JP7587997B2 - Apartment balcony - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to balconies in apartment buildings.

Balconies in apartment buildings are often used for drying laundry, etc. However, in urban apartment buildings, such uses may be restricted, and balconies may not be effectively used for such purposes due to the location and the residents' preferences. For this reason, apartment buildings with limited balcony area have been sold in recent years. As an extreme example, apartment buildings with no balconies at all have been proposed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-66597 A

In apartment buildings without balconies, securing space for equipment such as air conditioner outdoor units is an issue. The apartment building described in Patent Document 1 is a two-story apartment building for rental use, so it is possible to secure space for equipment around the apartment building. However, for relatively large apartment buildings, this type of solution is difficult. Also, mounting outdoor units and other equipment on the wall has a negative impact on the appearance of the building and is sometimes prohibited by ordinance. Furthermore, for relatively large apartment buildings, it is necessary to secure an evacuation route, so balconies are usually installed.

On the other hand, apartment buildings are required to secure the maximum floor space for each dwelling unit on a limited lot area. Also, for the reasons mentioned above, balconies may not be expected to have much utility. However, in the case of balconies in relatively large apartment buildings, it is unrealistic not to have one, as there is a need to ensure minimum functionality, such as space for equipment and providing an escape route.

The present invention aims to provide a balcony for an apartment building that can reduce the area while still maintaining a minimum level of functionality.

The present invention relates to a balcony of an apartment building that is separated from the interior of the room by two exterior walls, the balcony having an entranceway provided in the first exterior wall that separates the balcony from the interior of the room and leading to the interior of the room, an outdoor unit installation space provided above the entranceway and facing the first exterior wall, a through hole for an air supply flow path provided in the first exterior wall, and a through hole for an exhaust flow path provided in the second exterior wall that separates the balcony from the interior of the room .

The present invention makes it possible to provide a balcony for an apartment building that can be reduced in area while still maintaining a minimum level of functionality.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one dwelling unit in an apartment building to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1 , showing a schematic plan view of a balcony. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the balcony taken along line AA in FIG. 2. A schematic cross-sectional view of the balcony taken along line BB in Figure 2. A schematic cross-sectional view of the balcony taken along line CC in Figure 2. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the exhaust port taken along line DD in FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a schematic plan view of a balcony.

An embodiment of a balcony of an apartment house of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The apartment house 1 of the embodiment is a tower-shaped apartment house (a so-called tower condominium), but the present invention can also be applied to a slab-shaped apartment house. Figure 1 shows a plan view of one dwelling unit 2 of the apartment house 1 to which the present invention is applied. This dwelling unit 2 has 3LDK, and the balcony 3 is provided at the corner of the dwelling unit 2. The balcony 3 faces only one Western-style room C, and the other Western-style rooms A and B and the LD (living and dining room) are only provided with windows (not shown) for lighting, and do not have balconies. Another dwelling unit (not shown) is provided on the right side of the drawing, and evacuation to the other dwelling units is possible from the balcony 3. A total heat exchanger 20 is adopted as a ventilation method, and the supply air flow path L1 to the total heat exchanger 20 and the exhaust air flow path L2 from the total heat exchanger 20 extend to the balcony 3 through the ceiling space of the Western-style room B. In addition, the air supply passage L3 for supplying air to the kitchen and the exhaust passage L4 for ventilating the kitchen extend to the balcony 3 through the corridor, toilet (WC2), and the ceiling space of the Western-style room B. The air supply passages L1 and L3 and the exhaust passages L2 and L4 can be constructed of iron plate ducts, etc. Air is supplied to the kitchen to prevent excessive negative pressure in the dwelling unit 2, but it can be omitted. The pillars 4 are installed along the structural plane 7 of the apartment building 1, the balcony 3 is installed inside the pillars 4, and the beams 5 are reverse beams (out-frame structure). With this structure, the pillars 4 and beams 5 are less likely to protrude into the dwelling unit 2, so the layout of the dwelling unit 2 has a higher degree of freedom.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1, showing a schematic plan view of the balcony 3. Also, FIGS. 3 to 5 show schematic cross-sectional views of the balcony 3 along lines A-A, B-B, and C-C in FIG. 2, respectively. The balcony 3 has a roughly rectangular planar shape, and an entrance 6 leading to the room (Western-style room C) is provided in the first exterior wall W1 between the balcony 3 and the room (Western-style room C). The entrance 6 is used as an evacuation door. A glass door is used as the entrance 6 to allow lighting. The second exterior wall W2 between the balcony 3 and the Western-style room B is used as a place to install the through holes K1, K2, and K4 of the air supply passage L1 and the exhaust passages L2 and L4, and the boiler 17, as described below, and does not have an entrance to the room (Western-style room B). The other side of the balcony 3 faces the structural surface 7 of the apartment house 1, and the beam 5 and the handrail 8 provided thereon form the boundary between the balcony 3 and the outside of the apartment house 1. The space between the ceiling of the balcony 3 and the handrail 8 is an external opening 9 (see Figures 4 and 5) that is open to the outside of the apartment building 1. A partition plate 10 (see Figure 3) that can be kicked down is provided on the other side of the balcony 3, allowing evacuation to the balcony of an adjacent dwelling unit. The area of the balcony 3 is approximately 4.8 ^m2 (calculated at the center in accordance with the Building Standards Act). As described below, the balcony 3 is provided with equipment such as an outdoor unit 11 and an escape hatch 19, but the balcony 3 is not intended for other purposes, such as for daily life such as drying laundry, and is provided primarily as an equipment and evacuation space.

