WALL ASSEMBLY FOR A BUILDING STRUCTURE

A wall assembly is disclosed including a plurality of panels extending in a line. Each panel 12 has front and rear panel faces and two sides. The wall assembly also includes a bottom plate extending along lower edges of the panels and fixed thereto, and a top plate extending along upper edges of the panels and fixed thereto. The wall assembly includes a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the wall. The panels define a recess in each side thereof and the recesses of adjacent panels open into each other to form a receiving channel. The support posts are received within the receiving channel as are service conduits and/or cables. The top plate is configured so that service cables/conduits can run along the top plate. The bottom plate and the support posts are mounted on a wall support that is conveniently a concrete slab.

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Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a wall assembly for a building structure. It also extends to a building structure including the wall assembly.

This invention relates particularly to a wall assembly for use in a building structure that is a free standing house or home that is built on a land allotment. Often these homes are used to house a single family and are referred to as a family home. It will therefore be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with reference to this example application. However at the same time it must be recognized that the invention is capable of broader application. For example the invention could be used for free standing wall assemblies that do not form part of a building structure.

DEFINITIONS

In the specification the term “comprising” shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term “including” and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the term “comprising” such as “comprise” and “comprises”.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Currently many homes are being built using an internal timber structural frame and a surrounding brick veneer that is tied to the timber frame. The timber frame comprises a series of horizontally extending plates that are interconnected by a corresponding number of vertically extending studs to form a sequence of repeating single frame units which together make up the structural frame of the house. The frame is typically constructed by a carpenter from linear members of framing timber that are cut to length and then interconnected to build the structural frame.

Conventionally insulated panels may be connected along longitudinal side edges by tongue and groove formations which interconnect adjacent insulated panels along steel channel rim joints by means of screws. Further additional structure, such as load carrying rods, tubes or boards, is often required to strengthen the panels.

Clearly it would be advantageous if a wall assembly and a building structure could be devised that could be built expeditiously and that reduced the level of skill required by builders to build the building, while still that satisfying building regulations and standards. It would also be advantageous if the wall assembly and building structure could be assembled from fewer components than traditional prior art methods. This would simplify the process of ordering the building components and materials and delivering them to the site and would also simplify the building process. It would also be advantageous if a wall assembly and building structure that had good energy saving properties in addition to these properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a wall assembly, including:

    • a wall support;
    • a wall body comprising a plurality of panels extending in a line along a length of the wall assembly, each panel having front and rear panel faces and two sides extending between the front and rear faces, each side of each panel defines a recess therein, and each recess is aligned with the recess on the adjacent side of an adjacent panel so that the recesses open into each other and form a receiving channel;
    • a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall body, each support post being received within one of the receiving channels formed in the wall body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall body and to the wall support;
    • a bottom plate that runs along the operatively lower edges of the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support; and
    • a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a wall assembly, including:

    • a wall support having a plurality of anchoring elements projecting up therefrom;
    • a wall body comprising a plurality of panels extending in a line, each panel having front and rear panel faces and two sides that extend between the front and rear panel faces, each side of each panel defines a recess therein, and each recess is aligned with the recess on the adjacent side of an adjacent panel so that the recesses open into each other and form a receiving channel;
    • a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support, wherein the top plate is configured so that service cables or conduits can be run along the length of the top plate without projecting out proud of the front and rear panel faces of the panels;
    • a bottom plate that runs along the operatively lower edges of the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support; and
    • a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall body, each support post being received within one of the receiving channels formed in the wall body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall body and to the wall support, each support post includes a post top bracket that is fixed thereto and is fixed to the top plate adjacent to the support post, and each support post has a bore defined in a lower end thereof within which one of the anchoring elements on the support is received to fix the support post to the wall support; and
    • one or more service cables or conduits for providing services, each service cable or conduit being directed from the top plate down through one of the receiving channels defined in the wall body which is not occupied by a support post whereby to run the cables or conduits to where they are required on the wall body.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a wall assembly including:

    • a plurality of panels extending in a line along a length of the wall assembly, each panel having front and rear panel faces, an operatively upper edge and an operatively lower edge and two sides extending between the upper and lower edges;
    • a bottom plate which runs along the operatively lower edges of the panels and which is fixed to the panels;
    • a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of the panels and which is fixed to the panels; and
    • a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly, each support post being positioned between the sides of two adjacent panels of the plurality of panels.

The wall assembly may further include a support on which the bottom plate is mounted, and the support posts may be fixed to the support. Further the bottom plate may be mounted on the support and may be fixed thereto. The support may be in the form of a slab of settable material on which the wall assembly is mounted. Conveniently the slab may be a concrete slab that is mounted on the ground. Each support post may be fixed to the top plate and may also be attached to the bottom plate.

At least two of said plurality of panels may define a post receiving channel in at least one side thereof, and each channel may be sized so that it can receive at least part of a support post therein. Two or more of said plurality of panels may define a post receiving channel in each side thereof. Conveniently all the panels may define post receiving channels in each side thereof.

The post receiving channels within which the support posts are received may have a substantially rectangular cross sectional shape. Instead the post receiving channels may have a semi-circular cross sectional shape. It is convenient if the post receiving channels complement the post received therein but it is not essential that this be the case. Each panel may comprise two outer layers and an insulating core sandwiched between the two outer layers.

The two outer layers may each be formed of a sheet of metallic material such as steel and have a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm-1.0 mm. Conveniently the outer layers have some stiffness and in some forms are formed from sheets of steel having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm.

The insulating core may be formed of a polymeric insulating material, e.g. extruded or expanded polystyrene. The post receiving channels defined in the sides of the panels may be formed in the insulating core between the two outer layers.

In some forms of the invention the panels have complementary engagement formations that when engaged act to locate adjacent panels relative to each other, e.g. align adjacent panels with each other, and also hold and support adjacent panels in position relative to each other. The complementary engagement formations may be formed by configuring the two outer layers to form complementary male and female formations, e.g. tongue and groove formations.

Each support post may be received within the panels by being spaced in from the front and rear faces of the panels. That is the panel defines a panel body and the support post is received within the panel body.

The post receiving channels may be located in a position on the sides of the panels such that the channels of abutting sides of adjacent panels open into each other and form an enlarged channel. Conveniently the post receiving channels may be disposed substantially centrally with respect to the thickness or depth of the panel so that the post receiving channels of abutting sides of adjacent panels open into each other when the panels are aligned with each other. Each support post may be received within a combined channel formed by the post receiving channels on the abutting sides of adjacent panels.

Further the support posts may be located at substantially evenly spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly. As the posts may only be located on the sides of the panel the spacing of the posts away from each other will always be a multiple of the width of the panels. For example a support post may be located every third, fourth, fifth of sixth panel in which case the posts will be respectively three, four, five, or six panel widths away from each other.

