Building using a container as a base structure

Abstract

A building is formed from two halves each cut from one or more rectangular metal containers, with the two halves being arranged with an open face thereof facing inwardly toward one another with a space therebetween. A roof is formed over the two halves and spans the space and to an outer face of the halves. A front vertical panel fills the space at the front between the two halves and includes a door and a rear vertical panel fills the space at the rear. Gable panels extend up to the roof. The roof is arched and formed of a flexible fabric or panel material. The roof and end walls can be collapsed and stored into the container halves for transportation. A more permanent construction is formed by inclined roof panels supported by rafters connected by three or four-way connector members at the ridge rail.

1 . A building comprising: 
 two halves each formed from one or more rectangular metal containers;    the two halves being arranged with an open face thereof facing inwardly toward one another with a space therebetween;    a roof formed over the two halves;    a front vertical panel filling the space therebetween and a rear vertical panel filling the space therebetween.    
   
   
       2 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the roof is arched.  
   
   
       3 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the roof is formed of a flexible material covering a plurality of transverse supports.  
   
   
       4 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the front panel includes a door.  
   
   
       5 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the front panel is substantially wholly a door.  
   
   
       6 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein each side is formed by two halves of a container stacked one on top of the other.  
   
   
       7 . The building according to  claim 6  wherein the two halves are hinged together.  
   
   
       8 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein each side is formed by one half of a container with the open face of the half facing the open face or the other half.  
   
   
       9 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein each container half has a stiffener member attached along top and bottom edges of the inwardly facing front face.  
   
   
       10 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the stiffener member along the top edge of the front face includes a truss.  
   
   
       11 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the two halves each define, with the open face facing inwardly, a bottom wall adjacent the ground, an outer wall opposite to the inner face and standing upwardly at an outer edge of the bottom wall and a top wall extending inwardly from an upper edge of the outer wall and wherein the roof spans over the top wall to a position adjacent the upper edge of the outer wall.  
   
   
       12 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein there are provided front and rear vertical gable panels extending from a top edge of the front face to the roof.  
   
   
       13 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the roof and gable panels are bolted in place so that they can be dismantled and stored in the contained when collapsed together and the end faces connected.  
   
   
       14 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein there is provided a strap connecting bottom edges of the container halves at the front face.  
   
   
       15 . The building according to  claim 14  wherein the strap is flat so as to lie flat on the ground.  
   
   
       16 . The building according to  claim 1  wherein the roof is ridged formed from two inclined flat panels.  
   
   
       17 . The building according to  claim 16  wherein the roof includes rafters and a ridge rail where the rafters are connected to the ridge rail by three or four-way connector members.  
   
   
       18 . The building according to  claim 16  wherein the panels are supported by rafters which have lower ends connected to an outer edge of the respective half container by a connector member attached to the half container at the outer edge.  
   
   
       19 . The building according to  claim 17  wherein the connector members include separate sleeves each for receiving an end of a roof member.  
   
   
       20 . The building according to  claim 16  wherein the flat panels are formed as sheets of insulating foam material which is clad on at least one surface by a sheathing material.