FLOATING HOUSE

Abstract

A flood resistant structure includes a building structure container and a building structure positioned proximate to the building structure container. The building structure is moveable relative to the building structure container in response to water flow through the building structure container. The building structure moves upwardly in response to water entering the building structure container. The building structure moves downwardly in response to water leaving the building structure container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to buildings and, more particularly, to buildings designed to be resistant to floodwaters.

2. Description of the Related Art

Particular geographical areas are known to suffer from flooding, which is usually seasonal in nature. For example, in the United States, the gulf coast states during the hurricane season are prone to hurricane flooding. The damage to buildings from flooding and high winds is costly and it is inconvenient and time consuming to rebuild. Further, people who are caught in a flood often wait for long periods of time before being rescued, but need access to food and shelter in the meantime.

To reduce flood damage, people have resorted to building many different types of flood protection structures to divert the floodwaters away from buildings. These flood protection structures include dams, floodwalls, dikes and levees, among others. However, flood protection structures are expensive and can fail in certain circumstances.

Some solutions to this problem involve modifying the building susceptible to flooding. For example, when a building site is chosen near a body of water susceptible to flooding, construction techniques often involve the placement of several fixed piers or pilings under the building so that it has a raised building foundation. These fixed piers permanently elevate the building to a predetermined height above ground level. This allows for a predetermined degree of floodwater to pass under the building without flooding it. However, it is often inconvenient to enter and exit the building because it is permanently raised.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a flood resistant structure, which includes a building structure container and a building structure positioned proximate to the building structure container. The building structure is moveable relative to the building structure container in response to water flow through the building structure container.

The building structure is repeatably moveable relative to the building structure container in response to water flow through the building structure container. The building structure moves upwardly in response to water entering the building structure container. The building structure moves downwardly in response to water leaving the building structure container.

In some embodiments, the flood resistant structure includes a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the building structure container. In these embodiments, one end of the fluid conduit is positioned proximate to the building structure container and an opposed end is positioned away from the building structure container.

The invention provides a flood resistant structure, which includes a building structure container which includes an outwardly extending overhang and an upwardly extending guide beam and a building structure positioned so the guide beam extends therethrough. The building structure is moveable along the guide beam in response to water flow through the building structure container.

The building structure is repeatably moveable relative to the guide beam in response to water flow through the building structure container. The building structure moves upwardly in response to water entering the building structure container. The building structure moves downwardly in response to water leaving the building structure container.

In some embodiments, the flood resistant structure includes a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the building structure container. In these embodiments, one end of the fluid conduit is positioned proximate to the building structure container and an opposed end is positioned away from the building structure container. In some of these embodiments, the opposed end of the fluid conduit is positioned below the overhang. In some of these embodiments, the opposed end of the fluid conduit is positioned above the overhang. In some of these embodiments, the opposed end of the fluid conduit is positioned level with the overhang.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are top perspective views of a flood resistant structure, in accordance with the invention, which includes a building structure and a building structure container.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a building structure container, in accordance with the invention, included in the flood resistant structure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a buoyant material structure, in accordance with the invention, being positioned in the building structure container of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a building foundation being positioned on the buoyant material structure of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a building frame structure being positioned on the building foundation of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a building floor structure being positioned on the building frame structure of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a building roof structure being positioned on the building floor structure of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of a building structure container and fluid conduit, in accordance with the invention, wherein the building structure container includes an overhang extending level with a ground surface.

FIG. 10 is a partial side view of a building structure container and another embodiment of a fluid conduit, in accordance with the invention, wherein the container includes an overhang extending above the ground surface.

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of a building structure and buoyant material structure positioned in the building structure container of FIG. 9, wherein the container does not contain water.

FIG. 12 is a partial side view of the building structure and buoyant material structure carried by the building structure container of FIG. 9, wherein the container contains water.

FIG. 13 is a partial side view of the container and fluid conduit, as shown in FIG. 9, with a pump positioned above the ground surface.

FIG. 14 is a partial side view of the container and fluid conduit, as shown in FIG. 9, with a pump positioned below the ground surface.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a guide beam, as shown in FIG. 3, extending through a guide box, in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 are top front and back perspective views, respectively, of a flood resistant structure 100, in accordance with the invention. Flood resistant structure 100 includes a building structure 101 positioned on a buoyant material structure (FIG. 4), wherein building structure 101 and the buoyant material structure are both carried by a building structure container 102. In accordance with the invention, the buoyant material structure floats in response to container 102 containing enough water therein. The water can be provided by many different sources, but it is generally provided by floodwaters, such as those from rain, a storm surge, an overflowing river, etc. In this way, building structure 101 is moveable in response to water entering and leaving container 102.