Above the entrance 6, facing the first exterior wall W1, there is an air conditioner outdoor unit installation space 12. Two outdoor units 11 can be installed side by side in the outdoor unit installation space 12. The holder 13 for the outdoor unit 11 has six metal suspension struts 13a attached to the ceiling and a fiber grating 13b attached to the lower ends of the suspension struts 13a, and the outdoor unit 11 is installed on the grating 13b. On the back and both side surfaces of the holder 13, there are braces 13c that are fixed at both ends to the adjacent suspension struts 13a and extend diagonally. The holder 13 can also be attached to the first exterior wall W1. A space is provided below the outdoor unit 11 so that people can pass through. The outdoor unit 11 is installed at the same height as the external opening part 9 of the balcony 3. If the exhaust air from the outdoor unit 11 is not efficiently exhausted and accumulates around the outdoor unit 11, this may lead to the air conditioner stopping operation, but by installing the outdoor unit 11 at the top of the balcony 3, the exhaust air from the outdoor unit 11 is efficiently exhausted outside the balcony 3. In order to ensure a height of about 1 m for the outdoor unit installation space 12, the height of the entrance/exit 6 is about 1.6 m. Since people rarely enter the balcony 3, this is not a major problem in practice. The height of the entrance/exit 6 can be changed depending on the height of the outdoor unit 11 and the floor height of the apartment building 1, but is generally 1200 mm or more and 1800 mm or less, which is lower than the height of an entrance/exit for a typical balcony.

The outdoor unit installation space 12 is covered with an outdoor unit concealing member 14. Therefore, when the balcony 3 is viewed from outside the apartment building 1, the outdoor unit 11 is hidden from view, and the appearance of the apartment building 1 is prevented from being damaged. The outdoor unit concealing member 14 is formed, for example, of a louver, a lattice-shaped cover, or a plate material with many holes. The configuration of the outdoor unit concealing member 14 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to have a ventilation hole 14a through which the air blown from the air blowing part of the outdoor unit 11 and the air sucked into the air suction part can pass. In particular, it is preferable that the outdoor unit concealing member 14 is formed of a louver and the direction of the opening of the louver is adjustable, so that the exhaust air from the outdoor unit 11 can be smoothly discharged. The opening of the louver is preferably diagonally downward, which prevents the exhaust air from hitting the ceiling of the balcony 3 and enables smooth exhaust. It is sufficient for the outdoor unit concealing member 14 to cover the front of the outdoor unit 11, but it may also cover the side. The outdoor unit concealing member 14 is fixed to the holder 13, but it may also be fixed to the ceiling of the balcony 3. It is preferable that the outdoor unit concealing member 14 be removable, taking into account the maintenance and replacement of the outdoor unit 11.

