Prefab Panel, Modular Facade, and Mounting Method Thereof

Abstract

The modular facade is made of prefab panels comprising a frame structure with horizontal and vertical profiles. The prefab panel includes an outer cladding attached to the frame structure by attaching means. The horizontal and the vertical profiles have a matching shiplap design. A method of mounting the modular facade relies upon the steps of installing brackets to a building structure, for levelling position of the prefab panels, and an anti-tipping element in an upper part of the building structure, so that not very demanding lifting means, such as a small crane, suffices, for suspending subsequent adjacent prefab panels from an upper story.

1 . A prefab panel for a modular facade of a building, the prefab panel comprising:
 a frame structure comprising:   a first and a second horizontal profiles;   a first and a second vertical profile connecting the first and the second horizontal profiles at profile fixing points;   an outer cladding, made of plasterboard, attached to the frame structure; and   attaching means for attaching the outer cladding to the frame structure, wherein   the first and second horizontal profiles and the first and second vertical profiles have a matching shiplap design; and   brackets are attachable to the first and second vertical profiles so as to connect the frame structure to a floor slab of the building, for supporting the prefab panel and facade loads.   
     
     
         2 . The prefab panel according to  claim 1 , further comprising a connecting plate, interspersed between the brackets and the floor slab for connecting the frame structure to the floor slab. 
     
     
         3 . The prefab panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the shiplap design of the horizontal profiles is configured so as to allow clamping fit of the outer cladding. 
     
     
         4 . The prefab panel  claim 1 , wherein the vertical profiles are fixed to the horizontal profiles at the profile fixing points by mechanical means. 
     
     
         5 . The prefab panel according to  claim 1 , further comprising joint sealing elements outwardly attached to at least one of the horizontal profiles or at least one of the vertical profiles, for providing airtightness and watertightness, the joint sealing elements preferably being self-adhesive, and comprising a peel-off protective sheet. 
     
     
         6 . The prefab panel according to  claim 5 , wherein the joint sealing element(s) are located in the whole perimeter of the prefab panel. 
     
     
         7 . The prefab panel according to  claim 5 , wherein the joint sealing elements are made of foam material. 
     
     
         8 . The panel according to  claim 1 , further comprising a thermal insulator housed at a rear portion of the frame structure, opposite a front part thereof comprising the outer cladding. 
     
     
         9 . The prefab panel according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one third vertical profile, preferably a C profile centrally located, arranged between the first and the second vertical profile. 
     
     
         10 . The prefab panel, according to Say  claim 1 , wherein the brackets are metallic plates comprising:
 a longer first portion, attached to a side of the first and the second vertical profiles; and   a shorter second portion, with a vertical slot, for allocating a curved upper part of the connecting plate, as well as fixing means for fixing the connecting plate to the slot, and levelling means for levelling the connecting plate in height.   
     
     
         11 . The prefab panel, according to  claim 10 , wherein the fixing means comprise a threaded bushing and a fixing screw, and
 the levelling means comprise a levelling screw, located at an upper flange of the second portion.   
     
     
         12 . A Method of mounting a modular facade comprising a plurality of the prefab panels of  claim 1 , the method comprising the following steps:
 a) suspending an initial prefab panel from an inner part of the building by means of a crane located at an inner position on an upper story of the building;   b) fixing the initial prefab panel, together with the brackets mounted to the initial prefab panel, to a building structure, comprising the floor slab, for levelling a position of the prefab panel regarding the floor slab and the total height of the floor of a current story;   c) placing an adjacent prefab panel in a correct position by suspending the adjacent prefab panel using the crane, located in an inner position at the upper story; and   d) fixing said adjacent prefab panel by means of the bracket of the adjacent prefab panel, to the to the building structure.   
     
     
         13 . The method of mounting a modular facade, according to  claim 12 , further comprising a step of placing joint sealing elements outwardly attached to at least one of the vertical profiles or at least one of the horizontal profiles. 
     
     
         14 . The method of mounting a modular facade, according to  claim 12 , further comprising the steps of:
 mounting an anti-tipping element to a building structure, to reinforce the prefab panel against tipping rotation of the prefab panel;   fixing the prefab panel to the anti-tipping element; and, optionally,   fixing the adjacent prefab panel to the ant-tipping element.   
     
     
         15 . A modular facade further comprising a plurality of the prefab panels of  claim 1  coupled to each other and to a building structure of a building by using the method of  claim 12 .