FRAMES FOR SUPPORTING SERVICE CELLS

Abstract

A frame for supporting one or more cells that provide one or more services to a site. The frame includes a plurality of footings disposed on the site and a frame assembly disposed on the footings. The frame assembly includes a plurality of support rails, a plurality of connecting rails extending between and joined to the support rails, and a plurality of locking mechanisms disposed on the frame assembly. Each of the locking mechanisms selectively retains a portion of at least one of the cells to the frame assembly. The footings and the frame assembly contribute to define a service area between a lower surface of the cells and grade of the site. In one embodiment, one or more of the support rails includes one or more through-holes. The through-holes are configured to receive conduits for providing one or more services to and between the one or more cells.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of copending, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/185,240, filed Jun. 9, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to structures used to support components arranged in a building site plan and, more particularly, to a frame structure for supporting modular components providing one or more services to the building site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional building sites often include ancillary structures for housing equipment to provide various services to the site such as, for example, utilities (e.g., power, water, and the like). The ancillary structures are typically configured as a central point to, for example, provide the service from utility company distribution lines to the site. From the ancillary structures, the utilities may be distributed where needed on site through or along a distribution network including conduits such as pipes, cables and the like, run above or below grade. Generally speaking, concrete is poured to form foundations or slabs supporting the ancillary structures. Once poured and constructed, it can be difficult, time consuming and/or expensive to reconfigure the slab support for a change in site design or needs such as, for example, to increase capacity and/or provide new services.

Recently, there has been a growth in the use of modular building techniques wherein a number of pre-manufactured, modular cells are configured to provide one or more services to a building site. That is, the modular cells are individual building blocks that are housed in an individual building structure or, are arranged in the open air of a building site on, for example, a single or multiple concrete slabs. Each modular cell may provide one or more services or, two or more cells may cooperate to provide one or more services to the site. At least one modular building technique includes the use of standardized shipping containers to house equipment providing services to a site. For example, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) containers, also known as Intermodal Transport Units (ITUs) may house equipment such as power generators, heating and cooling equipment, and the like. At least some perceived benefits seen from the use of such ISO containers are a reduction in cost and time of constructing a housing structure for equipment to service the site. For example, Turner Logistics, LLC of Hawthorne, N.Y. (USA), the assignee of the present application, has a copending, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/090,057, that teaches the use of one or more ISO containers to configure a data center. The disclosure of the above-identified U.S. patent document is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Even with the use of modular building techniques employing modular cells as building blocks, changes in site design or the needs of the site may exceed the existing capacity of the building housing the modular cells or the open air configuration of the one or more slabs supporting the cells. As a result, time consuming and/or expensive reconfiguration of the support structures may be needed before additional cells or a modification to cell configuration may be possible.

The inventors have recognized that a need existing for a scalable support structure that can efficiently accommodate a reconfiguration, e.g., addition or modification, of modular cells of a building site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention resides in one aspect in a frame for supporting one or more modular cells that provide one or more services to a site. The frame includes a plurality of footings and a frame assembly disposed on the footings. The frame assembly includes a plurality of support rails and a plurality of connecting rails extending between and joined to the support rails. In one embodiment, a plurality of locking mechanisms is selectively disposed about the frame assembly to receive and retain a portion of one or more of the modular cells. As needed, the locking mechanisms are released to permit a modification of a configuration of the modular cells disposed on the frame.

In one embodiment, the footings and the frame assembly contribute to define a service area between a lower surface of the cells and grade of the site. In one embodiment, one or more of the support rails includes one or more through-holes. The through-holes are configured to receive conduits for providing one or more services to and between the one or more cells. The conduits are accessible and serviceable in place by means of the service area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood when the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments given below is considered in conjunction with the figures provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a frame for supporting modular cells providing services to a building site.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the frame and cells of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial, detailed view of a portion of the frame and cells of FIG. 1 labeled “Detail 3”.

FIG. 4 is a view of a portion of the frame and cell take along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 1 illustrating exemplary placement of conduits therein.

FIG. 6 is a partial elevational view of the frame and cells of FIG. 1 including the conduits of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a frame for supporting modular cells arranged in a stacked configuration for providing services to a building site.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a prior art twist lock that may be used in a particular embodiment of the invention.