The top plate may define a panel receiving channel that is configured to receive an upper edge region of a panel snugly therein.

The panel receiving channel may comprise a bridge that extends at least part of the way across the operatively upper edge of the panel, and skirts extending from the bridge down the front and rear faces of the panels.

The top plate may further include a top cap that projects up above the panel receiving channel when mounted on a wall assembly. The top cap may comprise two wall sections extending away from the bridge and a top section extending across upper ends of the two wall sections and joining them together.

The top plate may be fixed to each of the panels by means of a plurality of fastening elements that are located at spaced intervals along the length of the top plate, and that pass through the top plate and into the panel beneath the top plate.

The fastening elements may be passed through one of the skirts on the panel receiving channel and into one of the front and rear faces of the panels. The fastening elements may be passed though the top plate and into the panels at spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly, e.g. at closely spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly. Conveniently the fastening elements may be nails that are driven through the skirts and into the panels.

The wall assembly may further include a plurality of post top brackets and one post top bracket may be mounted on the upper end of each support post for fixing the support posts to the top plate and thereby indirectly to the wall panels.

Each post top bracket may comprise a post fixing portion that is mounted over the operatively upper edge of the adjacent panels and has a fastening element opening defined therein, and a top plate fixing portion on the post fixing portion that is configured to complement the top plate so that it can be nested with the top plate.

Each support post may include a bore formed in the upper and lower ends thereof, and the post top bracket may be mounted on each support post by means of a post fastening element, e.g. a bolt, that is passed through the fastening element opening in the post fixing portion of the post top plate, and is received within the bore formed in the upper end of the post and engaged therewith.

The bores defined in the upper and lower ends of the post may have a screw thread formed thereon and the post fastening element that is a bolt may have a complementary external screw thread formed on the shank thereof for engaging the thread in the bore. The bolt may have an enlarged head for resting on the post fixing portion and resisting its passage through the fastening element opening.

The top plate fixing portion of the post top bracket may be sandwiched between the upper edges of the adjacent panels and a portion of the top plate that overlaps therewith. The top plate may be fixed to the top plate fixing portion by means of fastening elements that are passed through the top plate and the top plate fixing portion of the post top bracket. The fastening elements may be nails that are driven through the top plate and into the top plate fixing portion.

The top plate may comprise a plurality of top plate sections that are arranged in series along the upper edge of the panels that are directly or indirectly attached to each other. For example the top plate sections may be indirectly attached to each other by means of a post top bracket.

The lower end of each support post may be mounted on the bottom plate by means of another post fastening element, e.g. a bolt.

The other post fastening element that is a bolt may have a shank portion that is received in the bore in the lower end of the support post and is engaged therewith. The shank portion may have an external screw thread that engages a screw thread within the bore.

The bolt may have another shank portion that is passed through a bolt opening in the bottom plate and is anchored in the support.

The bottom plate may define a bottom channel having two channel walls that receive the operatively lower edges of the panels therein, and the bottom plate may be fixed to each of the panels by means of fastening elements that are located at spaced intervals along the bottom plate.

The fastening elements may be passed through one of the channel walls and into the panel behind the channel wall through one of the front and rear faces thereof. The fastening elements may be nails or the like that can be driven through the bottom plate and into the panels.

The wall assembly may further include hold down brackets mounted on the bottom plate located at spaced intervals along the bottom rail for further fixing the bottom plate to the support and holding down the bottom plate when the wall assembly is subjected to a high load.

Each hold down bracket may be received within the bottom channel and may extend substantially fully across the width of the bottom channel whereby to assist in holding down the bottom plate across the width of the bottom channel.

The wall assembly may include hold down bracket fastening elements for mounting the hold down brackets on the bottom plate, and each hold down bracket fastening element may be passed through the hold down bracket, and the bottom plate and be anchored in the support. The hold down bracket fastening elements may be in the form of bolts having an enlarged head.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a building structure including a wall assembly as defined in the preceding aspect of the invention and a roof mounted on the wall assembly. The wall assembly may include any one or more of the optional features described above in the first aspect of the invention. In particular the top plate may include a panel receiving portion and a top cap portion.

The roof may comprise a plurality of roof panels arranged side by side along at least part of the length of the wall assembly. Each roof panel may be mounted on the top cap portion of the top plate and be fixed to the top plate by means of fastening elements that are passed through the roof panels and into the top cap portion of the top plate. The fastening elements may be in the form of nails that are driven through the roof panels and into the top cap of the top plate.

The building structure may further include cover strips that extend between upper regions of the inner and outer faces of the wall panel and the roof whereby to cover over the top plate. The cover strips may be a fascia board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A wall assembly and a building structure in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe at least one embodiment of the invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to carry the invention into practical effect. However it is to be clearly understood that the specific nature of this detailed description does not supersede the generality of the preceding broad description. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partly exploded perspective view of a partly erected wall assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a building structure including the wall assembly illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of a top plate for the wall assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of a top plate for the wall assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a close up exploded perspective view of an upper region of the wall assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a close up perspective view of the upper region of the wall assembly in FIG. 5 in an assembled condition;

FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of the bottom plate of the wall assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the bottom plate shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an upper perspective view of a lower region of a wall assembly similar to that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of a part of the lower region of the wall assembly shown in FIG. 9 showing the bottom plate hold down bracket in section;

FIG. 11 is an upper perspective view of a panel of the wall assembly on FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the panel of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional plan view showing two panels engaged with each other and showing a support post received within the channels formed by the adjacent panels;

FIG. 14 is an upper perspective view of a building structure like that shown in FIG. 2, showing a support post in a combined channel defined by two adjacent panels and an electrical conduit being passed down another combined channel between adjacent panels;

FIG. 15 is a sectional plan view showing two panels engaged with each other and showing a support post received within the channels formed by the adjacent panels that is a variation on that shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a lower region of the wall assembly showing how the operatively lower end of the panel interacts with the hold down bracket;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a builder fixing two panels to each other by passing fastening elements through the engaged formations of adjacent panels;

FIG. 18 is a close up perspective view showing how each fastening element is passed through the different layers of the engaged formations of adjacent panels;

FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of part of the building structure shown in FIG. 2, with parts omitted for clarity, showing a service conduit carrying an electrical cable running along a horizontal conduit space formed by the top plate and then running down through a vertical conduit space defined by two panels, and then exiting the conduit space through an outlet opening at a height where a switch or a power point is required;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a building structure that is similar to the building structure shown in FIG. 2, but showing different services being directed conveyed through two horizontal conduit spaces on each side of the top cap portion of the top plate;

FIG. 21 is a close up sectional view of part of the building structure shown in FIG. 4 showing how the electrical and/or data cables as well as water pipes are passed though respective openings in the top plate and then directed into separate vertically extending conduit spaces formed by channels in the sides of the panels;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the building structure of FIG. 2 showing how the electrical and/or data cables and water pipes are directed along different horizontal conduit spaces on the top plate and then down different vertical conduit spaces defined in the panels to different service provisions points within the building structure; and

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an inside wall of a finished building structure similar to that in FIG. 2 and showing how the electrical and/or data cables and water pipes are directed through the conduit spaces, and then through outlets in the panels to their respective fittings within the building structure.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 10 refers generally to a wall assembly in accordance with the invention.

