GB2627011A - A pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building configured for mixed laboratory use - Google Patents

Abstract

A pair of vertically adjacent building storeys comprises a first storey 102 for laboratory use and a second storey 104 for non-laboratory use and the provision of a plant zone 106 housing one or more utilities dedicated to serving both storeys of the pair. The first storey may provide controlled conditions for scientific and technological research. The utilities may include air handling, water and electrical services. A plurality of pairs can be vertically stacked, with each pair being substantially autonomous within the overall building structure. The plant zone may be disposed away from the perimeter of the second storey, and the first storey may structurally support the second. The first storey may have a continuous floor slab, whilst the floor slab of the second storey may have offset first and second levels 114, 116a/b to allow services to be distributed to the first storey. The second storey may be configured for office and/or meeting use.

Description

A PAIR OF VERTICALLY-ADJACENT STOREYS FOR A BUILDING CONFIGURED FOR MIXED LABORATORY USE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building. In particular, the invention relates to a pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for building comprising a plurality of said pair of vertically-adjacent storeys vertically stacked, where a first storey is configured for laboratory use and a second storey is configured for non-laboratory use.

BACKGROUND TO THE PRESENT INVENTION

Known buildings used in research institutions, such as educational institutions and the Biotech industry, typically comprise a mixture of non-laboratory use space, such as offices, and laboratory space on the same storey or floor. For example, space dedicated for laboratory use is located on one side of a corridor and space dedicated for office use is located on the other side of the corridor on the same storey or floor of the building.

Further, known buildings used in these research institutions typically comprise a centralised plant housing utilities and services for the building. However, buildings comprising a centralised plant require large vertical risers configured to serve each of the storeys or floors, these large vertical risers in known buildings result in a loss of efficiency due to the loss of useable floor area. This loss increases with the height of the building.

The inventors of the present invention have appreciated that these known buildings directed partly at least for laboratory use (for example with laboratory and other uses such as office sharing one floor) comprising a centralised plant and large vertical risers are not optimised and that there is a need for a novel type of pair of storey structure for a building.

In particular, the present inventors have appreciated a need for an improved storey pair configuration that results in a more efficient and highly scalable building that is able to meet the high service requirements of laboratories.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Throughout this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the terms storey and/or floor refer to the entire space within a building which is situated between a floor plate and/or slab and the floor plate and/or slab above. As will be appreciated by the skilled person the terms 'floor' and 'storey' used throughout this disclosure are interchangeable.

Further, throughout this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the term 'floor plate' or 'floor slab' refers to a continuous, supporting surface extending horizontally throughout a storey of the building.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building comprising a plurality of said pair of vertically-adjacent storeys vertically stacked. The pair of storeys comprises a first storey of the pair of storeys configured for laboratory use and a second storey of the pair of storeys configured for non-laboratory use. The second storey comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys.

The pair of storeys comprises a first storey configured for laboratory use, e.g., a storey that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurements may be performed. The pair of storeys also comprises a second storey configured for non-laboratory use, for example, office use. In this manner, the pair of vertically-adjacent floors may be considered to be non-identical and the requirements for the first storey and the second storey will differ due their non-identical intended uses. These intended uses have different building and service requirements, and the respective floors will be configured on this basis.

The second storey, configured for non-laboratory use, comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys, i.e. at least one of the services provided by this plant zone are provided primarily for the given pair of vertically-adjacent storeys, whereby further plant zones may be provided to serve corresponding services to other pairs of vertically-adjacent storeys that may be present in the same building. In particular, the at least one service may be an air handling service, wherein air handling covers both the supply/intake of air into the building (and corresponding treatment / heating thereof) and the extraction of stale or otherwise contaminated air. It will be appreciated that further services may also be provided by the plant zone (such as electrical services, water services, and gas services for example) with these further services optionally being provided to other floors of the building in addition to the given pair of vertically-adjacent storeys. Such other services can typically be provided in smaller cross-sectional dimensioned vertical risers that do not present significant constraints / obstructions to the building layout.