In these figures like structures are assigned like reference numerals, but may not be referenced in the description of all figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a frame, shown generally at 10, for supporting one or more modular cells such as, for example, two modular cells 12, 14, that provide one or more services to a building site. In one embodiment, the frame 10 includes a frame assembly 16 comprising a plurality of support rails, for example, three support rails 18, 20, and 22. In one embodiment, the frame assembly 16 also comprises a first plurality of connecting rails 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e, and 24f which extend between, and which are joined to, the support rails 18 and 20, and a second plurality of connecting rails 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e, and 26f, which extend between, and which are joined to, the support rails 20 and 22. In the embodiment shown, the frame assembly 16 rests on a plurality of footings that each support a portion of the support rails 18, 20 and 22. For example, in one embodiment, footings 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d, 28e, and 28f support the support rail 18; footings 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f support the support rail 20; and footings 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d, 32e, and 32f support the support rail 22. In one embodiment, the footings 28a through 32f are installed within grade of a building site. In another embodiment, the footings 28a through 32f may be piers and rest on a floor of an existing building structure.

Various dimensions of the frame assembly 16 are indicated in FIG. 2. For example, the support rails 18, 20 and 22 are illustrated as being substantially parallel to each other and adjacent support rails are spaced from each other by equal support rail separation distances Dsr1 and Dsr2. However, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, some or all of the separation distances between adjacent support rails 18, 20 and 22 may differ from each other. For example, the distance Dsr1 may be the same or differ from the distance Dsr2. Similarly, in embodiments utilizing more than three support rails, distances between two or more support rails may differ. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support rails 18, 20 and 22 are all of a substantially same length Lsr, however, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, one or more of the support rails 18, 20 and 22 may have different lengths from others, as is described further below.

In one embodiment, the connecting rails 24a-24f and 26a-26f are affixed to the respective support rails in a substantially parallel manner and are separated from adjacent rails by connecting rail spacing distances, three exemplary ones of which are indicated as C1a, C1b, C1c in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, lengths of the connecting rail spacing distances between adjacent connecting rails (e.g., C1a from rail 24a to rail 24b, C1b from rail 24b to rail 24c, etc.) are equal, however, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, some or all of the connecting rail spacing distances may differ from each other. For example, it may be desirable to have more connecting rails (and therefore, less space between connecting rails) in a region of the frame assembly 16 that is intended to support, for example, heavier loads than other regions. Additionally, connecting rail spacing distances may accommodate widths of one or more cells to be supported by the frame assembly 16, as described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f, are each spaced from adjacent footings along a length of respective support rails 18, 20 and 22 by footing space distances, two exemplary ones of which are indicated as FS1a, FS1b in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the footing space distances FS1a, FS1b, etc. of the frame assembly 16 are all equal to each other, however, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, some or all of the footing space distances may differ from each other. For example, it may be desirable to employ more footings in a region of the frame assembly 16 that is intended to support heavier loads than other regions, or in a region of the frame 10 that rests on grade or flooring that is less stable than under other regions of the frame 10. In such regions, a greater number of footings may be used to support a heavier load and the disposition of the footings may be based on a position that permits supporting of the heavier load by distribution of the load among the footings. For example, a first portion of a frame assembly may be associated with a first number of a plurality of footings and a second portion of the frame assembly may be associated with a second number of the plurality of footings. In some embodiments, the first number of the plurality of footings is greater than the second number of the plurality of footings such that the first number of footings support the heavier load.

As seen in FIG. 2, the support rail separation distances Dsrl and Dsr2 are sized such that corners or ends of containers 12 and 14 rest upon support rails, e.g., ends 12a and 12b of container 12 rest on support rails 18 and 22, respectively, and the ends 14a and 14b of container 14 rest on support rails 20 and 22, respectively. In a particular embodiment, containers 12 and 14 each conform to a standard ISO container configuration, for example, container 12 has a length L12 of about forty feet (40 ft, 12.19 meters) and a width W12 of about eight feet (8 ft, 2.44 meters) and container 14 has a length L14 of about twenty feet (20 ft, 6.09 meters). Thus, in one embodiment, the spacing between adjacent support rails 18, 20 and 22 corresponds to a standard ISO container length of about twenty feet (20 ft, 6.09 meters) and the spacing between support rails 18 and 22 corresponds to a standard ISO container length of about forty feet (40 ft, 12.19 meters). Therefore, the frame assembly 16 can support a plurality of twenty and forty-foot long ISO containers in side-by-side relation to each other with the ends of the containers on respective support rails. However, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, the frame 10 may support containers of other lengths and widths in this manner, such as, for example, other standard ISO container lengths of forty-five feet (45 ft, 13.7 meters), forty-eight feet (48 ft, 14.6 meters), or fifty-three feet (53 ft, 16.2 meters). As should be appreciated, support rails separation distances (e.g., Dsr1, Dsr2, and the like) as well as connecting rail spacing distances (e.g., C1a, C1b, C1c, and the like) may vary from that described above to accommodate the use of other standard ISO container lengths and widths outlined herein.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, in one embodiment, the footing 28a comprises a pre-cast base 32 in which an embed plate 34 is secured. The footing 28a further comprises a clamp 36 affixed (e.g., welded) onto the embed plate, for engaging the support rail 18. The footing 28a may be placed on a pre-existing concrete pad, but also may be placed on compressed soil or stone, thus providing cost-effective alternatives to the pouring of a concrete pad. However, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, the pre-cast base 32 may be partly or completely embedded in the ground.