The second exterior wall W2 is provided with through holes K2, K4 for two exhaust ducts L2, L4 and a through hole K1 for one supply duct L1, and the first exterior wall W1 is provided with a through hole K3 for one supply duct L3. These through holes K1-K4 are provided in the upper part of the exterior walls W1, W2. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the supply ducts L1, L3 are connected to the supply ducts 15a, 15b arranged on the balcony 3. The supply ducts 15a, 15b extend downward from the connection parts (through holes K1, K3) with the supply ducts L1, L3 along the second exterior wall W2, and have supply ports S1, S3 at their tips (lower ends). The supply ports S1, S3 are connected to the supply ducts L1, L3 laid in the room via the supply ducts 15a, 15b. In contrast, exhaust ports S2, S4 of exhaust flow paths L2, L4 are directly connected to exhaust flow paths L2, L4 at the positions of through holes K2, K4. Because exhaust ports S2, S4 are at the same height as the external opening 9 of balcony 3, exhaust air is efficiently discharged to the outside. In addition, exhaust ports S2, S4 are located above intake ports S1, S3. Because exhaust air is often at a higher temperature than intake air, it is discharged from the external opening 9 of balcony 3 to the outside of balcony 3 without accumulating near the floor of balcony 3.

In this way, by separating the intake ports S1, S3 from the exhaust ports S2, S4 in the vertical direction and locating the exhaust ports S2, S4 outside the intake ports S1, S3, i.e., close to the structural face 7 or the external opening 9 of the apartment building 1, it is possible to prevent a short circuit in which exhaust air is sucked in as intake air. Conventionally, the separation distance between the intake ports S1, S3 and the exhaust ports S2, S4 was often about 2 m in plan, but in this embodiment, it is possible to ensure the same separation distance in the vertical direction. The separation distance between the intake ports S1, S3 and the exhaust ports S2, S4 in the vertical direction can be planned to be in the range of about 1.5 to 2.5 m. In addition, by separating the intake ports S1, S3 and the exhaust ports S2, S4 in the vertical direction, one of the factors that restrict the reduction of the area of the balcony 3 can be removed. Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the exhaust through holes K2, K4 along the line D-D in Figure 4. The exhaust ports S2 and S4 are equipped with wind direction adjustment plates 21. A number of wind direction adjustment plates 21 are provided in parallel near the exhaust ports S2 and S4 and are rotatably supported by supports 22. By directing the exhaust air diagonally outward, i.e., toward the structural surface 7 of the apartment building 1 or the external opening 9 of the balcony 3, the exhaust air is discharged to the outside more efficiently.

The air supply ducts 15a, 15b are covered with a duct concealing member 16. The duct concealing member 16 is formed of louvers like the outdoor unit concealing member 14, but can also be formed of a plate material without openings. This prevents the air supply ducts 15a, 15b from being visible when the balcony 3 is viewed from outside the apartment building 1, preventing the appearance of the apartment building 1 from being marred. The duct concealing member 16 is provided on the surface facing the external opening 9 of the balcony 3 and the surface facing the outdoor unit installation space 12, but may be provided only on the surface facing the external opening 9. At least the lower end of the duct concealing member 16 is open, and does not block the air supply ports S1, S3 of the air supply ducts 15a, 15b.

A hot water boiler 17 is installed on the second exterior wall W2. The boiler 17 is fixed to the second exterior wall W2 at a position away from the floor of the balcony 3. A maintenance space 18 for the boiler 17 is provided in front of the boiler 17.

An emergency hatch 19 is provided in the center of the balcony 3. In the event of an evacuation, evacuation is possible through the emergency hatch 19 by taking evacuation route R1 from the entrance 6, passing directly below the outdoor unit 11, and leading to the emergency hatch 19. Evacuation to an adjacent dwelling unit is also possible by taking evacuation route R2, which passes directly below the outdoor unit 11 from the entrance 6 and bypasses the emergency hatch 19.

