Foldable building units

Abstract

Prefabricated foldable building units are described that have one or more of the following advantages. They are more easily prefabricated, more easily transported to building sites without requiring special permits, unloadable and unfoldable at the building sites without using cranes (they can be unloaded using ground-level lifting rigs and unfolded using, for example, a cable mechanism), allow precise and fast completion at the building site, and allow significant reduction in the scope of work to be completed on-site, where costs and scheduling are far less manageable. Further, methods for unloading and unfolding foldable building units are described that obviate the need for one or more cranes that can be expensive and project-complicating, thereby opening up a significant percentage of building sites for placement of prefabricated foldable building units.

1 . A foldable building unit comprising
 (a) a structural frame that at least in part is made of frame elements that are foldably connected with metal hinges; and   (b) interior finish materials with indirect connection to the frame elements to reduce contact of the interior finish materials with the frame elements;   wherein the frame elements are at least in part made of metal and the metal hinges are attached to a metal part of the frame elements.   
     
     
         2 . The foldable building unit of  claim 1 , wherein the frame elements and respective interior finish materials are indirectly attached through intermediate elements adapted and configured to prevent significant damage of the interior finish materials during folding, uploading, transport, unloading and/or unfolding of the foldable building unit. 
     
     
         3 . The foldable building unit of  claim 2 , wherein the intermediate elements are force cushioning elements. 
     
     
         4 . The foldable building unit of  claim 3 , wherein the force cushioning elements include bottom plate elements and top plate elements that are fastened to the frame elements and to which the interior finish materials are attached, and the foldable building unit further comprises stud elements between bottom plate elements and top plate elements. 
     
     
         5 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The foldable building unit of  claim 1 , wherein the metal hinges are adapted and positioned to remain within the foldable building unit in finished condition. 
     
     
         8 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The foldable building unit of  claim 1 , wherein the frame elements are made of structural steel sections. 
     
     
         11 . The foldable building unit of  claim 1 , wherein the foldable building unit is a foldable building. 
     
     
         12 . The foldable building unit of  claim 11 , wherein the foldable building in unfolded configuration is substantially in finished condition. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A foldable building unit comprising a structural frame that at least in part is made of frame elements that are foldably connected with offset hinges, wherein the offset hinges are attached to metal parts of the frame elements and the offset hinges are adapted and positioned on the frame elements such that when folded, interior finish materials connected to the frame elements are offset from each other. 
     
     
         15 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The foldable building unit of  claim 14 , wherein the offset is dimensioned to prevent significant contact of interior finish materials in folded configuration during uploading, transport and/or unloading of the foldable building unit. 
     
     
         18 . The foldable building unit of  claim 14 , wherein the offset hinges are adapted and positioned to remain within the building unit in unfolded configuration and finished condition. 
     
     
         19 . The foldable building unit of any one of  claims 14 , wherein the frame elements are made of structural steel sections. 
     
     
         20 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The foldable building unit of  claim 14 , wherein the foldable building unit is a foldable building. 
     
     
         23 . The foldable building unit of  claim 22 , wherein the foldable building in unfolded configuration is substantially in finished condition. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A foldable building unit comprising a structural frame that at least in part is made of frame elements that are foldably connected with metal hinges,
 wherein the frame elements are at least in part made of metal, the metal hinges are attached to a metal part of the frame elements, and the metal hinges are adapted and positioned to remain within the building unit in unfolded configuration and finished condition.   
     
     
         26 . The foldable building unit of  claim 25 , wherein the frame elements are made of structural steel sections. 
     
     
         27 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . The foldable building unit of  claim 25 , wherein the foldable building unit is a foldable building. 
     
     
         30 . The foldable building unit of  claim 29  wherein the foldable building in unfolded configuration is substantially in finished condition. 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A foldable building comprising
 (a) foldably connected finished wall panels;   (b) foldably connected finished floor panels; and   (c) foldably connected finished ceiling and/or roof panels; wherein the foldable building in unfolded configuration is substantially in finished condition.   
     
     
         33 - 55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . A foldable building comprising a foldable clerestory roof including a clerestory truss frame element foldably connected to a first roof frame element on a first side of the clerestory truss frame element and foldably connected to a second roof frame element on a second side of the clerestory truss element, wherein the second side is opposite to the first side. 
     
     
         57 . The foldable building of  claim 56 , wherein the foldable clerestory roof in folded configuration provides an outer surface of the foldable building in folded configuration.