The footing 28a and the other footings of the frame 10 are configured to securely engage the support rails 18, 20 and 22, respectively, so that the frame assembly 16 resists displacement due to environmental conditions such as, for example, ground vibrations, high wind conditions, or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the support rails 18, 20 and 22 each have a generally I-beam configuration. For example, support rail 18 includes a horizontal foot flange 18a, a vertical web 18b and a horizontal head flange 18c. The rail clamp 36 securely engages the foot flange 18a to couple the support rail 18 to the footing 28a. In one embodiment, the rail clamp 36 engages the foot flange 18a in a similar manner as conventional railway rail clamps engage rail tracks The materials of the footing 28a are selected so that the support rail 18 will not be dislodged from the footing 28a by ground vibrations as may be caused by, for example, environmental conditions such as earthquakes, high velocity wind from storms, and the like, as well as inadvertent contact by, for example, a vehicle or moving equipment. In addition, by virtue of rail clamp 36, which bears down on the foot flange 18a by means of a threaded bolt, footing 28a engages the support rail 18 in a releasable manner in contrast to permanent engagement between the footing 28a and support rail 18 as would result from, for example, welding or by casting the pre-cast base 32 around the foot flange 18a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the footing 28a provides for the support rail 18 a clearance distance Df28 above grade. The clearance distance provided by other footings 28b-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f, may be the same as, or different from clearance distance Df28 as needed to accommodate variations in the floor or grade on which the footings are mounted so that the frame assembly 16 has the desired orientation, e.g., maintaining the containers 12 and 14 substantially level on the frame assembly 16. In one embodiment, shims, blocks or the like, may be used between the footing and the foot flange to obtain the desired orientation. The support rail 18 has a height Ds, and provides a minimum ground clearance defined as Ds plus Df28a above grade.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, corners of the containers 12 and 14 are equipped with corner fittings 12c and 14c, respectively, which provide anchor holes for locking mechanisms. The frame assembly 16 includes a plurality of locking mechanisms, shown generally at 35, that are mounted on the support rails 18, 20 and 22, and that are configured to engage the anchor holes in the corner fittings 12c and 14c. In one illustrative embodiment, the corner fittings 12c and 14c are ISO 1161 corner fittings, and the locking mechanisms 35 comprise commercially available twistlock mechanisms including a twistlock base 35a and a twistlock module 35b. The locking mechanisms 35 secure the containers in place on the frame 10. Preferably, the locking mechanisms 35 may be selectively enabled and disabled to permit realignment of the containers 12 and 14 on the frame 10. Moreover, the locking mechanisms 35 add an additional height DL to the clearance of the containers 12 and 14 above grade. However, the invention is not limited in this regard, and in other embodiments, other types of corner fittings and locking mechanisms may be used, and in still other embodiments, the end 12a of the container 12 be secured directly on the top flange 18c. In one embodiment, a plurality of locking mechanisms 35 are selectively installed on the frame assembly 16 to support interchangeability of modular cells such as, for example, when one or more cells are added or replaced to increase capacity of a service provided to the site. In some embodiments, the twistlock modules may be coupled to the frame based on lengths and widths of one or more cells to be supported by the frame assembly 16.

As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the connecting rail 24a is joined to the support rail 18 by a bracket 38, which is secured to the connecting rail 24a at points 40 and 42 by, for example, welding or with fasteners.