The wall assembly 10 comprises broadly a plurality of panels 12 arranged side by side in a line along the length of the wall assembly 10. Each panel 12 has front and rear panel faces 14 and 16, an operatively upper edge 18 and an operatively lower edge 19, and two sides 20 and 22 extending between the upper and lower edges 18 and 19. The wall assembly 10 also includes a wall support in the form of a concrete slab 26 on the ground and a bottom plate 28 that is mounted on the slab 26. The panels 12 are mounted on the bottom plate 28 which runs along the operatively lower edges 19 of the panels 12. The wall assembly 10 also includes a top plate 30 mounted on the operatively upper edge 18 of the panels 12 and which is fixed to the panels 12. Further the wall assembly 10 includes a plurality of support posts 32 positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly 10. Each support post 32 is positioned between the abutting sides of two adjacent panels 12 and is fixed to the top plate 20 and the bottom plate 28.

Each of these components will now be described in more detail below.

The panels 12 define a post receiving channel 34 in each side 20 and 22 thereof, and each channel 34 is sized so that it can receive about one half of the cross sectional area of a support post 32 therein. In one illustrated embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 14, the post receiving channels 34 have a rectangular cross sectional shape although it will be appreciated that other cross-sectional shapes such as a semi-circular cross sectional shape as shown in FIG. 15 can also be used.

Each panel 12 comprises two outer layers 35, 36 and an insulating core 38 sandwiched between the two outer layers 35, 36. The two outer layers 35, 36 are formed of a sheet of steel of steel having some stiffness having a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm. The insulating core 38 is made out of a solid insulating material such as expanded or extruded polystyrene foam. The post receiving channels 34 are defined in that part of the sides of the panel formed by the insulating core 38. During manufacture of the panels, the channels 34 can be formed in the insulating core 38 by simply cutting the material out of the insulating core. Instead the core 38 which as a constant cross sectional shape along its length can be extruded with the channels 34 formed therein. In some forms of the invention the post receiving channels 34 are rectangular and have a width of 20 to 40 mm and a depth of 20 to 40 mm.

The two sides 20 and 22 of the panels 12 have complementary male and female engagement formations, shown generally by the numerals 40 and 42 in FIGS. 11 and 12. The abutting sides 20, 22 of adjacent panels 12 can be aligned with each other, and located in a correct position relative to each other, by engaging the male and female engagement formations 40 and 42 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 18. These joints that are used for positioning adjacent panels by engaging adjacent panels 12 with each other can conveniently be described as ‘slip joints’.

The top plate 30 comprises one or more top plate sections of constant cross sectional profile that are arranged in series along the upper edges 18 of the panels 12. The top plate 30 comprises a panel receiving channel 44 that is configured to receive an upper edge region of the panels 12 therein. The panel receiving channel 44 in turn comprises a panel bridge 45 that extends across part of the operatively upper edge 18 of the panel 12 and panel skirts 46 extending over the front and rear faces 14 and 16 of the panels 12. The top plate 30 further includes a top cap 50 that projects up above the panel receiving channel 44 when the top plate 30 is mounted on the panels 12. The top cap 50 comprises two top cap wall sections 52 extending up away from the bridge 45 and a top cap bridge 54 extending between upper ends of the cap wall sections 52 and joining them together.

In the illustrated embodiment the panel bridge 45 extends from the front and rear faces 14 and 16 of the panel 12 to the cap wall sections 52 of the top cap 50, where it terminates. Thus it does not extend fully across the full thickness or depth of the upper edge of the panels 12 from the front face 14 to the rear face 16 thereof. In other embodiments it could extend fully across the upper end 18 of the panels 12.

The bottom plate 28 has walls that define two channel walls 56 that define a bottom channel 58 that receive the operatively lower edges 19 of the panels 12 therein. The bottom plate 28 also has a skirt 59 extending away there from at an oblique angle therefrom on one side thereof corresponding to the rear face 16 of the panels 12. The walls 56 of the bottom channel 58 are low and define openings at spaced intervals along their length. The openings permit moisture to pass through the walls, for example to drain any retained moisture, and to permit air to pass there through. As shown in FIG. 8 the bottom plate 28 can be formed by deforming or working a single sheet of steel along its length to form the low walls and the oblique skirt.

The manner in which the support posts 12 are mounted to the top plate 30 and the bottom plate 28 will now be described in more detail. Each support post 32 has an upper end 60 and a lower end 62. Each post also has a bore defining an internal screw thread formed in each of the upper and lower ends 60 and 62 thereof.

Each support post 32 has a post top bracket 64 mounted on the upper end 60 thereof. Each post top bracket 64 comprises a post fixing portion 66 that is mounted over the operatively upper edge 18 of the panels 12 that are adjacent thereto, and has a fastening element opening 68 defined therein. Each post top bracket 64 also has a top plate fixing portion 70 extending over and round the post fixing portion 66 that is configured to complement the top plate 30 so that it can be nested with the top plate 30. That is it complements the profile of the top plate channel 44 and the top cap 50 of the top plate 30.

Each post top bracket 64 is mounted to its associated support post 32 by means of a post fastening element that is in the form of a bolt 72 having an enlarged head and a screw threaded shank that complements the screw threaded bore within the upper end 60 of the post 32. The bolt 72 is passed through the fastening element opening 68 in the post fixing portion 66, and its screw threaded shank is received within and engaged with the screw threaded bore in the post 32. The head of the bolt 72 is retained above the post fixing portion 66.

The top plate fixing portion 70 of the post top bracket 64 is sandwiched between the upper edges 18 of the adjacent panels 12 and the top plate 30. Often different top plate sections have their adjacent edges mounted over the top of the post top bracket 64 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The top plate 30 is fixed to the top plate fixing portion 70 by means of fastening elements that are passed through the top plate 30 and the top plate fixing portion 70 of the post top bracket 64, and then into the panel 12 underneath the post top bracket 64. This is described immediately below with reference to fixing of the top plate 30 generally to the panels 12.