The plant zone may be considered to be an area, room, or space that serves the primary function of securely housing the one or more utilities such as mechanical and electrical -2 -equipment. The plant zone is disposed within the second storey but is configured such that it serves both the first storey and the second storey of the pair. Advantageously, the plant zone serving the respective storeys of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys having different uses may provide an improved ratio of the number of storeys to the overall height of the building, further providing effective use of the space in the building. Consequently, a building comprising a plurality of said pairs of storeys according to the present invention may provide the advantage of creating an extra storey above a certain overall building height / number of storeys within the same volume as a conventional building. This means that the use of the pair of storeys of the present invention above a certain number of storeys may provide a building that is more economical in construction and use per m2 compared to a conventional building, given its improved floor and/or floor area to height ratio.

The first storey that is configured for laboratory usage will have a higher spatial, structural and service requirement compared to the second storey configured for non-laboratory use. Therefore, the second storey comprising the plant zone advantageously provides a first storey with more free space for specific laboratory equipment without compromising the services distribution. Further, the first storey being substantially free from any large vertical risers, for example, advantageously allows for increased and improved flexibility of the laboratory layout. Further still, the lack of vertical risers may provide a first storey substantially free from vertical obstructions, including load bearing structures.

This arrangement of the plant zone being disposed within the second storey of the pair of storeys advantageously means that the building comprising said pair of vertically-adjacent storeys would require no or substantially fewer vertical risers that connect each storey to the vertically-adjacent storey throughout the building. Each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys having their own plant zone disposed in the second storey is advantageous for several reasons. Firstly, it allows each pair of the vertically-adjacent storeys to function autonomously from the rest of the building in regards to certain building services. In particular, it may provide separate creation, control, and distribution of specific temperature, humidity, electromagnetic isolation and other conditions in each first storey of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys. Secondly, it allows for isolated storey reconfiguration or shut down for maintenance without effecting the rest of building. It would be possible to create custom, on-demand ambient laboratory conditions, such as but not limited to: air humidity, temperature, and the number of air exchanges per hour in each pair separately from the rest of the building. In other words, each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys is advantageously substantially autonomous within the overall building structure. -3 -

The plant zone may house a plurality of utilities and services including but not limited to: electrical; water; fire suppression and detection; specialist gas equipment; laboratory exhaust air units; and laboratory fresh air supply air handling units.

Advantageously, the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys and the plant zone may be configured in such a way such that generally all repair and maintenance work, as well as long-term reconfiguration, can be carried out within the plant zone volume with minimum disruption to the first storey below and without disruption to any other storeys within the same building.

Optionally, the plant zone is disposed away from a perimeter wall of the second storey. The positioning of the plant zone within the second storey may be site-dependent and may vary depending on the width of the floor plate. Due to the freedom in the location of the plant zone, it may be desirable to situate the plant zone in the least valuable part of the second storey. In most cases, the least valuable part of the second storey for non-laboratory use may be defined by the amount of natural light. In this manner, placing the plant zone away from the perimeter wall of the second storey and instead in a region where natural light may be limited is advantageous. However, alternatively, the least valuable part of the second storey may be a region of the perimeter facing a significant source of expected noise or an undesirable view for example.

Preferably, the first storey provides structural support to the second storey of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys. In this manner, the second storey / floor is located above the first storey / floor, and the plant zone located within the second floor is configured to serve the vertically-adjacent storey below. The close adjacency of the first storey, the second storey, and the plant zone serving both storeys may allow for effective service distribution and, in particular, air supply / extract ducting and effective heat exchange.

Optionally, the first storey has a continuous floor plate. In other words, the first storey has a floor plate at a constant horizontal level with no interruptions or breaks.

Optionally, the second storey has a non-continuous floor plate / slab comprising a first level and a second level. In alternative configurations, the floor plate / slab may be continuous.

The ceiling of the first storey may be defined by the floor plate of the second storey of said pair of storeys. As such, the ceiling of the first storey may be defined by the first level and the second level of the second storey floor plate. -4 -

Optionally, the second level is raised relative to the first level, such that the first and second levels of the second storey floor plate are vertically offset. In this manner, the second storey has a non-continuous floor plate. This may advantageously provide a gap or opening between the first level and the second level of the second storey floor plate that may provide simple and space efficient service distribution from the second storey plant zone to the first storey laboratory.