It should be appreciated that since frame assembly 16 is rigid and the containers 12 and 14 are secured or locked thereon, the effective base of each of the containers is increased, thus increasing the moment of inertia about their respective central axes that would be needed to overturn the containers. Therefore, when the containers 12 and 14 are locked onto the frame 10, they are more resistant to being over-turned as a result of seismic shock or other physical disturbances (e.g., an accidental collision with another container during deployment, inadvertent contact with vehicular or equipment traffic on the site, severe wind conditions, and the like) than if they containers were simply placed on a floor or grade at a building site. As shown in FIG. 7, in one embodiment, a plurality of containers are arranged on the frame 10 in side-by-side and/or stacked configurations, as is needed or desired to provide services to the building site. For example, a container 80 is disposed on top of the container 12 and containers 84 and 86 are arrange in a stacked configuration on the frame 10. As noted above, the frame 10 increases the effective base of the containers 12, 14, 80, 84 and 86 to increase the moment of inertia thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 6, in one embodiment, the support rails 18, 20 and 22 include one or more through-holes such as holes 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, and 44e, located along a length of support rail 18 and holes 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d, and 46e, located along a length of support rail 20. In one embodiment, the through-holes, e.g., holes 44a-44e and 46a-46e, permit passage of conduits 50 (e.g., pipes, tubing, duct work, cables, and the like) individually, or as a group or rack 52, that may provide service to or distribute service from and between containers disposed on the frame 10. For example, the elevated positioning of containers 12 and 14 on the frame assembly 16 creates a service area W (FIG. 3), between a bottom surface B of the containers 12 and 14 and a finish grade G of the building site. In one embodiment, the conduits 50 and 52 running in the service area W beneath the containers 12 and 14 may carry wiring for distributing power or electronic data to and between containers, distribute air provided from a HVAC system 70 (FIG. 6) to control the internal atmosphere within the containers 12 and 14, such as to provide heat, air conditioning or to control humidity, and the like. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, fewer than all of the support rails 18, 20 and 22 in the frame assembly 16 may include the through holes, and/or one or more of the support rails may have only one through-hole, or no holes at all. As shown in FIG. 5, the conduits 50 and conduit racks 52 may be connected via one or more conduit pull and/or service boxes 60. In one embodiment, the pull and/or service boxes 60 assist deployment, maintenance or upgrade of the conduits 50 and 52 and/or components running therethrough (e.g., wiring, connectors, and the like). As should be appreciated, access to the conduits 50, conduit racks 52 and boxes 60 is provided to personnel via the service area W.

As seen in FIG. 3, the connecting rail 24a has a height Hcr which is less than the height Ds of the support rails 18, 20 and 22. In addition, the connecting rail 24a is mounted at the foot of the support rail 18, i.e., close to the footing 28a, to leave a clearance space C between the top of the connecting rail 24a and the top of the support rail 18. The clearance space C contributes to and provides access by, for example, maintenance personnel, to the service area W between the connecting rail 24a and the bottom of the container 12 without having to lift the container 12 off from the frame assembly 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the height DL provided by the locking mechanism 35 also contributes to the service area W.

It should be noted that in one embodiment, the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f, releasably engage the support rails 18, 20 and 22 of the frame assembly 16. For example, in the illustrated embodiments, the rail clamps 36 can be loosened to release the support rails 18, 20 and 22 so that the frame assembly 16 may be lifted off the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f. This allows for maintenance and repair of the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f, and the flooring or grade on which the footings rest, and for the re-installation of the frame assembly 16 on the footings 28a-28f, 30a-30f, and 32a-32f once maintenance and/or repairs are complete. Optionally, maintenance and/or upgrade may include re-positioning one or more footings or adding footings so that the frame 10 can support additional containers and/or container loads. Conversely, a damaged frame assembly 16 can be removed and replaced to allow the facility to resume operation when the damaged frame is replaced. Moreover, the releasable engagement of the containers 12 and 14 via the locking mechanisms 35 permit selective removal of the containers 12 and 14 so that maintenance or upgrade may be done with the frame assembly 16 in place on the footings.

As mentioned above, the broad base effectively provided by the frame 10 to containers 12 and 14 on the frame 10 decreases the likelihood that the containers might by overturned as a result of seismic, wind and other environmental disturbances. To further insulate the containers 12, 14 on the frame 10 from such disturbances, the frame 10 may include shock-absorbing components, for example, resilient elastic components or components that will undergo deformation to absorb and/or dissipate seismic shock energy or energy transferred to a container as a result of a collision between containers. For example, in one embodiment, in place of locking mechanism 35, the frame assembly 16 may comprise a twistlock mechanism that includes one or more steel cable coil springs, as shown in a known twistlock mechanism 90 illustrated in FIG. 8. The twistlock mechanism 90 has a base 92 that engages one of the support rail (such as support rail 18), a rotatable flange 94 for engaging a corner fitting of a container (e.g., corner fitting 12c), and between the base 92 and the rotatable flange 94, two rows of steel cable coils 96a and 96b secured between a first plate 97 on the base 92 and a second plate 98 on which the rotatable flange 94 is mounted. Alternatively, the footings may comprise springs, or hydraulic shock absorbers, or elastic or plastically deformable materials that absorb seismic shocks of a magnitude that might overturn one or more of the containers on the frame 10.