The top plate 30 is fixed to each of the panels 12 by means of fastening elements 78 that are passed through the top plate 30 and into the panels 12 adjacent to the top plate 30. The fastening elements 78 are each passed through one of the skirts 46 on the top plate channel 44, and into one of the front or rear faces 14 or 16 of the panels 12. The fastening elements 78 are positioned at closely spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly. Conveniently the fastening elements 78 that are used for this purpose are nails that are driven through the top plate 30 and into the panel 12. Other fastening elements 78 are passed through the top plate 30 and then through the panel top bracket 64 and then into the panel 12.

The lower end 72 of each support post 32 is fixed to the bottom plate 28 by means of a fastening element that is a bolt 76. The bolt 76 has an operatively upper portion having a screw threaded shank that is received within the bore in the lower end 72 of the post 32 and is engaged therewith. The bolt 76 has an operatively lower portion that also has a shank with a screw thread that is passed through a bolt opening in the bottom plate 28 and is anchored in the concrete slab 26. It is thereby fixed to each of the support post 32 and the slab 26 and in the process anchors down the bottom plate 28. This bolt 76 unlike the bolt 74 does not have an enlarged head.

The bottom plate 28 is fixed to each of the panels 12 by means of fastening elements that are nails 80 that are driven through the channel walls 56 of the bottom plate 28 and into the panel 12 behind the wall 56. As with the top plate these fixing nails are located at spaced intervals along the length of the bottom plate 28. Further there are nails that are driven horizontally through one of the channel walls 56 into the panel in one direction and other nails that driven horizontally through the other channel wall 56 and into the panel 12 in an opposite direction.

The bottom plate 28 is fixed to the slab 26 on which the wall assembly 10 is mounted by means of the bolts 76 which mount the lower ends 72 of the posts 32 on the slab 26. The bolts 76 mounted on the posts 32 pass through a bolt opening in the bottom plate 28 before entering the slab 26 so that the bottom plate 28 is sandwiched between the post 32 and the slab 26 and firmly fixed thereto. Also the panels 12 bear down on the bottom plate 28 and apply some retaining force to the bottom plate 28. The panels in turn are held down by the top plate 30 which in turn is held down by the posts 32 through the post top bracket 64.

In addition the wall assembly has hold down brackets for the express purpose of augmenting fixing of the assembly 10 by the support posts 32 for holding the bottom plate 28 firmly on the slab support 26 in all conditions. The hold down brackets 82 are located at spaced intervals along the length of the bottom plate 28.

Each hold down bracket 82 comprises a bracket body 84 having a bracket bolt 86 passed there through which is received within the concrete slab 26. The bracket body 84 has a width that is sized to be received within the bottom channel 58 of the bottom plate 28 with a working clearance. This enables it to hold down the bottom plate 28 across its full width when subjected to load, such as that due to high wind strength. In the illustrated embodiment the bracket 82 has two corrugations 85 extending in the direction of width of the bottom channel 58 which helps to strengthen it. The bracket bolt 86 has a screw threaded shank that is received within an opening in the slab 26 and is engaged therewith. Part of the shank of the bracket bolt 86 projects up through the bracket body 84 and a nut 88 is mounted over the shank which is screwed down onto the bracket body 84.

FIGS. 2 and 14 illustrate a building structure that is a house in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The house is indicated generally by the reference numeral 90.

The house 90 comprises broadly a slab 26 and a wall assembly 10 as described above and a roof 92 mounted on the wall assembly. Unless otherwise indicated the same components will be indicated by the same reference numerals as in the other drawings. In the house 90 the front face 14 of the panels faces into the inside of the house 90 and the rear of the panel 12 faces out to the outside of the house 90.

The roof 92 comprises a plurality of roof panels 94 having opposed ends that are similar in some respects to the wall panels 12. Each roof panel 94 is mounted on two spaced supports. One support is formed by the wall assembly 10 as described above and shown in the drawings and the other support (not shown) is typically a structural beam for the roof spaced from the wall assembly 10 and extending parallel thereto. Each roof panel 94 comprises two outer layers of a sheet 35, 36 and an insulating core 38 sandwiched between the outer layers 35, 36.

As shown in the drawings the roof panels 94, towards said one ends thereof, are mounted on the wall assembly 19. The roof panels 94 rest on the top cap 50 of the top plate 30 spaced above the operatively upper edge 18 of the panels 12. Fastening elements that are nails 96 are driven through the panels 12 and into the top cap 50 of the top plate 30. The nails 96 are located at spaced intervals along the length of the wall.

The roof panels 94 are arranged at a slight pitch as shown in the drawings so that water falling on the roof can run to the edge of the roof 92. The roof panel 94 can form an eave as shown in FIG. 2 to provide shade and also provide some shelter against rain coming in through windows formed in the wall assembly. Further the roof 92 includes gutters 98 at the end of the panels 94 to collect water running off the roof 92 and run it off as storm water.

FIG. 14 shows some added features of the wall assembly 10 and the house 90.

In the house in FIG. 14, the wall assembly has support posts received within the channels in the sides of adjacent panels every third panel along the length of the wall. One such support post is indicated by the reference numeral 100. Accordingly there are two channels formed abutting sides of adjacent panels having channels 34 that do not have a support post received therein between successive support posts 32.

These channels 34 in the sides of adjacent panels 12 that are positioned between the support posts 32 are used to form conduit spaces for carrying conduits or pipes for water and electricity and data services to be provided within the house 90. For example electrical conduits carrying electrical cables are received in some of the conduits and water pipes carrying water are received in some of the other conduits.

In FIG. 14 an electrical conduit 102 extends along the top plate 30 in a horizontal conduit space defined by the top plate 30 above the front faces 14 of the panels 12 on the inside of the house 90. One or more electrical cables 104 are received inside the electrical conduit 102. The electrical cables 104 are directed down through an opening in the top plate 30 and into a vertical conduit space 106 formed by a combined channel comprising the channels 34 in the abutting sides 30, 32 of adjacent panels 12. These channels 34 are spaced one panel width apart from the channels 34 that receive the support post 100.

Further in FIG. 14 a water conduit that is a water pipe extends along the top plate 30 in another horizontal conduit formed by the top plate 30. The water pipe can be directed into a different vertical conduit space (not shown) that is formed by different channels 34 again of abutting sides of adjacent panels 12. Thus the channels 34 can be used to receive support posts 32 and also to form vertical conduit spaces running within the wall that receive electrical conduits and cables or water pipes.

In use a wall assembly 10 (wall) and then a building structure 90 is built by casting the concrete slab 26 on the ground according to known techniques. A wall line is then marked out on the slab 26 and a bottom plate 28 is laid out on the slab 26. The bottom plate 28 is fixed to the slab 26 by means of the spaced hold down brackets 82 located along the length of the wall.