The water can enter building structure container 102 in many different ways. In accordance with the invention, the water enters through a fluid conduit connected to container 102 at one end. The other end of the fluid conduit is positioned away from building structure container 102 so that water enters container 102 before it rises to the level of building structure 101. In this way, the buoyant material structure, as well as building structure 101, are moved upwardly and floating before the water reaches the level of building structure 101. This reduces the likelihood that building structure 101 will be damaged by the floodwaters and also provides better protection for the people and valuables in structure 101. This feature will be discussed in more detail below.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of building structure container 102, in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment, building structure container 102 includes bottom wall 119 and sidewalls 112a, 112b, 112c and 112d which bound an inner region 113. Container 102 also includes an overhang 117 extending outwardly from an upper edge of walls 112a-112d. Here, overhang 117 is shown as extending horizontally, but it should be noted that it can extend in many other directions. For example, it can be sloped downwardly towards inner region 113. Container 102 can be made of many different materials, such as cement, and is formed so it holds water in inner region 113. It should be noted that inner region 113 extends up to the level of overhang 117.

In accordance with the invention, a fluid conduit 111 extends through building structure container 102 so that inner region 113 is in fluid communication with an outer region 114. Outer region 114 is outside of container 102 so it is not bounded by bottom wall 119 and sidewalls 112a, 112b, 112c and 112d. Outer region 114 can include regions above and/or below a ground surface (not shown), but it does not include inner region 113. Fluid conduit 111 includes an end 121 (FIG. 9) positioned within inner region 113 and an opposed end 122 positioned within outer region 114. In this way, inner and outer regions 113 and 114 are in fluid communication with each other through conduit 111. As discussed above, conduit 111 allows container 102 to receive floodwaters as the floodwaters approach building structure 101. In this way, the floodwaters enter inner region 113 through conduit 111 before the floodwaters flow over overhang 117. Fluid conduit 111 can be of many different types, such as a plastic or cement pipe.

In this particular example, fluid conduit 111 extends through sidewall 112a for illustrative purposes, but it should be noted that it can extend through the other sidewalls of container 102. Further, one fluid conduit is shown here for illustrative purposes, but there is generally one or more fluid conduits which provide fluid communication between inner and outer regions 113 and 114. The fluid conduits extend in different directions away from container 102 to account for floodwaters approaching building structure 101 from different directions. It is useful if a fluid conduit extends in a direction towards a flooding source, such as a body of water.

In this embodiment, buoyant material structure 103 and building structure 101 are moveable along guide beams in response to water entering and leaving container 102. The guide beams are used to reduce the likelihood of buoyant material structure 103 and/or building structure 101 undesirably contacting sidewalls 112a-112d. Here, there are four guide beams, denoted as 110a, 110b, 110c and 110d, although there can be fewer or more guide beams in other examples. For example, some embodiments do not include guide beams, and others include one, two or five.

Guide beams 110a-110d extend upwardly from bottom surface 119 of container 102 and are secured to surface 119 with corresponding foundations 116a, 116b, 116c and 116d. Guide beams 110a-110d can have many different lengths, but they generally have lengths in a range from fifteen feet to thirty feet. In this embodiment, the guide beams are each about twenty two feet in length. The length of a guide beam is that between its opposed ends, although it can be the distance between its foundation and the distal end away from the foundation.

