StratoCUBE – modular building system
Modular construction system StratoCUBE®
The StratoCUBE® modular construction system is an innovative and worthy response to the needs and wishes of customers and is the result of continuous development and numerous experiments, changes and refinements. The product is entirely our development and has no analogue on the world market.
When starting work on the project, we set several important conditions for the system to meet, namely:
1. High-quality and fast assembly and finishing of buildings of any size;
2. Possibility of its application in hard-to-reach areas, anywhere in the world;
3. Increased energy efficiency that exceeds the requirements laid down in the normative documents;
4. Optimal price/quality ratio;
5. Use of ecological and harmless materials and components;
6. Unification of the dimensions and geometry of buildings from the system;
7. Minimization of production costs and losses of materials (‘firi’);
8. Easy transport and loading and unloading activities;
9. Unique look, comfort and design of the finished product;
StratoPANEL® modular panel
The basis of the modular system is the combination between the Modified Stratodesic geometry StratoLINE® (based on parallel lines with a distance of 1220 mm between them) and the use of unified modules – pre-made panels with precisely defined shape and dimensions – StratoPANEL®.
The idea is to produce the panels indoors in a controlled environment, following precise technological processes using special templates, installations and fixtures, thus optimizing labor and material costs. The approach allows industrial volumes of production and achieving exceptional quality of the final product. The panels should meet several important requirements:
- Maximum completion of construction and installation layers, including thermal insulation, waterproofing, vapor barrier, interior coating, etc.
- Dimensions allowing easy handling and assembly without the use of cranes and mechanization
- Reliable and strong assembly to each other, both vertically and horizontally
- Possibility to easily pass installations, communications, etc.
After much research, trial and multiple changes, the following configuration was finally arrived at:
1. For the main structure of the panel, premium quality exterior birch plywood (with increased moisture resistance) with a thickness of 18 mm is used, and each detail is carefully designed and precisely cut on a CNC milling machine (computer controlled machine). All assemblies use wood dowels and wood screws backed with Class D3 wood glue. The dimensions of the skeleton of the main panels are W-1220 mm, H-813 mm, D-350 mm, which allows the installation of 30 cm of thermal insulation.
2. In the general case, a combination of two layers of stone wool with a density of 30 kg/m3 is used for thermal insulation, between which 20 cm of mineral wool is inserted. This combination provides excellent sound insulation, thermal insulation characteristics, fire resistance, moisture resistance and volumetric stability while maintaining a low cost. For all models it is possible to use rye straw or hemp wool. The thermal insulation is protected from the penetration of water vapor from the interior with a quality vapor barrier film.
3. The outer sheathing of the panel is two-layered – an inner layer of waterproof OSB-3 with a thickness of 9 mm, on top of which an outer layer of non-combustible gypsum fiber for external application is laid – Glasrok X with a thickness of 12 mm, providing reliable protection of the panel and the building as a whole from a fire.
4. The main waterproofing of the panel and the dome as a whole is a quality APAO (amorphene poly-alpha olefin) modified bitumen membrane with a thickness of 4 mm, or a non-combustible PVC membrane with a thickness of 1 mm. , which have exceptional strength, reliability and long life. On each panel, it is installed in advance so that the membrane of the upper panel overlaps the membrane of the panel below it by at least 10 cm. When all panels of the system are installed, the vertical joints between the individual ‘columns’ are treated with high-grade polyurethane and sealed with a quality self-adhesive butyl tape, ensuring reliable and durable waterproofing.
5. For a final finish on the outside, we have developed our own Suspended wooden facade of burnt slats – StratoBOARD®. The slats are pre-dried and calibrated, vacuum-impregnated in an autoclave or fired, and finally treated with natural oils for added protection and beauty. Facade boards are installed on impregnated three-layer counterslats, glued with waterproof glue. Special butyl sealing tapes are installed between the counterslats and the hydro-insulating membrane of the panel. Counterslats provide an additional ventilation air gap to the system.
6. As a final interior covering, one can choose between several types of wood paneling (coniferous and broad-leaved), birch plywood, stone veneer, compact boards, fire-resistant plasterboard or a combination of some of them. Premium softwood paneling with an increased width (130 mm) is fitted as standard and is treated with natural oils.
7. Channels are cut in the walls of the panels for easy horizontal and vertical laying of electrical, plumbing and communication installations in case of need.