A plurality of panels 12 is then mounted in position on the bottom plate 28 and a plurality of vertical support posts 32 is located between adjacent panels 12 at prescribed spaced intervals along the length of the wall. Typically the posts may be positioned at three, four, five or six panel width intervals along the length of the wall. The spacing of the support posts 32 along the wall is a matter of engineering design. In one form the wall has a support post located at three panel intervals along the length thereof.

The panels 12 are initially placed in position by engaging the complementary male and female formations 40 and 42 of abutting sides 30, 32 of adjacent panels 12 with each other. This locates the panels 12 in the correct positions relative to each other along the line of the wall. Thereafter the panels 12 are fixed to each other by means of fastening elements indicated generally by numeral 110 extending along each side of the front and rear faces 14 and 16 of each of the panels 12. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 18 each fastening element 110 is passed through three layers of steel sheet forming the female formation 42 and two layers of sheet forming the male formation 40. This leads to a very strong attachment of the panels 12 to each other. Further as shown in FIG. 17 a worker screws the screws 110 into the engaged panels at spaced intervals up the height of the panels 12 using a powered hand tool. As shown in FIG. 16 recesses 112 are formed in the operatively lower edges 19 of the panels 12 to receive the hold down brackets 82 therein. This ensures that the upper edges 18 of the panels 12, and also that the top plate 30, have a horizontally extending orientation.

As shown in the drawings and particularly FIGS. 13 and 15 thereof, each support post 32 is received within the combined channel formed by the channels 34 of the abutting sides 30, 32 of two adjacent panels 12 as described above with a snug fit.

Once the support posts 32 and the panels 12 are in position the post top brackets 64 are mounted on each of the support posts 12. Each post top bracket 64 has a post fixing portion 66 that has a bolt opening 68 therein and a bolt 72 is passed through the post fixing portion 66 and into the threaded bore defined in the upper end 60 of the support post 32. This fixes the post top bracket 64 to the upper end 60 of the post 32. Adjacent side regions of the adjacent panels 12 are sandwiched between the post top bracket 64 and the upper edges of the panels 12 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

Thereafter the top plate 30 is mounted on the post top brackets 64 and the operatively upper end 18 of the panels 12 to complete the wall assembly 10. The top plate 30 comprises a plurality of discrete top plate sections that are arranged in series along the top of the panels 12. The top plate sections are mounted over the upper edges 18 of the panels 12 and also over the top plate fixing portions 70 of the post top brackets 64. Thus each post top bracket 64 is sandwiched between the top plate 30 and the post top bracket 64. Adjacent top plate sections are attached to each other indirectly by their respective attachments to the post top bracket.

As described above the top plate 30 is fixed to the post top brackets 64 and also the panels 12 by means of fastening elements that are nails 78 that are horizontally passed through the skirts 46 of the top plate channel 44 and into the panels 12. In those regions where the post top brackets 64 are sandwiched between the top plate 30 and a said panel 12 then the fastening elements are passed through the post top brackets 64 as well as the panel 12. Thereafter the roof 92 can be mounted on the wall assembly 10. This is accomplished by mounting opposing end regions of the roof panels 94 on the wall assembly 10 and also on a spaced roof support (not shown). The roof panels 94 are fixed to the top plate 30 by means of fastening elements that are nails 96 that are passed through the roof panel 94 and into the top cap 50 of the top plate 30. Thereafter the house built according to this invention is finished in the usual way. This includes rendering of the walls and adding electrical and water services and also finishing the house generally including installing fittings in the bathrooms and the kitchen. As this part of the building structure or house does not form part of the invention defined in this application it will not be described further in this application.

FIGS. 19 to 23 illustrate another embodiment of a wall assembly in accordance with the invention to that described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18. Unless otherwise indicated the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components as in the earlier embodiment.

As with the earlier embodiment the wall body 112 comprises a plurality of wall panels 122 arranged side by side in a line along the length of the wall body 112. Each panel 120 has two major panel faces 123 and 124 and collectively the panel faces 123 and 124 form part of the faces of the wall body 112. Each panel 122 also has a panel upper edge 126 and a panel lower edge 128 and two panel sides 130 and 132 extending between the panel upper edge 126 and the panel lower edge 128.

FIGS. 19 to 22 of the drawings illustrate how electrical and data services and also water supply services are directed in electrical or water conduits through the horizontal and vertical conduit spaces from the service supply points to the distributed service provisions points throughout the house.

Each of these electrical and water conduits will be described in turn below with reference to these drawings.

The top plate 120 defines two horizontally extending conduit spaces 156 and 158 on respectively inner and outer sides of the cap portion 138. The wall panels 122 define a plurality of vertically extending conduit spaces between adjacent wall panels 122 and selected or specific vertical conduit spaces will be given specific numbers in the description below.

In FIGS. 19 to 22 the building structure 150 has an electrical service conduit, which is indicated generally by reference numeral 160, mounted in the horizontal conduit space indicated by the reference numeral 156 that is on the inside of the wall assembly 110. That is it faces into the inside of the house 150 rather than facing outwards away from the house 150.

The service conduit 160 is elongate and has a rectangular shape that complements the shape of the bridging element 140 of the wall mounting portion 136 and the adjacent wall element 144 of the top cap portion 138 forming the conduit space 156. This enables the conduit 160 to be snugly received within this conduit space 156 and to be covered by the bridging element 140 and adjacent wall element 144 along two of its four sides.

The service conduit 160 comprises a fixed conduit body 162 that forms three surfaces of the conduit and a removable conduit cover strip 164 that is removably mounted on the conduit body 162 and that forms the fourth surface of the service conduit 160. Where the house 150 has a roof 154 on the wall assembly 110, the fixed conduit body 162 is covered by the bridging element 140 and wall element 144 on the top plate 120 along two of its sides, and also by the roof 154 on its top side. The conduit cover strip 164 faces outwardly away from the associated internal face of the wall body 114 into a room within the building structure 150.

As shown in FIG. 21 of the drawings, the cover strip 164 is removable so as to provide easy access to the electrical cables 166 inside it by simply removing the cover strip 164. The cover strip 164 is configured to cover over the space defined between the operatively upper edge 126 of the wall panels and the roof 154. That way the cover strip 164 closes off the top plate 120 entirely from view to a person located within a room of the house 150. Further the cover strip 164 may optionally also be configured to resemble a cornice strip which is aesthetically pleasing when mounted in position on the inside of the wall assembly 110.

As described above, the wall assembly 110 comprises a series of wall panels 122 that are arranged in a line along the line of the wall assembly 110. Each wall panel 122 has the channel 134 defined in each side thereof that can be used to form a said vertically extending conduit space. As described above the channels 134 of the abutting sides of two adjacent panels 122 open into each other and define a combined channel between them that forms the vertically extending conduit space. This is suitable for receiving either an electrical conduit containing at least one electrical cable 166 to enable the electrical cable 166 to travel down the wall body 112 while being received within the wall body 112.