Preferably, the plant zone is disposed on the first level of the second storey floor plate.

Preferably, the vertical offset between the first level and the second level of the floor plate of the second storey is configured to enable service distribution of the one or more utilities from the plant zone to the first storey.

Optionally, the one or more utilities from the plant zone are distributed to the first storey via a plurality of pipes, wherein said plurality of pipes are located within the region between the first and second levels of the second storey floor plate.

Additionally, the plurality of pipes may be mounted to a surface of the second level of the second storey floor plate, such that they are located within an upper region on the first storey. In other words, the plurality of pipes may be mounted to the ceiling of the first storey that corresponds with the second level of the second storey floor plate. The plurality of pipes may be arranged such that they are located in the least valuable part of the first storey and take up minimal space of the first storey.

Optionally, the first level of the second storey floor plate comprises at least one through hole, such that the one or more utilities can directly serve a zone of the first storey, for example directly below the plant on the second storey. The first level of the second storey floor plate comprising at least one through hole may be beneficial for serving the zone of the first storey directly below or vertically-adjacent to the plant zone or first level. This may advantageously reduce the volume of piping or ducts within the first storey for service distribution.

Optionally, the floor plate of the first storey is configured to withstand higher loads and higher vibration than the floor plate of the second storey. Laboratories may require heavy equipment such as freezers or incubators, therefore, it is important that the floor plate is able to withstand this high structural load. Further, laboratories may require higher services loads and energy usage than other floor use types. -5 -

Preferably, the floor plate of the first storey has a higher load-bearing capacity than the floor plate of the second storey, for example it may be a thicker floor plate construction. As mentioned, the first storey is configured for laboratory use and the second storey is configured for non-laboratory use. Therefore, the second storey floor slabs or plates may be required to withstand less demanding loads and vibration requirements than those for the first storey configured for laboratory usage. Consequently, the second storey floor plate may be thinner than that of the floor plate of the first storey. Advantageously, providing floor plates based on the requirements of the respective storey and its use may result in reduced overall costs without compromising performance.

Additionally, an external perimeter wall surrounding the first storey may be of a higher performance specification than an external perimeter wall surrounding the second storey.

Optionally, the first storey comprises a plurality of supply and exhaust air ducts. It will be appreciated that other services distribution, which may be laboratory specific, may also be included.

Preferably, the second storey is configured for office and/or meeting use. This is advantageous as known research institution buildings require office and/or meeting space as well as laboratory space. Typically, the office / meeting space has been included on the same floor as laboratory space, which results in a loss of efficiency as the specification, floor height, and services provided for the office / meeting space will be at the high level required for laboratories, rather than the lower level needed for office / meeting use. By dedicating a whole storey, the second storey, to office and/or meeting use, the first storey may be freed for, and focused on, laboratory use.

Alternatively, the second storey may be configured for another non-laboratory usage. Suitable alternative non-laboratory uses will be appreciated by the skilled person.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a building comprising a plurality of pairs of vertically-adjacent storeys according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is provided in a vertically stacked manner. The second storey of a first pair of storeys comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the first pair of vertically-adjacent storeys, and the second storey of a second pair of storeys comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the second pair of vertically-adjacent storeys. -6 -

Optionally, the first storey of a first pair of storeys provides structural support to the second storey of the first pair of storeys. In this manner, the building will comprise a plurality of first storeys and a plurality of second storeys, with the first storeys and the second storeys alternating and the second storeys being above the respective first storeys.

Optionally, the building comprises a plurality of load-bearing columns located around the perimeter of the vertically-adjacent storeys.

An advantage of the present disclosure as defined in the second aspect, is that it may provide a more space efficient building. The configuration of the building according to the second aspect of the present disclosure may allow each first storey to be substantially unobstructed from utilities in particular. Consequently, more space, as well as a greater flexibility within said space, may be provided for the plurality of first storeys, which is advantageous for laboratories.