In one embodiment, the frame 10 is constructed to support one or more modular cells comprised of ISO containers having dimensions of about eight feet (8 ft, 2.4 meters) in width×about twenty feet or forty feet (20 ft, 6.09 meters or 40 ft, 12.19 meters) in length×about eight and one half feet (8.5 ft, 2.59 meters) in height, and having a standard maximum weight of about seventy-five thousand pounds (75,000 lbs). It should be appreciated that the frame 10 can support other ISO container sizes disposed in, for example, side-by-side, end-to-end, stacked multi-level configurations and combinations thereof.

It should be appreciated that the frame 10, as described herein, provides a highly flexible storage facility, in that the frame 10 is easily installed, maintained and repaired, allows for easy access to the flooring or grade for maintenance and repair, allows easy access for running services (e.g., electrical, water, HVAC services, and the like) to and between modular cells on the frame, and is adaptable to support changing site needs such as, for example, additions or re-configurations of modular cells on the frame. In addition, multiple frames 10 may be used one beside another on a site, and may be rearranged relative to each other to expand the storage capacity of modular cells providing services to the site, as well as to conform to changes in the configuration of the site.

The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, upon a reading and understanding of the foregoing disclosure, that numerous variations and alterations to the disclosed embodiments will fall within the scope of this invention and of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A frame for supporting one or more cells, the frame comprising:

a plurality of footings disposed on a site; and

a frame assembly disposed on the footings, the frame assembly including: a plurality of support rails; a plurality of connecting rails extending between and joined to the support rails; and a plurality of locking mechanisms disposed about the frame assembly, each of the locking mechanisms selectively retaining a portion of at least one of one or more cells to the frame assembly.

2. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of support rails includes at least one support rail having one or more through-holes, the through-holes being configured to receive conduits for providing one or more services to and between the one or more cells.

3. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of support rails includes a support rail having an I-beam configuration.

4. The frame of claim 1, wherein the one or more cells include an ISO standard shipping container.

5. The frame of claim 4, wherein the shipping container further includes a plurality of corner fittings, each corner fitting of the plurality of corner fittings to receive one of the plurality of locking mechanisms.

6. The frame of claim 5, wherein each corner fitting comprises an ISO 1161 corner fittings and each of the plurality of locking mechanisms comprises a twistlock mechanism.

7. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of footings and the frame assembly define a service area between a lower surface of the cells and at least one of grade and a floor of the site.

8. The frame of claim 1, wherein the frame assembly is removably coupled to the plurality of footings.

9. The frame of claim 1, wherein the one or more cells are disposed on the frame assembly in at least one of a side-by-side configuration, an end-to-end configuration, a stacked multi-level configuration or combinations thereof.

10. The frame of claim 1, wherein the site is comprised of an existing building site and wherein the plurality of footings is installed within grade of the building site.

11. The frame of claim 1, wherein the site is comprised of an existing building site and wherein the plurality of footings rest on a floor of an existing building structure.

12. The frame of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the frame assembly is associated with a first number of the plurality of footings and a second portion of the frame assembly is associated with a second number of the plurality of footings, and wherein the first number of the plurality of footings is greater than the second number of the plurality of footings.

13. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of footings comprise springs.

14. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of footings comprises hydraulic shock absorbers.

15. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of footings comprises an elastic or plastically deformable material to absorb seismic shocks.

16. A frame for supporting one or more cells, the frame comprising:

a plurality of footings disposed on a site;

a plurality of rails coupled to the plurality of footings via a plurality of rail clamps; and

a plurality of twistlock modules coupled to the plurality of rails based on a position of one or more cells relative to the plurality of rails.

17. The frame of claim 16, wherein each cell of the one or more cells comprises a plurality of corner fittings, each of the plurality of corner fittings to be coupled to a respective one of the plurality of twistlock modules.

18. The frame of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of corner fittings comprises an ISO 1161 corner fitting.

19. The frame of claim 16, wherein the plurality of footings is disposed based on a position of each of the one or more cells.

20. The frame of claim 16, wherein the plurality of footings and plurality of rails define a service area between a lower surface of the cells and the site.