Air rights building structure

Feb. 16, 1971

W. E. MERLE ET AL

3,562,984

AIR RIGHTS BUILDING STRUCTURE

Filed Feb. 4, 1969

Sheets-Sheet 1

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Feb. 16, 1971 w. e. merle etal 3,562,984

AIR RIGHTS BUILDING STRUCTURE

Filed Feb. 4, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTOR.

WILLIAM E. MERLE ARTHUR W MILLER

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W. E. MERLE ETAL

3,562,984

AIR RIGHTS BUILDING STRUCTURE

Feb. 16, 1971

Filed Feb. 4, 1969

Sheets-Sheet S

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3,562,984

Patented Feb. 16, 1971

United States Patent Office

3,562,984 AIR RIGHTS BUILDING STRUCTURE William E. Merle, Rte. 3, Box 3515, Auburn, Calif. 95603, and Arthur W. Miller, 1024 Cornell Ave., Albany, Calif. 94706 Filed Feb. 4,1969, Ser. No. 796,512 Int. CI. E04h 14/00

U.S. CI. 52—175 9 Claims

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A building structure adapted to occupy air space above a freeway, toll road or other limited access roadway. The building structure spans the associated roadway but is relatively narrow so as to occupy very little land bordering the same, and it extends longitudinally therealong to any length necessary to accommodate the various services and facilities to be offered the motorist. Entrance ramps to the building structure extend longitudinally therealong in cantilevered projection therefrom, and as a result of the considerable length of the building structure and corresponding length of the entrance ramps which may run the entire length of the structure, the ramps can accommodate deceleration of vehicles leaving the roadway, thereby reducing the length of the access roads connecting the roadway with the ramps and which otherwise would be required for vehicle deceleration.

This invention relates to building structures and, more particularly, to a building structure adapted to occupy air space over a freeway, toll road or similar roadway and to connect therewith through entrance and exit ramps. The building structure is especially adapted to house service facilities and other accommodations for motorists using such roadway.

Limited access roadways accommodating high speed travel are becoming more and more prevalent and examples thereof are roadways known variously as freeways, turnpikes and toll roads. Since access to such roadways is intentionally restricted, it is becoming increasingly more common to provide service facilities at regular intervals therealong so that motoring needs and comforts of the motorist are conveniently available to him. Since land costs are at best high, and because such roadways often occupy very expensive land, service facilities are being provided to some extent at present in building structures that span or bridge these roadways; and although this use of air space above a roadway effectively increases the value derived from the expensive land underlying the same, present building structures still add to the land cost of the roadway by occupying considerable land area along the sides thereof at the location of each service facility.

An object, among others, of the present invention is to provide an improved building structure adapted to occupy air space over a limited access roadway or the like and, while spanning or bridging the roadway, to occupy very little land area on either side thereof; extending, however, longitudinally along the roadway to the length necessary or desirable to house the various services offered to the motorist. Another object of the invention is in the provision of an improved building structure of the type described in which the entrance and exit ramps connecting the roadway with the building structure are disposed along the sides of the latter and are carried by cantilever supports therefrom so as to physically occupy substantially no land bordering the roadway on each side thereof.

Still another object is that of providing a building structure as described in which the entrance ramps there2 to extend longitudinally therealong and rise from the level of the roadway to an elevation thereabove at which one or another of the floor levels or decks of the building structure is located, the substantial length of such eng trance ramps and upward incline thereof being useful for decelerating vehicles leaving the roadway so that landoccupying access roads connecting the outer lanes of the roadway with such entrance ramps can be quite short.