The balcony 3 may be subject to some regulations due to the necessity of fire protection. For example, the evacuation route must satisfy the minimum width of 600 mm for an evacuation passage as stipulated in the fire protection regulations. The distance between the partition plate 10 and the evacuation hatch 19 must also satisfy the minimum distance of 600 mm as stipulated in the fire protection regulations. The minimum area of the balcony 3 may be stipulated by ordinance (for example, a minimum of 2 ^m2 in the Tokyo Safety Ordinance). The opening dimensions of the evacuation opening (entrance 6) may also be stipulated by ordinance (for example, a width of 750 mm or more and a height of 1200 mm or more in the Tokyo Safety Ordinance). The step between the bottom of the evacuation opening (entrance 6) and the floor of the balcony 3 may also be stipulated by ordinance (for example, a step of 150 mm or less in the Tokyo Safety Ordinance). Fire partitions between dwelling units may also be regulated by ordinance (for example, firefighting regulations require the dimension L shown in Figure 2 to be 900 mm or more). Furthermore, since the entrance 6 is a lighting area for the room, it must meet the regulations of the Building Standards Act (effective opening must be 1/7 or more of the room area). The balcony 3 of this embodiment meets these regulations and ensures the minimum necessary area.

On the other hand, in locations where the floor area ratio is restricted, it is preferable to reduce the volumetric area of the balcony 3 as much as possible and allocate that amount to the exclusive floor area of the dwelling unit. Since the portion of the floor of the balcony 3 on which the equipment is placed is subject to volumetric area, installing the outdoor unit 11 on the floor as in the past would result in a reduction in the exclusive floor area of the dwelling unit by that amount. In this embodiment, the equipment such as the outdoor unit 11 is not installed on the floor, so the area directly below this equipment can be excluded from the volumetric area. Therefore, the area can be transferred to the exclusive floor area of the dwelling unit while still satisfying the regulations for the floor area ratio, resulting in business benefits such as an increase in the sales price.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to one embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing another embodiment. In this embodiment, the pillars 4 of the apartment building 1 are arranged inside the balcony 3, and the beams 5 are straight beams (in-frame structure). The handrails 8 are provided so as to rise from the floor surface of the balcony 3, but the shape of the floor surface of the balcony 3 is almost the same as in the case of the out-frame structure (Figure 2). Therefore, even when an in-frame structure is adopted, the balcony 3 can be planned in the same way as when an out-frame structure is adopted. In this embodiment, the entrance 6 is a door due to the layout of the room, but a sliding entrance 6 can also be used.

[0033] 3 balcony 6 entrance/exit 11 outdoor unit 12 outdoor unit installation space 14 outdoor unit concealing member 15a, 15b air supply duct 16 duct concealing member 21 wind direction adjustment plate S1, S3 air supply port S2, S4 exhaust port W1 first exterior wall W2 second exterior wall

Claims (7)

A balcony in an apartment building separated from the interior by two exterior walls .
An entranceway provided in a first exterior wall that separates the balcony from the room and leads to the room;
an outdoor unit installation space provided above the entrance and facing the first exterior wall;
a through hole for an air supply passage provided in the first outer wall;
a through hole for an exhaust passage provided in a second exterior wall that separates the balcony from the room;
A balcony in an apartment building. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the height of the entrance is 1200 mm or more and 1800 mm or less. The balcony according to claim 1 or 2, which has an outdoor unit concealing member that covers the outdoor unit installation space and has a ventilation hole. A balcony as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, having an air intake port communicating with the air intake flow path and an exhaust port communicating with the exhaust flow path, the air intake port and the exhaust port being spaced apart in the vertical direction. A balcony in an apartment building,
An entrance provided in an exterior wall separating the balcony from the room and leading to the room;
An outdoor unit installation space provided above the entrance and facing the exterior wall;
An air supply port communicating with an air supply passage installed in the room;
an exhaust port communicating with an exhaust passage installed in the room;
The air inlet and the air outlet are spaced apart in the vertical direction,
The exhaust outlet is provided on the exterior wall at a position closer to the exterior opening of the balcony than the air intake port,
The air exhaust port has a wind direction adjustment plate that directs the air outlet toward the outside opening, and the balcony of an apartment building . A balcony as described in claim 4 or 5, having an air supply duct connected to the air supply flow path, the air supply duct extending downward from a connection with the air supply flow path, the air supply port being provided at an end of the air supply duct, and the exhaust port being located above the air supply port. The balcony according to claim 6 , further comprising a duct concealing member covering the air supply duct and having at least an open lower end.

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