It should be noted that the guide beams can extend through building structure 101 in many different ways. In one embodiment, building structure 101 includes guide boxes, each of which receives a corresponding guide beam. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of guide beam 110a extending through a guide box 130. In accordance with the invention, guide beam 110a moves through guide box 130 as building structure 101 moves in response to water entering and leaving container 102. Guide boxes are useful to distribute, along the guide beam, a force transverse to it. In this way, building structure 101 is held more securely by the guide beams and is less likely to contact container 102. The guide beams can be solid or hollow beams, as shown in FIG. 15 wherein guide beam 110a has an opening 131 extending through it.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of buoyant material structure 103, in accordance with the invention, being positioned in building structure container 102. As seen, buoyant material structure 103 includes openings for receiving guide beams 110a-110d. In this embodiment, buoyant material structure 103 includes buoyant material pieces 103a and 103b, although it generally includes one or more pieces. Buoyant material pieces 103a and 103b can include many different buoyant materials, such as foam, and can be attached together if desired. Pieces 103a and 103b can be attached together in many different ways, such as with an adhesive and fasteners.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a building foundation 104 being positioned on buoyant material piece 103b. In this embodiment, building foundation 101 includes openings for guide beams 110a-110d to slide through. It should be noted that foundation 101 can be of many different types. In this embodiment, it is a single piece of material, such as wood, having openings extending therethrough for receiving guide beams 110a-110d. However, foundation 101 generally includes one or more pieces, which can be formed before or after they are positioned on piece 103b. For example, in some embodiments, building foundation 104 includes concrete positioned so it hardens on buoyant material structure 103. It should be noted that guide boxes, such as guide box 130 of FIG. 15, is generally carried by foundation 104, but it is not shown here for simplicity.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a building frame structure 105 being positioned on building foundation 104. Building frame structure 105 defines the first floor of building structure 101. In this embodiment, building frame structure 105 includes walls connected together to form rooms for building structure 101. In this embodiment, building frame structure 105 is shown as being a single piece, but it generally includes one or more pieces connected together. It should be noted that in other embodiments, building frame structure 105 can be fabricated on building foundation 101 or it can be fabricated beforehand.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a building frame structure 106 being positioned on building frame structure 105. Building frame structure 106 defines the second floor of building structure 101. In this embodiment, building frame structure 106 includes walls connected together to form rooms for building structure 101. In this embodiment, building frame structure 106 is shown as being a single piece, but it generally includes one or more pieces connected together. It should be noted that in other embodiments, building frame structure 106 can be fabricated on building frame structure 105 or it can be formed beforehand.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a building roof structure 108 being positioned on building frame structure 106. Building roof structure 108 defines the roof for building floor structure 107. In this embodiment, building roof structure 108 includes pieces connected together to form a roof for building structure 101. In this embodiment, building roof structure 108 is shown as being a single piece, but it generally includes one or more pieces connected together. It should be noted that in other embodiments, building roof structure 108 can be fabricated on building roof structure 106 or it can be formed beforehand.

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of container 102 and fluid conduit 111, in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment, building structure container 102 is positioned so it extends into the ground and overhang 117 is level with a ground surface 126. In this way, water near a region 129 will flow into inner region 113 when it reaches overhang 117. Region 129 is a region near where container 102 engages the ground near ground surface 126. Fluid conduit 111 extends from a region of container 102 near bottom surface 119 and upwardly towards ground surface 126. Fluid conduit 111 extends from side 112a so that end 121 is within region 113 and end 122 extends through surface 126 about a distance d₁ away from side 112a. In this way, a region 114a is between conduit 111 and surface 126 and a portion 114b is below conduit 111.

Distance d₁ can have many different values. In this embodiment, distance d₁ is about thirty feet, although it can be more or less than this value. Distance d₁ is generally chosen to ensure that enough water enters container 102 so that buoyant material structure 103 is floating before the water flows through region 129 and into inner region 113. In this way, distance d₁ is chosen to ensure that enough water enters container 102 so that buoyant material structure 103 is floating before the water flows over overhang 117 and into inner region 113. As distance d₁ increases, the time between when buoyant material structure 103 is floating and the floodwaters reach region 129 increases. As distance d₁ decreases, the time between when buoyant material structure 103 is floating and the floodwaters reach region 129 decreases.

FIG. 10 is a partial side view of container 102 and fluid conduit 111, in accordance with the invention, wherein overhang 117 extends above ground surface 126. In this embodiment, building structure container 102 is positioned so it extends into the ground and overhang 117 is a distance L₁ above ground surface 126. In this way, water near building container 102 will need to rise up distance L₁ before it can flow over overhang 117 and into container 102.

In this example, fluid conduit 111 extends from side 112a so that end 121 is within region 113 and end 122 extends through surface 126. A portion 111a of conduit 111 extends from a region of container 102 near bottom surface 119 and outwardly from sidewall 112. A portion 111b of conduit 111 extends from portion 111a at a turn 111c and upwardly towards ground surface 126.

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of container 102 and fluid conduit 111, as shown in FIG. 9, with buoyant material structure 103 extending through inner region 113 and carrying building structure 101. Here, floodwaters 127 flows towards container 102 on ground surface 126. A portion of floodwaters 127, denoted as floodwaters 128, flows on ground surface 126 past end 122 and a portion of floodwaters, denoted as floodwaters 129, flows through end 122 and into fluid conduit 111.

