Intermodal container building structures and methods

Abstract

A building structure has a plurality of intermodal containers (ICs) attached together and substantially surrounding a central space. The ICs support roof elements, the roof elements together forming part of a roof for the building structure. Some of the ICs and the central space house functional equipment which is connected together at a deployment site to make a system capability. Some of the ICs walls together define an outer perimeter of the building structure while other IC walls facing into the central space have walls at least partially removed to allow access to the interior of the ICs from the central space.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A building structure comprising a plurality of intermodal containers (ICs) attached together and substantially surrounding a central space, at least some of the ICs supporting roofing elements, the roofing elements forming part of a roof for the building structure, at least some of the ICs housing first functional equipment, the central space housing second functional equipment, at least some of the ICs having first walls together defining a substantial part of an outer perimeter of the building structure, at least some of the ICs having second walls at least partially removed to allow access to at least some of the first functional equipment from the central space. 
     
     
         2 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least some of the first walls being IC side walls. 
     
     
         3 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least some of the first walls being IC end walls. 
     
     
         4 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least one of the ICs having a first roof part, the central space having a second roof part, the first and second roof parts being integral with one another. 
     
     
         5 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 4 , the first and second roof parts supported by a truss structure, the truss structure supported by a column, the column vertically aligned with and supported by a corner post of an IC. 
     
     
         6 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of trusses extending between a pair of ICs, ends of the trusses supported on at least one side wall of the respective ICs, the supporting IC side walls reinforced to bear the weight of the trusses. 
     
     
         7 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , the outer perimeter and the central space being one of rectilinear and polygonal. 
     
     
         8 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , a contiguous pair of the ICs connected together and disposed at an angle to one another, the pair of ICs having a roof extending along the length of the ICs, a section of the roof over one of the pair of ICs disposed at said angle to a section of the roof over the other of the pair of ICs. 
     
     
         9 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least one IC having an access way, the access way for access between a location exterior of the building structure and the central space, the access way including first and second openings in respective opposed side walls of said at least one IC, the first and second openings generally aligned with one another. 
     
     
         10 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising an entry section extending between an end wall of a first IC and an end wall of an adjacent second IC, the entry section providing access from outside the building structure to the first and second ICs. 
     
     
         11 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , the first and second functional equipments configured as a water treatment system. 
     
     
         12 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , the second functional equipment including a unit that is characterized by being at least one of greater in height than the height of the ICs and greater in width than the width of the ICs. 
     
     
         13 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least one of the ICs having reinforced walls to enable the IC to be substantially filled with water without the IC rupturing, the building structure configured as a tank for holding water, the structure including a liner having a central part resting on the central space and peripheral parts mounted to side walls of ICs bounding the central space. 
     
     
         14 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least some of the first walls having a cladding layer fixed thereto. 
     
     
         15 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1  having a first IC extending in a first direction, a second IC extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the first IC having an end wall with a first end corner, the second IC having an end wall with a second end corner, the first and second end corners connected together, the first and second end walls forming two sides of a substantially square enclosed cubicle. 
     
     
         16 . A building structure as claimed in  claim 1 , at least one of the ICs inverted whereby a floor of the IC is above a roof of the IC in the building structure, the structure further comprising a roof truss supported on the floor. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising, at a first site, mounting first functional equipment in at least some of a plurality of ICs, the first functional equipment connectable together to make at least a part of an industrial system, transporting the plurality of ICs to a second site, arranging the plurality of ICs at the second site substantially to surround a central space so that at least some of the plurality of ICs have first walls together defining at least a substantial part of an outer perimeter of a building structure, erecting roof elements on at least some of the ICs to form a roof thereon, and removing at least parts of second walls of some of the plurality of ICs to allow access to the interiors thereof from the central space. 
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising at the second site connecting the first functional equipment together to make said at least a part of the industrial system. 
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 17 , further comprising at the second site installing second functional equipment in the central space and connecting the second functional equipment to the first functional equipment to make the industrial system. 
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in  claim 18 , further comprising at the first site, before transporting the ICs containing the first industrial units and the second industrial units to the second site, connecting the first industrial units and the second industrial units together to make the industrial system, and testing the system.