8. Special attention should be paid to the Thermal Insulation Ventilation System – StratoVENT®, which is a system of air gaps and channels between the thermal insulation and the outer cladding. It ensures removal of water vapor that has penetrated the insulation, as well as improvement of the overall thermal insulation characteristics of the system as a whole. Carefully designed channels along the windows and doors, as well as openings for the passage of air from one end panel for a given column to a panel of an adjacent (longer) column. The idea is for the air to enter through a cut opening (protected by a metal pest screen) at the bottom end of each vertical column, which is formed by the stacked panels, to pass unobstructed upwards, including around the windows (if there are any in the column) and exit through a special valve at the top of the building. If the column is one of the shorter ones and does not reach the top, then the air passes from its end panel into the panels of the adjacent two longer columns and so continues to the valve at the top.
The configuration of the panel thus described is taken as the “OPTIMUM” basic standard. For medium-sized buildings (below 100 sq.m. floor space), the panel thickness is reduced to 37 cm and the StratoVent Thermal Insulation Ventilation System is removed. For the smallest buildings (bungalows, small cottages, etc.), the panel thickness is further reduced to 30 cm. There are options to replace or remove some of the layers and components of the panels depending on the customer’s preferences, being distinguished and “ECONOMY” and “PREMIUM” option packages.
Assembling the StratoPANEL® panels
The panels are intended to be assembled to each other vertically by means of special joints with wood screws and Class D3 glue, in addition, the outer skin of the lower panel is attached to the main structure of the upper one. In this way, peculiar ‘columns’ of different lengths are formed. The panels of adjacent ‘columns’ are staggered in height. The panels of one ‘column’ are attached laterally to the panels of the adjacent ‘columns’ with bolts and nuts for greater reliability and to exclude the possibility of the structure creaking later. There are also channels for mounting foam on the outside of each panel, which provides additional air tightness, stability and strength of the joints in the structure as a whole.
The assembly order itself is in rows, with each panel being assembled in a precise sequence. Our ambition is that the process does not require heavy cranes and lifting equipment. A team of 4-6 well-trained installers should be able to handle the installation of a large building (150-350 square meters of living space) in 7 to 10 working days.
Foundation and internal architecture
Buildings from the StratoCUBE® line can be seen as structures independent of the internal architecture. They are essentially a combination of a beautiful roof and facade for your house. What will be the type of interior architecture is a matter of personal choice.
In general, three options are applicable for the construction of the foundation and the internal architecture:
Standard monolithic construction – concrete strip foundations, concrete columns and slabs with brick walls
Lightweight dry construction – point foundation with screw piles and walls and internal floors with timber-frame construction and joists
Combination of both – concrete strip foundation with timber frame architecture on it
Although buildings from the StratoCUBE® line are extremely strong and stable, they have a very light construction and allow the use of Point foundations with screw piles.
Screw piles are hot-dip galvanized steel screws with dimensions of at least Ф90 mm, wall thickness of at least 3 mm, length of at least 1500 mm. The type, size and number of piles for each specific object is determined depending on the size of the building, as well as the geological and topographic features of the terrain. The piles are rolled into the Earth according to a scheme determined by the designer with special hydraulic technology. A stable and strong row of dry and impregnated beams is built on them, which is raised from the Earth at a certain distance. Waterproofing, thermal insulation between the beams, vapor barrier above them are laid and finished with one or two layers of OSB, plywood or plasterboard. The system thus described provides excellent thermal insulation characteristics, very good waterproofing (it is raised above the Earth and avoids moisture and water), quick and clean installation (avoids excavation, pouring concrete, back embankments, etc., etc. ). It is indispensable in cases where concrete foundations are not applicable or would be very expensive – protected areas, marshy terrain, landslides or large unevenness.
* The picture is not the property of “StatoBUILD”
Source – Internet
On the foundation prepared in this way, the internal architecture is built using the dry construction method – pre-made panels or assembled on-site wooden skeleton structures, which are soundproofed with mineral wool and lined on both sides with GK, gypsum fiber, magnesium boards, OSB, plywood or wooden paneling. The dry construction system is a fast, clean and ecological method, which enables easier and cheaper dismantling of the building or its elements in case of need. Disadvantages of this system are the possible vibrations and noise between the floors, the lack of thermal mass in the house.
When using the approach with monolithic construction, many of the listed disadvantages of the dry system are avoided – a long-established and refined method with a huge amount of experience among designers and contractors, the thermal mass needed by the house is provided, concrete slabs are much quieter and more stable than wooden ones joist
Main disadvantages of the system – slower and dirtier process associated with excavation, use of non-environmental and polluting concrete in large quantities, difficult and expensive process of removal and dismantling.