A further advantage of the present disclosure as defined in the second aspect, is that it may provide a building with more flexible services themselves. In particular, it may provide separate creation and control of specific temperature, humidity, electromagnetic isolation, and other conditions in each first storey of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys. Consequently, each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys within the building can have their own independent services and configuration dependent on their requirements. Further, it may advantageously allow for isolated storey reconfiguration or shut down for maintenance without effecting the rest of building. In other words, each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys is advantageously substantially autonomous within the overall building structure. In some embodiments, certain other services may be shared with storeys other than the first and second storeys of the pair.

Any, some and/or all features in one aspect of the present invention may be applied to any, some and/or all other features of the same aspect of the invention, in any appropriate combination.

Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination. In particular, method aspects may be applied to apparatus aspects, and vice versa. Furthermore, any, some and/or all features in one aspect may be applied to any, some and/or all features in any other aspect, in any appropriate combination.

It should also be appreciated that particular combinations of the various features described -7 -and defined in any aspects of the invention may be implemented and/or supplied and/or used independently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more example embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the assembly of pairs of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to an example embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a conventional building in the field comprising a centralised plant and vertical risers; and Figure 2b is a schematic illustration of a building according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Known buildings used in the Biotech industry, and educational or other research institutions typically comprise a mixture of non-laboratory use space, such as offices, and laboratory space on the same storey or floor. For example, space dedicated for laboratory use is located on one side of a corridor and space dedicated for office use is located on the other side of the corridor on the same storey or floor of the building.

Laboratories have much higher spatial, structural and service requirements than typical non-laboratory uses. Therefore, either the laboratory use space is compromised, or the non-laboratory use space is inefficiently over specified in known buildings for the benefit of the other. Typically, the height / spatial parameters required for laboratory use are substantially underutilised or wasted on the non-laboratory side of the same building.

The inventors of the present invention have appreciated that known buildings configured for mixed laboratory use are not optimised and that there is a need for a novel type of building structure.

In particular, the inventors have appreciated a need for an improved storey pair configuration that increases environmental efficiency and utilisation of the available vertical and horizontal -8 -space. Further, the inventors have appreciated a need for a storey pair configuration that provides improved services to laboratories.

Figure 1 provides an example section of a building 100 illustrating three vertically stacked pairs of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that any number of pairs of storeys may be provided in a building in accordance with the present disclosure.

Each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building 100 generally comprises a first storey 102 configured for laboratory use and a second storey 104 configured for non-laboratory use. The second storey 104 comprises a plant zone 106 housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys 102, 104 of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys 102, 104.

It can be seen in Figure 1, within the building 100 comprising three vertically stacked pairs of storeys, that each pair comprises a first storey 102 and a second storey 104. The second storey 104 sits above the first storey 102. In other words, the first storey 102 structurally supports the second storey 104 and as such may provide a load bearing function to the second storey 104.

The second storey 104, as shown in Figure 1, is configured for office and/or meeting use. The second storey 104 comprises a plant zone 106 housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys 102, 104 of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys. The plant zone 106 is disposed away from the perimeter wall 108 of the second storey 104. In particular, the plant zone 106 is disposed centrally within the second storey 104. This is because, in the use case of the second storey 104 being an office and/or meeting space, the least valuable part of the storey may be primarily defined by the amount of natural light, i.e., placing the plant zone 106 where the natural light and sun paths will be limited. In this manner, the plant zone 106 is located in the effective 'dark space' of the second storey 104. However, it will be understood by the skilled person that the plant zone 106 may be located in alternative locations in some implementations.

The plant zone 106 houses a plurality of utilities, with at least one of these utilities being dedicated to serving the first storey 102 and the second storey 104. Figure 1 has captured some of the typical services such as ventilation, heating and cooling, light, water and draining systems. However, there are many other services, in particular, many other laboratory specific services that may be provided in the plant zone such as fire and smoke detectors, sprinklers, PA systems, laboratory-specific gas, and purified water systems; however, these have not been represented in the Figures for simplicity.

As the skilled person will be aware, there are many types of ventilation and heating, cooling, and other building systems available. The figures illustrate one example of a simple air duct distribution network for air supply and extraction; however, it will be appreciated that any known ventilation, heating, cooling, and other building systems may be used within the context of the present invention. The important factor is that at least one of the utilities housed within / served from the plant zone 106 disposed on the second storey 104 is dedicated to serving both the first storey 102 and the second storey 104 of the respective pair of storeys. The use of this configuration for air handling is particularly advantageous in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The plant zone 106 being disposed in the second storey 104 and serving the respective storeys of said pair of storeys provides a first storey 102 configured for laboratory use that is substantially free from obstructions such as utilities.

