for interconnecting two accommodation units 10 would be to integrate two such back-to-back access parts 24 to form a single access part having two apertures 28 adapted to be received around respective openings 30 in two respective accommodation units 10.

The access part 24 is also adapted to be nestable with other said access parts 24, as shown in Figure 5.

To reduce the likelihood of damage to the

accommodation unit 10, particularly during transport and assembly of the accommodation unit 10, reinforcement pads 34 are provided on external surfaces of the upper and lower parts 12, 18, on the corners where the said upper and lower wall segments 16, 22 meet the roof 14 and base 20 respectively. These may be formed as thickened sections of the upper/lower parts 12, 18, as shown in the cut-away part of Figure 4. The reinforcement pads 34 prevent the lower part 18 from contacting the ground, so that the lower part 18 is not damaged if it is dragged across the ground. In an alternative embodiment, the reinforcement pads 34 may be in the form of replaceable wear pads. In some embodiments, the reinforcement pads 34 may comprise a hard or slippery material to facilitate manoeuvring and stacking the accommodation units 10. Reinforcement pads 36 are also provided on the internal surfaces of the accommodation unit 10 to provide additional strength (see Figures 2, 3 and 4) .

In this embodiment, the reinforcement pads 34, 36 fulfil a dual role, as they also act as spacers. When the upper and/or lower parts 12, 18 are nested together, it is important that they do not contact over a large surface area otherwise they may be difficult to separate. By providing spacers, in the form of the internal and/or external reinforcement pads 34, 36, the upper/lower parts 12, 18 remain spaced apart when nested. This can be seen in the cutaway part of Figure 4, which shows an air gap between the bases 20 of the lower parts 18 (or,

equivalently, between the roofs 14 of upper parts 12) and between the lower wall segments 22 (or, equivalently, upper wall segments 16) . By locating the spacers 34, 36 at or near the corners of the upper/lower parts 12, 18, the stability of the nested parts is increased. The spacers 34, 36 may also have location features allowing the upper/lower parts 12, 18 to locate or engage securely onto each other or onto a sub- frame during

transportation. In some embodiments, the spacers 34, 36 may be replaceable in case of damage. In this embodiment, the internal reinforcement pads 36 fulfil yet another role, in that they are also used in supporting sleeping platforms 38 (see Figure 6) . The accommodation unit 10 is provided with two lower sleeping platforms 38 and two upper sleeping platforms 40. For clarity, Figures 1, 2 and 3 show only the upper sleeping platforms 40. The lower platforms 38 may be at least partially supported on the internal reinforcement pads 36, which space the lower platforms 38 off the base 20 of the accommodation unit 10. Further fixtures may be provided for connecting the platforms 40 into the wall segments 16, 22, base 20 or roof 14 of the accommodation unit 10. By extending between two opposing walls of the accommodation unit 10, the platforms 38, 40 provide additional rigidity to the accommodation unit 10.

The upper sleeping platforms 40 are supported on a flange 42 around the edge of the lower part 18.

The flange 42 is arranged for connection to a corresponding flange 44 provided around the edge of the upper part 12. The two flanges 42, 44 may be connected by nuts and bolts, which may also pass through the upper platform 40 to further secure the structure. Reinforced bushes may be provided for receiving the bolts. A seal (not shown) is provided between the upper and lower parts 12, 18 to keep rain out of the accommodation unit 10. The seal is preferably replaceable and resistant to atmospheric conditions, UV, moisture, ageing, etc. An O- ring type seal comprising EPDM sponge cord or EPDM rubber cord fitted into a groove in the flange 42 of the upper and/or lower parts 12, 18 would be suitable, or a gasket seal comprising holes through which fasteners for

connecting the upper and lower parts 12, 18 could pass.

Each sleeping platform is arranged to support a mattress (not shown) . A rim 46 is provided to hold the mattresses in place. By providing hollow rims 46, the sleeping platforms 38, 40 may also nest together for compact transport and storage. Ladders (not shown) may be provided for access to the upper platforms 40.

Ladders or support posts may also be arranged to provide further support for the upper and/or lower platforms 38, 40, or to further improve rigidity between the roof 14 and base 20 of the accommodation unit 10. The accommodation unit 10 also comprises windows 48, preferably comprising Perspex, fitted into respective openings 50 in the upper and lower parts 12, 18. The windows 48 may be sealed into the upper/lower parts, or may be openable to provide ventilation.

The accommodation unit 10 may further comprise ventilation openings (not shown) in the walls of the accommodation unit 10, protected by ventilation grilles. An air conditioning unit may be fitted externally to the accommodation unit 10 for pumping air into the interior.

Battery powered or solar powered lights may be provided inside the accommodation unit 10. It is important that the upper and lower parts 12,

18 and access part 24 of the accommodation unit 10 are robust to prevent it becoming damaged or worn with repeated use, especially as the accommodation units 10 may be used in a range of weather conditions and on various different surfaces (e.g. concrete, tarmac, grass) . In particular, the accommodation units should be sufficiently stiff to resist distortion and ensure adequate sealing between the upper and lower parts 12, 18 if placed on uneven ground.