The electrical cable 166 within the electrical conduit 160 on the top plate 120 is directed out of the service conduit 160 and down a selected vertically extending conduit space indicated by the reference numeral 167.

The conduit space 167 which is defined by the combined channels 134 extends down the wall to a desired height at which the electrical supply cables are required for electrical connection to an electrical fitting. The cable 166 is passed through a cable opening 168 that is defined in the top plate 120, and specifically in the bridging element 140 associated with that particular conduit space 158. A rubber grommet is mounted in the cable opening 168 and the cable 166 is passed through a snug fitting opening defined in the grommet.

The wall assembly 110 has an electrical conduit 163 received within the conduit space 167 within which the electrical cable 166 is received. In the illustrated embodiment the conduit 163 has a circular cross sectional shape although it will be appreciated that other cross sectional shapes could also be used. At the desired height within the selected vertical conduit space 167 the electrical cable 166 is directed out of the conduit 163, e.g. through an open end of the conduit 163. The cable 166 is then directed out of the conduit space 167 through a cable outlet 169 in the associated wall panel 122 and into a room of the living space of the house 150. The electrical cable 166 is then operatively connected to a switch plate or an electrical switch on the wall assembly 110 within the room. While the arrangement of cables above has been described above with reference to electrical cables, it will be appreciated that the same arrangement could also be used for data cables. Further data cables could also be conveyed through the same conduits as electrical cables.

In FIGS. 20 to 22, a water conduit or water pipe which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 170 directs water through the other horizontal conduit space 168 and then down through the panels 122 of the wall body 112 to a water service provision point at a plumbing fitting on the inside of the wall body 112.

The conduit space 168 is adjacent the outside face 116 of the wall body 112 and adjacent the outside of the house. Specifically it is on the other side of the top cap portion 138 of the top plate 120 to the electrical conduit 160. The water pipe 170 travels along the upper edge of the wall body 112, to the point along the length of the wall body 112 at which the water needs to be delivered through a plumbing fitting into the living space of the house for use. In the illustrated embodiment the water pipe 170 is simply received in the conduit space 168 and does not have a surrounding conduit within it is received. However it will be appreciated that in some embodiments the water pipe 170 can be received within a surrounding or shielding conduit or sheath within the conduit space 168. Further while the drawing only illustrates one water pipe 170 within the conduit space it will be appreciated that two different water pipes, namely one for hot water and one for cold water, could be received within the conduit space 168 even though this is not shown.

As shown in the drawings, the wall assembly 110 includes a cover strip that is a fascia board 174 that is mounted over the upper region of the external wall face 116. The fascia board 174 extends from the external faces 124 of the panels 122 on the outside of the house 150 up to the roof assembly 154 mounted on the top plate 120. Thus the fascia board 174 covers over the water pipe 170 running along the conduit space within the top plate 120.

The water pipe 170 is directed out of the horizontal conduit space 168 and turned downward through about ninety degrees into another selected one of the vertically extending conduit spaces 176 formed by the channels 134 in the sides 130, 132 of adjacent panels 122. Thus the water pipe 170 is directed into a vertically extending conduit space 176 that is just like the conduit space 167 within which the electrical cable 166 is received. Importantly the water pipe 170 is received within the conduit space 176 which is different to the vertical conduit space 167. The two conduit spaces 167, 176 are spaced apart from each other by a distance that is at least the width of one panel 122 because adjacent channel 134 are formed at the point where adjacent panels 122 abut against each other.

The water pipe 170 is used to conduit or direct water from a water service entry point at which the water main enters the house 150 to a water service provision point at a plumbing fitting within the house 150. The plumbing fitting could be a tap in a bathroom, kitchen or laundry or it could be a water supply point for an appliance such as a washing machine or a dishwasher.

Accordingly the water pipe 170 is passed down through the wall body 112 to a height at which it is required to be coupled to a plumbing fitting. It is then passed through a water pipe outlet 178 in the wall body 112 and into the living space of the house 150 where it is operatively coupled to a plumbing fitting.

The description above and the associated drawings thus show how an electrical service conduit is directed along the upper edge of the wall body 112 and then down through the wall body 112 to an electrical service delivery point. It also shows how a water conduit or water pipe can be used to conduit water along the upper edge of the wall body 112 and down through the wall panels 122 of the wall body 112 to a water service delivery point.

In use when a house 150 is built, the wall support which is the slab 152 is poured first and then the wall assembly 110 is built on the slab 152. The roof 154 is then built on top of the wall assembly 110 and additional components such as doors and walls are mounted on the wall assembly 110. The house 150 reaches a lock up stage of construction when it can be physically closed and locked up, at which point plumbers and electricians typically commence their work on the house 150. They do this by laying out the electrical cables 166, conduit 160, and water pipe 170 to provide these services at distributed service provision points within the house 150. The electrical conduit 160 are laid out in on the conduit space 156 running horizontally along the top plate 120 on the inside of the wall assembly 110, and the water pipes 170 are laid out in the other conduit space 158 running horizontally long the top plate 120. The conduit spaces 156, 158 are configured to provide suitable spaces within which to run the conduit 160 and water pipe 170 respectively.

Further the selected vertical conduit spaces 167 and 176 formed by the combined channels 134 between certain adjacent panels provide convenient conduit spaces travelling in a vertical extending direction. The plumbers and electricians can then route the water pipes and electrical cables through the channels 134 formed in the wall panels 122 of the wall body 112. Thereafter the cables and water pipes are passed out of the wall body 112 through outlets, in the form of outlet holes, into the living space of the house 150, in the positions in which they are required. The provision of electrical and water services is then finished in the usual way with the usual electrical and plumbing fittings within the living space by operatively connecting the cables and/or conduits to the fittings.

If maintenance is required to be performed on the electrical cables 166 laid out in the house 150, the cover strip 164 of the conduit 160 can simply be removed. This provides access to the interior of the electrical conduit 160 and the electrical cable/s 166 within the conduit 160. Accordingly no invasive procedures need to be carried out on the permanently fixed components of the wall assembly 112. Consequently afterwards no repairs to the walls and wall finishes are required.

If a cable 166 that is received within a combined conduit space within the wall body 112 is required to be withdrawn, either for inspection or maintenance, it can simply be lifted up out of the channel 134 by accessing the cable 166 from the conduit 160 on the top plate 120 and pulling it out.

The water conduit or pipe 170 running along the operatively upper edge 118 of the wall body 112 in the outside conduit space 158 can be accessed by removing the fascia 174 on the outside face 116 of the wall body 112. Similarly the water pipe 174 can be lifted out, or pulled out, of a combined conduit space 176 formed by channels 134 within the wall panels 132 in a similar way to the electrical cable/s 166 described above.