The plant zone 106 being disposed in the second storey 104 and serving the respective storeys of said pair of storeys enables the resulting building 100 to provide more effective and efficient service distribution. Further, it enables a building 100 with more flexible services. In particular, it can provide separate creation and control of specific temperature, humidity, electromagnetic isolation and other conditions in each first storey 102 of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys 102, 104. Consequently, each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys 102, 104 within the building can have their own independent services and settings dependent on their requirements.

Further still, this may advantageously allow for isolated storey reconfiguration or shut down for maintenance without affecting the rest of building 100. In other words, each pair of vertically-adjacent storeys 102, 104 is advantageously substantially autonomous within the overall building structure.

In some configurations, this may result in the, or each, pair of storeys being considered to be a single fire safety compartment for the purposes of fire regulations in some jurisdictions. This may result in the absence of any fire break / containment dampeners being required within the plurality of air ducts and other utilities that are located within the volume of the, or each, floor pair. As will be appreciated, this can result in significant cost savings.

One of the storeys in a pair may have internal structural columns, while the other storey in the pair has no internal structural columns in order to provide a column-free floorplate on that storey. This horizontal bridging structure can be present on either of the floors in the floor pair. For example, if an office floor uses a horizontal bridging structure then the laboratories can be column free (with internal structural columns in the other floor of the pair), while if the laboratory floor uses the horizontal bridging structure then the plant zone in the office floor can be configured to be column free (with internal structural columns in the laboratory floor of the pair). It will be appreciated that both floors of the pair may be configured to have internal structural columns if desired.

Some known buildings have floors or storeys solely dedicated to housing the plant zone. Therefore, supplying the air services via the ventilation risers or ducts from the plant floor to the floor furthest away can result in space consuming services covering a large distance and correspondingly requiring a duct having a larger cross-sectional dimension to supply each of the floors in between. Further ducting would also need to be supplied to transport stale air back from these floors to the plant. Therefore, in known buildings there is a large gross area on the floors that is lost from running the air services vertically, through the building cores for example. The configuration of the present invention does not require floors or storeys dedicated solely to housing the plant. Further, the present invention does not require large vertical risers as required in known buildings, this results in a more efficient and highly scalable building because there is no efficiency lost due to the increasing height of the building.

Conventional known buildings for large laboratories are generally configured to either be of a medium height with a large footprint (for example a total height of six storeys), or to have much taller buildings, which then require much larger air risers (to accommodate the accumulated air from / sent to the large number of floors). Medium height and large footprint buildings are typically chosen for out-of-town facilities, which may be particularly common for university campuses for example. Conversely, much taller buildings are chosen in cities where the land can be expected to be more expensive. While these taller buildings suit staff who may want to live and work in such cities, the large air risers required restrict the floorplate planning and efficiency.

Figure 2a illustrates a conventional known building 200 comprising a centralised plant 202 and large vertical risers 204 running through the building core or riser shafts. In comparison, Figure 2b illustrates a building 300 having a plurality of decentralised plants according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the plant zone 302 is disposed on the second storey 306 of each pair of storeys 304, 306. In this manner, the present invention enables tall laboratory buildings to be built (and thus can be affordably located in cities) while providing an improved net / gross efficiency. Reference numerals have only been included for a single pair of storeys 304, 306 for clarity; however, it will be appreciated that Figure 2b illustrates three pairs of storeys 304, 306 with three respective decentralised plants 302. The plant zone 302 disposed on the second storey 306 is configured to serve the second storey 306 and the first storey 304 below. As will be appreciated from the Figures, the configuration of Figure 2b significantly reduces the vertical risers and pipework / ducting required to provide the relevant services.