Thermal insulation characteristics of the StratoCUBE® system
In one word – EXCELLENT!
Timber prefabricated buildings are generally extremely efficient when proper thermal insulation is used, making them a very good choice indeed.
When using a StratoPANEL® panel in the standard OPTIMUM configuration with a thickness of 35 cm from the model line, a heat transfer coefficient for the external walls and roof of U=0.13 W/m2K is achieved.
For example, for a house with a built-up area of 200 m2, this means that if adequate thermal insulation and the floor structure are provided in combination with standard (but high-quality) PVC windows with three-layer glazing, only 1900÷2000 watts will be needed to maintain an internal temperature of 21°C (at an outside temperature of 0°C). If these 1900 W are provided by a standard heat pump or air conditioners with COP=4 (energy conversion factor) the electrical energy consumed will be around 0.500 KW. According to average energy prices on the market at the moment, this will cost about 2 euros / day (rounded up) or 70 euros / month to heat a house with 200 m2 of living space.
7. Features of Window and Door modules
- Width and height corresponding with the overall system dimensions
- Can be inserted anywhere in the wall by simply swamping the main and base modules with them
- Sidewalls with matching key-holes for fixing the modules horizontally
- Male/Female geometry for the vertical stacking
- Integral air gaps on the sides for ensuring the ventilation of the modules beneath the windows is not compromised
- A special reinforced horizontal beam for distributing the vertical loads from the central posts of the modules above the window/door to the sidewalls
Internal floors
B) Internal floors
The internal floors are also based on preassembled modules, but the panels are suported by composite plywood beams.
The beams are secured to the outside walls by a special bed, cut into the load-bearing elements of the outside walls modules.
Where there are internal walls beneath the second floor they help of reducing the overall load and stresses of the beams, especially in the middle.
1. Composite plywood beams
– Four layers of plywood with a total thickness of 72 mm. Total width – 250 mm
– The different elements are organized in length in such a manner so as at any given point at least three layers of plywood are solid and there is no joint
– The elements are glued together with Class 4 Polyuretahne wood glue. All the joints are also secured with wood screws.
– Two types of elements – Wide elements in the core (250 mm) and Narrow elements on the sides (125 mm)
– The Wide elements also have interlocking ends, helping in the overall tensile strength of the beams
– The distance between the central planes of the beams in the system is 602 mm
– The Narrow element on the side are forming a bed for the floor modules
2. Floor modules
– The main construction of the modules is made out of 18 mm FK Plywood for Internal use
– Soundproofing insulation preinstalled (Stone wool)
– The upper side of the modules is made of 22 mm OSB-3
– The lower side is a standard gypsum board
– The lower part of the module is narowwer than the upper so the modules are inserted between the beams and sit tightly in the beds formed by the narrow elements of the beams
– Two types of modules – Main and Half-Length
– The modules are displaced in length
3. Attaching the beams to the outside walls
– Each of the beams is attached either to a sidewall I-beam or to to a central integral post of the outside wall modules
– For this purpose a certain number of the Main modules from the outside walls are modified accordingly
– The beams are secured to the load-bearing elements of the outside walls by 2 bolts M8/90 at each side
4. Attaching the modules to the beams
C) Internal walls
The internal walls are also based on preassembled modules.
The main structural material for the frame is 18 mm Birch plywood type FK (for internal use).
All the joints are made with wood screws and wood glue Class D3.
The modules are sheathed with two layers on each side – 9 mm OSB and 12,5 mm Gypsum board.
Sound insulation – 100 mm of Stone wool.
‘Male’ lower side, ‘Female’ upper side.
Vertical displacement of half height.
Several types of modules – Base module, Base half-module, Main module, Main half-module.
The modules can be fixed vertically to one another and horizontally with wood screws and wood glue.
D) Roof
The roof will have a standard slope of 25 degrees and will be organized with preassembled load-bearing composite trusses and roof modules.
Several types of roof modules – Initial Module, Main Module, End (Ridge) Module, Eaves modules.
The Eaves modules are cantilevering.
The modules have an integrated ventilating system, thermal insulation, vapor barrier, internal sheathing of gypsum board, outside sheathing of one layer 18 mm OSB-3.
The frame of the modules and the trusses are made of 18 Birch plywood type FSF (external use).
All the joints are made with wood screws and wood glue.
The trusses have four layers of interlocking plywood members. The outer layers are narrower and form a bed for the roof panels.