In accordance with the invention, floodwaters 129 flows through conduit 111 towards end 121 where it enters container 102. When enough of floodwaters 129 enters container 102, buoyant material structure 103 moves upwardly so that foundation 104 moves to a level above ground surface 126, as shown in FIG. 12. As discussed above, buoyant material structure 103 and building structure 101 move relative to guide beam 110a. Foundation 104 is at a distance L₂ above overhang 117 when the water level in inner region 113 reaches ground level 126. Buoyant material structure 103 is moved upwardly so that it is a distance L₃ from bottom surface 119. For the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, floodwaters 128 will not flow over overhang 117 until the floodwaters rise up distance L₁. Inner region 113 fills up with water before floodwaters 129 reaches overhang 117.

In this way, foundation 104 is moved to a position above the floodwaters as the floodwaters approach building structure 102. Foundation 104 is kept above the floodwaters, which reduces the likelihood of building structure 101 suffering from water damage. This also decreases the likelihood of occupants of building structure 101 being injured and provides better protection for the property included therein.

FIG. 13 is a partial side view of container 102 and fluid conduit 111, as shown in FIG. 9, with a pump 118 in fluid communication with inner region 113. Pump 118 is used to pump out water contained by container 102. It is useful to do this after the floodwaters have receded and it is desirable to lower building structure 101. Hence, pump 118 and fluid conduit 111 operate as a drain for container 102.

In this embodiment, a fluid conduit 118a has one end connected to an input of pump 118 and an end 118c within inner region 113. A fluid conduit 118b has one end connected to an output of pump 118 and another end (not shown) positioned away from container 102. The end of fluid conduit 118b away from container 102 can be positioned at many different locations, but in this example, it is positioned at the other side of opposed end 122 of fluid conduit 111. It should be noted that pump 118 is carried on ground surface 126, but it can be positioned at many other locations, as will be discussed presently.

FIG. 14 is a partial side view of container 102 and fluid conduit 111, as shown in FIG. 9, with pump 118 in fluid communication with inner region 113 and positioned within outer region 114 and below ground surface 126. In this embodiment, fluid conduit 118a has end 118c within inner volume 113 and extends through sidewall 112a and away from container 102 where it is connected to the input of pump 118, as described above. End 118c can be moved from sealed and unsealed conditions. End 118c is generally sealed when it is desired for container 102 to contain water. End 118c is unsealed when it is desired to remove water from container 102. Fluid conduit 118b is connected to the output of pump 118 and extends away from container 102. It should be noted that fluid conduits 118a and 118b extend below surface 126 in this example, but they can extend above it too, if desired. Further, pump 118 can be at or above surface 126, as discussed above.

The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims.

Claims

1. A flood resistant structure, comprising:

a building structure container; and

a building structure positioned proximate to the building structure container;

wherein the building structure is moveable relative to the building structure container in response to water flow through the building structure container.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the building structure is repeatably moveable relative to the building structure container in response to water flow through the building structure container.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the building structure moves upwardly in response to water entering the building structure container.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the building structure moves downwardly in response to water leaving the building structure container.

5. The structure of claim 1, further including a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the building structure container.

6. The structure of claim 5, one end of the fluid conduit is positioned proximate to the building structure container and an opposed end is positioned away from the building structure container.

7. A flood resistant structure, comprising:

a building structure container which includes an outwardly extending overhang and an upwardly extending guide beam; and

a building structure positioned so the guide beam extends therethrough;

wherein the building structure is moveable along the guide beam in response to water flow through the building structure container.

8. The structure of claim 7, wherein the building structure is repeatably moveable relative to the guide beam in response to water flow through the building structure container.

9. The structure of claim 7, wherein the building structure moves upwardly in response to water entering the building structure container.

10. The structure of claim 7, wherein the building structure moves downwardly in response to water leaving the building structure container.

11. The structure of claim 7, further including a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the building structure container.

12. The structure of claim 11, one end of the fluid conduit is positioned proximate to the building structure container and an opposed end is positioned away from the building structure container.

13. The structure of claim 11, wherein the opposed end of the fluid conduit is positioned below the overhang.

14. The structure of claim 11, wherein the opposed end of the fluid conduit is positioned above the overhang.

15. The structure of claim 11, wherein the opposed end of the fluid conduit is positioned level with the overhang.