For air handling services, fresh air needs to be brought into the building (the intake), it needs to be treated and likely heated (for example using Air Handling Units), and this treated air then needs to be distributed around the building using a distribution network. With the plant zones located in the respective second storeys in the present invention, it will typically be possible to intake fresh air into the building on each floor where a plant is located, for example though pipes running through the façade. It will be appreciated that this may not be possible in cases where there are external sources of pollution in the vicinity, in such a case, fresh air may be collected centrally (for example at the top of the building, the bottom of the building, or a mid-level of the building), and then the air can be delivered into the plants of each second storey of the present disclosure. Because such an intake duct would need to be relatively large, this duct can be run vertically external to and along the side of the building, entering the building through the façade for each second storey of the present disclosure.

The process for the extraction of stale or other air is similar (albeit in reverse), but this can depend greatly on the type / quality of air that is to be extracted. Some laboratory activity / experiments will produce 'normal' stale air, in which case the extraction process is reasonably risk-free and straightforward. This stale air will typically be warm air that can be used in a heat exchanger for heat extraction and to warm fresh air and/or water feeds in the building. After this, the stale air could be exhausted externally at the level of the storey. However, if the air is contaminated, for example it may include poisonous gases or other irritants, then the air will need to be further processed before it can be safely expelled. In such a case, the exhaust point is usually at a common position on the roof of the building. To minimise the risk of contaminants leaking inside the building, the extraction ducts inside the building are configured to have a negative pressure (i.e. the air needs to be 'pulled' not pushed). This is typically achieved using a set of fans at the top of the building. Accordingly, -12 -a large duct may be run outside the building in one location to a set of fans on the roof without restricting the floorplan of the building.

It can be seen in Figure 1, that the first storey 102 has a continuous floor slab or floor plate 110. In other words, the floor slab 110 of the first storey 102 spans continuously from the perimeter walls 112 of the first storey 102. On the contrary, the second storey 104 has, as a further space-saving option, a non-continuous floor slab. The floor slab of the second storey 104 comprises a first level 114 and a second level 116. In particular, the floor slab of the second storey 104 as shown in Figure 1, comprises two portions at a second level 116a, 116b separated by a portion at the first level 114. The second level 116a, 116b is raised relative to the first level 114, such that the first and second levels 114, 116a, 116b of the second storey floor plate are vertically offset.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the plant zone 106 is disposed on the first level 114 of the second storey 104. The vertical offset between the first level 114 and the second level 116a, 116b of the floor plate of the second storey 104 enables service distribution of the plurality of utilities from the plant zone to the first storey 102. The vertical offset between the first level 114 and the second level 116a, 116b of the floor plate of the second storey 104 enables an opening, through which the utilities can pass, to be provided in the section vertically connecting the first level 114 and the second level 116.

As shown in Figure 1, the plurality of utilities from the plant zone 106 are distributed to the first storey 102 via a plurality of pipes and ducts 118. The plurality of pipes and ducts 118 are located within the region between the first and second levels 114, 116a, 116b of the second storey floor plate. In particular, the plurality of pipes and ducts 118 are mounted to the ceiling of the first storey 102, the ceiling being defined by the second level 116a, 116b of the second storey floor plate. The plurality of pipes and ducts 118 being mounted to the second level 116a, 116b of the second storey floor plate, which is raised with respect to the first level 114, results in minimal valuable space of the first storey 102 being occupied by utilities. This is advantageous for laboratories, as they require a large amount of laboratory and technical support space to house all the required equipment and storage.

Further, the first level 114 of the second storey floor plate comprises a plurality of through holes 120 for distributing utilities from the plant zone 106 directly to the portion of the first storey 102 directly below the first level 114 of the second storey floor plate. This enables efficient and effective use of the space provided. The number of through holes 120 will be -13 -dependent on the utilities required for the first storey 102. The first storey 120 comprises a plurality of supply and exhaust air ducts 122 for distribution.

The floor plate 110 of the first storey 102 i.e., the laboratory, is continuous and is designed to withstand a heavier load and have a high vibration specification. The floor plate 114, 116a, 116b of the second storey 104, i.e. the office, is non-continuous and is designed for less demanding loads and vibration requirements than those of the laboratories. Therefore, as clearly shown in Figure 1, the floor plate 110 of the first storey 102 is thicker than the floor plate 114, 116a, 116b of the second storey 104.