FIG. 23 shows an internal room within a house indicated generally by reference numeral 180 and an internal surface of one wall 181 of the room 180 which is an external wall of the house.

The room 180 has a laundry tub 182 therein mounted up against the wall 181. The room 180 also has an electrical cable 166 leading to a light switch 184 and an electrical power point 186 about midway up the height of the wall 181 on one side of the laundry tub 182. The room 180 also has a data cable leading to a data point 188 spaced away from the laundry tub 182 and the light switch 184 and electrical power point 186. The electrical cables and the data cable run along one horizontally extending conduit space defined by the top plate at the top of the wall 181 and then through a cable opening in the top plate 120 and down a selected vertically extending conduit space 190 defined between the channels between two adjacent panels.

The water pipe runs along the other horizontally extending conduit space defined by the top plate and then through a water pipe opening in the top plate and down a different vertically extending conduit space 192 formed a by a channel between different panels that is spaced away from the channel carrying the electrical cables. The water pipe is passed through a water pipe outlet opening in the wall and is operatively coupled to a tap that delivers water through a mixed into the tub 182.

The data cables are contained in the same horizontally extending conduit space at the top of the wall 181 as the electrical cables and are passed through another cable opening in the top plate into yet another vertically extending conduit space 194 formed by the channels between a different paid of adjacent panels again. Further there is also another power point 195 in the room that is electrically connected to an electrical cable that travels along the top of the wall in the same horizontal conduit space as the other electrical cables and that is passed down yet another conduit space 196 defined by the channels in yet different panels again.

An advantage of the building structure that is a house described above with reference to the drawings is that a structure is provided that can be efficiently built. The structure has walls with posts located at spaced intervals along the length of the walls. The walls also make provision for running service conduits including electrical cables and water pipes through the house and particularly the wall assembly thereof, in an efficient manner and in a way that makes the services easy to maintain after they have been installed. In particular an advantage of the building structure is that the body wall includes wall panels that define channels therein that form vertical conduit spaces that can be used for receiving service cables including electrical cables, data cables, and also water pipes therein.

Yet further another advantage of the building structure is that the top plate is configured to define at least one horizontal conduit space suitable for receiving an electrical conduit along its top plate. In a preferred form the top plate is configured to define two horizontal conduit spaces running along the top of the wall body that are physically separated from each other. One service conduit is positioned on one side of the top cap portion of the top plate and the other service conduit is positioned on the other side of the top cap portion. Typically an electrical conduit containing electrical cables can run along the top plate in one of the conduit spaces and another electrical conduit or a water pipe can run along the top plate in the other conduit space. This feature of designing the top plate to have space to receive the services considerably eases the construction process and saves time and money by providing suitable conduit spaces ready made on the wall assembly. It also provides a reproducible and standardized way of arranging the service cables and conduits within the structure which helps to raise building standards and simplifies maintenance procedures because all buildings are done in the same way.

Yet further the removable cover strip enables access to be provided to the service conduit for maintenance and the like. Yet further the removable cover strip provides a neat aesthetic finish between the ceiling and the wall assembly on an inside of the building much like a cornice. The cover strip can therefore also function as a cornice and obviates the need and cost of mounting an additional cornice on the wall assembly. It will readily be appreciated that more ornate cover strips could be provided than those illustrated to create an additional aesthetic effect like different cornices.

A further advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described above with reference to the drawings is that some building structures such as houses do not have roof spaces between a ceiling and a roof. The roof space has traditionally been used to run electrical cables horizontally around the house and then to drop them down into the wall cavities at points where they are required. However some houses particularly some new designs of houses have panel roofs that do not have a roof space between the roof member and the ceiling. Instead there is only a sandwich panel on the roof with an outer roof layer and an inner ceiling layer. With such house designs clearly an alternative methodology is required for running the electrical cables and water pipes horizontally to different locations in the house where services have to be provided. The top plate with the two horizontally extending conduit spaces formed thereon which are physically separated from each other provides this facility in a simple and elegant fashion.

A further advantage is that the wall panel comprises an insulating core positioned between two metal skins or outer layers. Accordingly when the channel is formed in the insulating core the surrounding material already functions like an electrical conduit of enclosing non-conducting material and a separate additional electrical conduit is not required to receive the electrical cables.

An advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described above with reference to the drawings is that the building is built from a very limited number of building components. The panel acts as a structural member, an insulating material, and also as external and internal cladding. The spaced posts are made of steel as are the upper and lower wall channels. This fewer number of building components results in fewer deliveries being made from suppliers of the different building materials to the building site to deliver the building materials. This in itself leads to a reduced carbon footprint during the construction process. Further it is much simpler to order the components used in this building structure and it takes less time to order the components from the suppliers and then co-ordinate the delivery of the components with the suppliers.

Further it will readily be appreciated that the construction of a home using these building components takes considerably less time than it takes to build a typical timber frame home with a brick veneer. Applicant estimates that the construction technique described in the specification above leads to a 34% reduction in the length of time taken to progress the building process from pouring the slab to lockup of the building. The shorter construction time in turn leads to substantial financial savings.

Another advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described above with reference to the drawings is that it can be assembled very speedily by a worker having minimal skills. It does not require a skilled and experienced carpenter to build a timber frame and qualified bricklayer to build a brick veneer. Further it will also be appreciated that overall fewer tradesmen having different trades relating to the basic structure, such as carpentry, bricklaying and plastering, are required to build the home. The use of different tradesmen having different skills adds considerably to the expense of building a home using traditional building techniques.

Yet another advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described above with reference to the drawings is that the thermal insulation properties of the building are considerably improved over a typical prior art brick veneer construction. The building panels have a high level of insulation. Yet another advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described above with reference to the drawings is that they have a high level of sound insulation. The solid panels described above with their foam layer between the steel skins are ‘acoustic panels’ that are every effective at insulating travel of sound through internal walls and also sound travel through external walls.

Yet another advantage of the wall assembly and building structure described above with reference to the drawings is that there is no risk of termite infestation. The wall panels have skin layers made of sheet steel and an inner core made of insulating foam. The steel and foam materials are not eaten or consumed by termites. Therefore there is no risk of termite infestation and no need to conduct regular checks for termites and install costly termite treatments in this building.

It will of course be realized that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto, as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.

