GB920073A - Ventilated building structures - Google Patents

Abstract

920,073. Ventilated hollow roof and wall structures for temperature control. W. M. PINE. Feb. 19, 1960 [Feb. 27, 1959], No. 5930/60. Class 20 (4). A roof or wall structure in a building constructed to facilitate temperature control within the building comprises substantially imperforate sheathings, spacer members secured between said sheathings to define passages of uniform cross-sectional area extending from the lower to the upper limits of said roof or wall, the heat absorptivities and emissivities of at least one of the surfaces of the sheathings being substantially greater than of at least one of the other said surfaces, openings at the lower and upper ends of said passages communicating same with the atmosphere, and means for selectively opening and closing the openings at the ends of the passages. In Fig. 1, a roof comprising panels 13, 14 on joints 11, 12 is covered by overlapping panels 18, 19 spaced from the panels 13, 14 by spacer members 16, 17 extending from the ridge to the eaves, the ridge being provided with a continuous ventilator 38 communicating with the space between the panels 13, 14 and 18, 19 and provided with control flaps 42 which may be held open against a spring 48 by a line 44 which includes a resilient member 47. At the eaves the entry to the space between the panels 13, 14 and 18, 19 is provided with a flap 39 which may be held open against a spring 50 by a line 49 secured to the resilient member 47. The line 44 is released when it is desired to close the flaps 39, 42, whilst the resilient member 47 in the line 44 allows the flaps to close automatically in the event of high winds. In Fig. 6, the invention is embodied in a wall and roof structure to provide for the passage of air from a louvred vent 70 along the entire lower end of the wall 62 to a flap-controlled continuous ventilator 71 at the roof ridge. Other embodiments include a wall in which air can pass from a ventilator at its lower end to a ventilator at its upper end and roofs which are provided at the eaves and ridge with modified forms of ventilation openings. The inner and outer surfaces of the panels defining the air space may be either reflective or absorptive according to whether it is desired to remove heat from the building or protect against solar heat. With the ventilator flaps closed, the trapped air serves as heat insulation. A layer of insulation 95, Fig. 12, may be positioned centrally or otherwise between the panels 91, 92. A layer of insulation may be provided between the spacer member and the inner or inner and outer panels.