The section of the building 100 shown in Figure 1 comprises load bearing columns 124 located around the perimeter and inboard of the vertically-adjacent storeys 102, 104 of the building 100. The load bearing columns 124 run vertically and each column extends to the full height of the structure. The load bearing columns 124 are generally equally spaced around of the building 100. As will be appreciated, the columns 124 may be sized and spaced in accordance with the required overall dimensions of the building 100 and in accordance with the required total vertical load tolerance. Along with the load bearing columns 124 around the perimeter, the first storey 102 and the second storey 104 of each pair of storeys 102, 104 has external perimeter walls 112, 108. Similarly as discussed with regards to the floor plates, the perimeter wall 112 surrounding the first storey 102, due to the laboratory environment, is designed to be of a higher performance specification than the perimeter wall 108 surrounding the second storey 104, which is configured for an office or other non-laboratory environment.

As shown in Figure 1, the second level 116a, 116b floor plate of the second storey 104 comprises a raised floor plate construction 126. This raised floor plate construction 126 is configured to house electrical and/or data cable distribution. This provides a space effective and safe means for running electrical cables and wires throughout the second storey 104. This raised floor construction also provides a zone (sometimes referred to as a plenum) for optional supply of fresh air to the second storey 104.

Each first storey 102 of the pair of storeys 102, 104 shown in Figure 1 comprises a plurality of corridor walls 128 and/or cross walls. However, one of the benefits of the plant zone 106 not being housed in the first storey 102 is that that there is increased freedom to design the first storey 102 as desired. For example, the first storey laboratory 102 may be arranged as a cellular plan as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the first storey laboratory 102 may be open plan. The second storeys 104 of the Figure 1 comprise a plurality of corridor walls 130 -14 -and/or cross walls. However, it will be appreciated that the office and meeting areas of the second storey are flexible in the sense that they may have a cellular layout, or an open plan layout depending on the building requirements.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but is instead defined by the following set of claims. The written description simply uses examples to describe the invention and to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention.

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMS1. A pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building comprising a plurality of said pair of vertically-adjacent storeys vertically stacked, the pair of storeys comprising: a first storey of the pair of storeys configured for laboratory use; and a second storey of the pair of storeys configured for non-laboratory use, wherein the second storey comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys.
2. 2. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to claim 1, wherein the plant zone is disposed away from a perimeter wall of the second storey.
3. 3. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first storey provides structural support to the second storey of the pair of vertically-adjacent storeys.
4. 4. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any preceding claim, wherein the first storey has a continuous floor plate/slab.
5. 5. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any preceding claim, wherein the second storey has non-continuous floor plate/slab comprising a first level and a second level.
6. 6. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to claim 5, wherein the second level is raised relative to the first level, such that the first and second levels of the second storey floor plate are vertically offset.
7. 7. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the plant zone is disposed on the first level of the second storey floor plate.
8. 8. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to claim 7, wherein the vertical offset between the first level and the second level of the floor plate of the second storey is configured to enable service distribution of the one or more utilities from the plant zone to the first storey.
9. -16 - 9. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to claim 8, wherein the one or more utilities from the plant zone are distributed to the first storey via a plurality of pipes, wherein said plurality of pipes are located within the region between the first and second levels of the second storey floor plate.
10. 10. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the first level of the second storey floor plate comprises at least one through hole, such that the one or more utilities can directly serve a zone of the first storey.
11. 11. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the floor plate of the first storey is configured to withstand high load and vibration.
12. 12. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any of claims 4 to 11, wherein the floor plate of the first storey is designed to carry greater loads than the floor plate of the second storey.
13. 13. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any preceding claim, wherein the first storey comprises a plurality of supply and exhaust air ducts.
14. 14. The pair of vertically-adjacent storeys for a building according to any preceding claim, wherein the second storey is configured for office and/or meeting use.
15. 15. A building comprising a plurality of pairs of vertically-adjacent storeys according to any preceding claim vertically stacked, wherein the second storey of a first pair of storeys comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the first pair of vertically-adjacent storeys, and wherein the second storey of a second pair of storeys comprises a plant zone housing one or more utilities that are dedicated to serving the respective storeys of the second pair of vertically-adjacent storeys.-17 -