Claims

1. A wall assembly including:

a wall support having a plurality of anchoring elements projecting up therefrom;
a wall body comprising a plurality of panels extending in a line, each panel having front and rear panel faces and two sides that extend between the front and rear panel faces, each side of each panel defines a recess therein, and each recess is aligned with the recess on the adjacent side of an adjacent panel so that the recesses open into each other and form a receiving channel;
a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support, wherein the top plate is configured so that service cables or conduits can be run along the length of the top plate without projecting out proud of the front and rear panel faces of the panels;
a bottom plate that runs along the operatively lower edges of the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support; and
a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall body, each support post being received within one of the receiving channels formed in the wall body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall body and to the wall support, each support post includes a post top bracket that is fixed thereto and is fixed to the top plate adjacent to the support post, and each support post has a bore defined in a lower end thereof within which one of the anchoring elements on the support is received to fix the support post to the wall support; and
one or more service cables or conduits for providing services, each service cable or conduit being directed from the top plate down through one of the receiving channels defined in the wall body which is not occupied by a support post whereby to run the cables or conduits to where they are required on the wall body.

2. A wall assembly according to claim 1, wherein the top plate comprises a bridge that has two spaced skirts that extend over the front and rear faces of the panel and a top cap that projects above the bridge, and wherein the bridge and the top cap together form at least one pair of orthogonally extending surfaces along the length of the top plate that define a service receiving formation on one side of the top cap.

3. A wall assembly according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate has a plurality of post openings defined therein at intervals along its length, and each support post is passed through a said post opening to fix the support post to the bottom plate.

4. A wall assembly including:

a wall support;
a wall body comprising a plurality of panels extending in a line along a length of the wall assembly, each panel having front and rear panel faces and two sides extending between the front and rear faces, each side of each panel defines a recess therein, and each recess is aligned with the recess on the adjacent side of an adjacent panel so that the recesses open into each other and form a receiving channel;
a plurality of support posts positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the wall body, each support post being received within one of the receiving channels formed in the wall body and being fixed directly or indirectly to the wall body and to the wall support;
a bottom plate that runs along the operatively lower edges of the panels and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support; and
a top plate which is mounted on the operatively upper edge of the wall body and which is fixed to the wall body and to the wall support.

5. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the support posts are located at substantially evenly spaced intervals along the length of the wall body, and each support post is located intermediate two adjacent panels.

6. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein each recess is a substantially square recess that is sized and configured such that a receiving channel can receive a support post therein with a working clearance.

7. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the top plate defines a panel receiving channel comprises a bridge that extends at least part of the way across the operatively upper edge of the panel, and skirts that extend from the bridge down the front and rear faces of the panels, and the top plate is fixed to each of the panels by means of a plurality of fastening elements that pass through one of the skirts on the panel receiving channel and into one of the front and rear faces of the panels at spaced intervals along the length of the wall assembly.

8. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein each support post is indirectly fixed to the wall body by being fixed to the top plate, and wherein each support post is also fixed to the bottom plate.

9. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein each support post includes a post top bracket for fixing the post to the top plate, and each post top bracket is fixed to the support post and to the top plate in a region thereof that is adjacent to the support post.

10. A wall assembly according to claim 9, wherein each support post includes a bore formed in the upper and lower ends thereof, and the post top bracket is mounted on each support post by means of a post fastening element that is passed through an opening in the post top bracket and into the bore formed in the upper end of the support post where it is fixed to the support post.

11. A wall assembly according to claim 10, wherein the bore defined in the upper end of each support post has a screw thread formed thereon and the post fastening element is a bolt having an enlarged head and a complementary external screw thread formed on the shank thereof for engaging the thread in the bore.

12. A wall assembly according to claim 10, wherein the top plate fixing portion of the post top bracket is sandwiched between the upper edges of the adjacent panels and a portion of the top plate that overlaps therewith, and the top plate is fixed to the top plate fixing portion by means of fastening elements that are passed through the top plate and the top plate fixing portion of the post top bracket.

13. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein each support post has a bore defined in a lower end thereof, and the wall assembly includes an anchoring element anchored in the wall support that projects above the support, and the anchoring element is received within the bore to fix the support post to the wall support.

14. A wall assembly according to claim 13, wherein the anchoring element is a bolt having a screw threaded shank projecting out of the wall support, and the bore in the lower end of the support post has a complementary screw thread, and the shank is received within the bore in the lower end of the support post and engaged therewith.

15. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the bottom plate has a plurality of post openings defined therein at intervals along its length, and each support post is passed through a said post opening to fix the support post to the bottom plate.

16. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the bottom plate comprises two spaced two channel walls interconnected by a web that defines a bottom channel within which operatively lower edges of the panels are received, and the bottom plate is fixed to each of the panels by means of fastening elements that are passed through one of the channel walls and into the panel at spaced intervals along the length of the bottom plate.

17. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the wall assembly further includes hold down brackets mounted on the bottom plate located at spaced intervals along the bottom rail for further fixing the bottom plate to the support to strengthen the attachment of the bottom plate to the support for when the wall assembly is subjected to high load.

18. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the top plate is configured so that service cables or conduits can be run along the length of the top plate without projecting out proud of the front and rear panel faces of the panels.

19. A wall assembly according to claim 18, wherein the top plate comprises a bridge that has two spaced skirts that extend over the front and rear faces of the panel and a top cap that projects above the bridge, and wherein the bridge and the top cap together form at least one pair of orthogonally extending surfaces that define a service receiving formation on one side of the top cap along the length of the top plate.

20. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the wall assembly includes one or more service cables or conduits, and each service cable or conduit is directed through one of the receiving channels defined in the wall body which is free of a support post whereby to facilitate running of the service cable or conduit through the wall body.

21. A wall assembly according to claim 20, wherein the wall assembly includes one or more service points on the wall body, and wherein each service point comprises an electrical switch or an electrical power point or a data connection point on the front face of a panel of the wall body.

22. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein each panel comprises two outer layers and an insulating core sandwiched between the two outer layers, and the two outer layers are formed of a sheet of metallic material such as steel and have a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm-1.0 mm, and the insulating core is formed of a polymeric insulating material, e.g. extruded or expanded polystyrene.

23. A wall assembly according to claim 4, wherein the panels have complementary engagement formations on each side thereof that when engaged act to locate adjacent panels relative to each other and hold and support adjacent panels in position relative to each other.

24. A building structure including a wall assembly as defined in claim 4 forming an external wall of the building; and

a roof mounted on the wall assembly.

25. A building structure according to claim 24, wherein the roof comprises a plurality of roof panels arranged side by side along at least part of the length of the wall assembly.

Patent History
Publication number: 20140000192
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 27, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 2, 2014
Inventors: Stephen George Cramb (Acacia Ridge, QLD.), Graeme William Homewood (Acacia Ridge, QLD.)
Application Number: 13/534,179
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Wall, Ceiling, Or Floor Designed For Utilities (52/220.1); Facer Between Exposed Frame Members Having Unitary Flanges Or Integral Retainer For Attachment To Frame (52/762); Including Threaded Tie Member (52/285.2); Foam (52/309.4)
International Classification: E04B 2/56 (20060101); E04B 1/38 (20060101); E04C 2/20 (20060101); E04C 2/52 (20060101);