A suitable material for the upper and lower parts 12, 18 and access part 24 is a composite material

comprising a foam core, fibre glass outer layer and gel coat. This type of material can provide a good level of thermal insulation.

The internal and external surfaces of the upper and lower parts 12, 18 are waterproof to protect the

occupants from rain, and to allow the interior of the accommodation unit 10 to be washed down without damaging the core structure.

The upper and lower parts 12, 18 preferably each include a drainage outlet (not shown) so that the upper and lower parts 12, 18 can be washed down with water and drained dry. The drainage outlet could be provided by the ventilation openings. The design of the accommodation unit 10 described above is based on accommodating eight people in a single accommodation unit 10, and on the ability to transport 100 accommodation units on a small number of lorry trailers, although the accommodation units can be adapted to other requirements. In a preferred embodiment, the accommodation unit 10 has an external height, width and length of 1905mm, 2438mm, and 3350mm respectively when assembled. The external width is limited by the standard width of transport, and the external length selected to allow four stacks of accommodation units to fit onto a 44 foot (13.41m) long transport trailer.

The angle chosen for the wall segments with respect to the horizontal is 15 degrees, with a wall thickness of 45mm and an 8mm flange, which allows up to fourteen upper/lower parts 12, 18 to be nested within a 3960mm trailer height limit. This enables 28 complete

accommodation units could be transported on a single lorry. Nesting the upper/lower parts 12, 18 together leaves an air gap of around 185mm between adjacent surfaces of the bases 20 or roofs 14, and around 14mm clearance between adjacent wall segments 22, 16.

Increasing the wall angle to 20 degrees would allow more upper/lower parts 12, 18 to be nested within the trailer height limit.

A stillage, subframe or other form of support may be used to load a stack of accommodation units 10 onto a trailer. Lifting points may be provided on the

upper/lower parts 12, 18 for attaching hooks or cables of a lifting frame for lifting the uppermost upper/lower part 12, 18 off the top of the stack. Alternatively, a vacuum device could be used to lift the upper/lower parts 12, 18.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An accommodation unit, comprising:

an upper part for forming a roof and upper wall segments; and

a lower part for forming a base and lower wall segments ;

wherein the upper part and lower part are adapted to be assembled to each other to provide an accommodation unit comprising a roof, base and walls, said walls comprising said upper wall segments and sa lower wall segments; and

wherein said upper part and said lower part are each adapted to be nestable with other said upper parts and lower parts respectively.

2. An accommodation unit according to claim 1, wherein each of said upper part and said lower part are wider at a first end than at a second end, wherein said first end is for assembly to the other one of said upper part and said lower part, and said second end is for forming the roof or base respectively.

3 . An accommodation unit according to claim 2 , wherein said upper wall segments and said lower wall segments are angled outwards from the interior of the accommodation unit.

4. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper part and the lower part are adapted to nest one inside the other.

5. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper part and the lower part are substantially identical to each other.

6. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising an access part having a first aperture adapted to be received around an opening provided in the upper and lower wall segments, and a second aperture either:

(i) defining a substantially planar aperture, or

(ii) adapted to be received around an opening provided in the upper and lower wall segments of a further accommodation unit.

7. An accommodation unit according to claim 6, wherein said access part is adapted to be nestable with other said access parts.

8. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and/or lower part further comprises reinforcement where said upper or lower wall segments meet said roof or base respectively.

9. An accommodation unit according to claim 8, wherein said reinforcement is provided by one or more thickened areas of said upper and/or lower part.

10. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein respective spacer means are provided on the exterior and/or interior of said upper and/or lower part.

11. An accommodation unit according to claim 10 as dependent on claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said spacer means is provided by said reinforcement.

12. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more

platforms .

13. An accommodation unit according to claim 12, wherein at least one said platform extends between two said upper or lower wall segments.

14. An accommodation unit according to claim 12 or 13 as dependent on any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein said spacer means is adapted to support at least one said platform .

15. An accommodation unit according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein at least one said platform is adapted to be supported on two or more edges of said lower part .

16. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said upper part and/or said lower part comprises a flange.

17. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one said platform comprises a rim for retaining a mattress supported on the platform, wherein said rim is preferably hollow.

18. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each wall segment is angled outwards between 10 and 20 degrees from parallel.

19. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each wall segment is angled outwards by about 15 degrees from parallel.

20. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a sealing member for sealing said upper and lower part to each other when assembled .

21. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising ventilation means.

22. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein further comprising at least one window received in a respective opening in the upper and/or lower part.

23. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and/or lower part includes a drainage outlet .

24. An accommodation unit according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more ladders or support posts extending from base to roof.

25. An accommodation unit substantially as

described herein.

26. An accommodation unit substantially as

described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings .

27. A kit of parts for assembly into an

accommodation unit according to any one of the preceding claims .

28. A part for an accommodation unit, said part being one of: an upper part for forming a roof and upper wall segments of the accommodation unit; or

wherein said part is adapted to be assembled to an other one of an upper part or a lower part to form an accommodation unit according to any one of the preceding claims .