Support arrangement for covering elements of a building

Abstract

A support arrangement for supporting covering elements on a soffit and/or a fascia of a building, the support arrangement comprising a backing member for receiving covering elements and an attachment means extending longitudinally along the length of the backing member for attaching the support arrangement to a building or a building component such that it forms a part of the building and wherein no support gussets are provided spaced apart along the length of the support arrangement.

1 . A support arrangement for supporting covering elements on a soffit and/or a fascia of a building, the support arrangement comprising a backing member for receiving covering elements and an attachment means extending longitudinally along the length of the backing member for attaching the support arrangement to a building or a building component such that it forms a part of the building and wherein no support gussets are provided spaced apart along the length of the support arrangement. 
     
     
         2 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the support arrangement does not comprise a plurality of separate vertical support gussets. 
     
     
         3 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein in the support arrangement there are no support gussets extending from the attachment means or the backing member. 
     
     
         4 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein in the support arrangement there are no support gussets attached/fixed to the attachment means or the backing member. 
     
     
         5 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , the backing member is supportable only by the attachment means. 
     
     
         6 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the backing member and covering elements are fixed to the attachment means in use, and the attachment means is engageable with fixings of a mount for mounting the support arrangement on a building. 
     
     
         7 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the attachment means is operable to receive directly the backing member. 
     
     
         8 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the attachment means comprises an attachment channel having a longitudinal development with a U-shaped cross section, a base and two mutually opposing sidewalls that extend perpendicularly from the base, and an opening that is defined between the opposing sidewalls and faces the base. 
     
     
         9 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the backing member comprises at least one backing board configured to span at least two covering elements for connecting together the covering elements. 
     
     
         10 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the backing member is fixed only to the attachment means. 
     
     
         11 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein attachment means is fixed directly to the backing member. 
     
     
         12 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the backing member is a metal or metal alloy or steel backing member. 
     
     
         13 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the backing member is formed at least partially from cementitious and/or composite material. 
     
     
         14 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the backing member comprises a first board portion and a second board portion, wherein a first board portion is a fascia-forming face while the second board portion is a soffit-forming face, or vice-versa. 
     
     
         15 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the base of the attachment channel is fixed to the second board portion or to the first board portion of the backing member. 
     
     
         16 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein one of the sidewalls of the attachment channel is fixed to the first board portion or to the second board portion of the backing member. 
     
     
         17 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the base and one sidewall of the attachment channel are fixed to different portions of the backing member. 
     
     
         18 . A support arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the attachment means comprises a plurality of attachment members generally spaced apart over a depth of the one or more backing members and/or generally spaced apart over a length of the backing member, wherein the attachment members extend longitudinally along the length of the backing member for attaching the support arrangement to a building or a building component. 
     
     
         19 . A building assembly comprising covering elements and a support arrangement for supporting covering elements on a soffit and/or a fascia of a building, the support arrangement comprising a backing member for receiving covering elements and an attachment means extending longitudinally along the length of the backing member for attaching the support arrangement to a building or a building component such that it forms a part of the building and wherein no support gussets are provided spaced apart along the length of the support arrangement. 
     
     
         20 . A method of constructing a support arrangement for supporting covering elements on a soffit and/or fascia of a building, the support arrangement comprising a backing member for receiving covering elements and an attachment means extending longitudinally along the length of the backing member for attaching the support arrangement to a building or building component such that it forms a part of the building and wherein no support gussets are provided spaced apart along the length of the support arrangement.