A further object is to provide in association with a jq roadway a building structure of the character described having one or more decks or floor levels offering various service facilities and accommodations to the motorist such as a vehicle service station, restaurant, parking area, etc.; and in which the traffic pattern through the 15 building structure exposes the motorist to substantially all of the available service facilities and accommodations so that he may take advantage thereof. Additional objects and advantages of the invention, especilly as concerns particular features and characteristics thereof, will 20 become apparent as the specification proceeds.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a multiple deck building structure embodying the invention shown in relation to 25 a divided roadway;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the building structure shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of such structure broken away to show an interior feature;

FIG. 3 is an end view in elevation of the building 30 structure;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, broken vertical sectional view taken along the line 4—4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, broken horizontal sectional view taken along the line 5—5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side view in elevation of a slightly modified multiple deck bulding structure in which exits from the entrance ramps thereto are provided at each floor level;

FIG. 7 is a broken top plan view of a further modified 40 building structure having a single floor level or deck;

FIG. 8 is a broken side view in elevation of the modified building structure illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of yet another modified building structure having a single floor level or deck shown in association with a divided roadway;

⁴⁵ FIG. 10 is a side view in elevation of the building structure illustrated in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, broken end view in elevation taken generally along the line 11—11 of FIG. 10.

Each embodiment of the building structure shown in ⁵⁰ the drawings occupies air space over a roadway which in the usual case will be a multiple-lane limited-access roadway such as a freeway, toll road, or turnpike. The building structure may have one or more floors or decks, and in any case ingress thereto and egress therefrom are provided ⁵⁵ adjacent the ends of the building structure along the sides thereof. Evidently, a pair of entrances and a pair of exits are ordinarily required to accommodate the usual traffic pattern of vehicles traveling in opposite directions along the associated roadway.

θθ The building structure may vary considerably in terms of the facilities provided for the motorist, but usually any such building structure will have a service area for vehicles, parking therefor, and restaurant accommodations. The building structure in certain instances may have a number of shops selling a variety of merchandise and might provide motel accommodations. In the case in which substantially all of the noted services and facilities are offered, the needs and desires of a motorist can be satisfied by one stop at such building structure.

The building structure is elongated and extends longitudinally along the associated roadway in bridging or

3,562,984 «5 spanning relation therewith and is characterized by using little, if any, land area bordering the roadway along the longitudinal edges thereof. Accordingly, the building structure is relatively narrow in the sense that it is not significantly wider or larger in transverse dimension than the roadway underlying the same, and in longitudinal extent can have any length necessary or desirable for the facilities and services to be provided thereat. In the usual instance the structure is relatively long and the considerable length thereof is utilized to minimize the necessary length of land-occupying access roads leading from the roadway to the entrance ramps which extend along the length of the building structure and therefore afford a substantial distance through which vehicles leaving the roadway to enter the building structure can decelerate.

Both the entrance and exit ramps of the building structure are supported so as to occupy substantially no land area therebelow and are carried by cantilever support members so as to leave the underlying ground area essentially open and unobstructed. The traffic pattern through the building structure generally leads the entering motorist to the upper floor or deck (although in certain cases provision can be included for direct traffic flow from the entrance ramps to one or more floor levels) from which he progresses downwardly through the various floor levels of the building structure to the exit ramps therefrom.

The building structure shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 has a plurality of floors or decks one disposed above another and is shown in association with a limited access roadway 15 having a central divider 16 separating the oppositely facing traffic traveling in one direction along lanes 17, 18 and 19 and in the other direction along lanes 20, 21 and 22. Access roads or lanes to the building structure 23 are provided along each side thereof and constitute on one side a road 24 exiting from the lane 17 and road 25 entering the lane 17 and, similarly, on the other side a road 26 exiting from the lane 20 and road 27 entering the lane 20. The entrance roads 24 and 26 respectively connect with entrance ramps 28 and 29 extending along opposite sides of the building structure 23; and the exit roads 25 and 27 respectively connect with exit ramps 30 and 31 that are also disposed along opposite sides of the building structure.

As is most evident in FIG. 2, the entrance ramp 28 is inclined upwardly from the level of the access road 24 adjacent one end of the building structure past the lower deck or floor level 32 thereof to the elevation of the upper deck or floor level 33 adjacent the opposite end of the building structure whereat the entrance ramp turns laterally (as shown in FIG. 1) to serve the upper floor level. An interfloor ramp 34 connects the floor levels 32 and 33 and provides movement for vehicles in either direction therebetween, as indicated by the arrows, so as to enable vehicles to move downwardly from the upper floor level 33 to the lower floor level 32 or upwardly in the opposite direction.

As indicated hereinbefore, a variety of services or accommodations may be provided in the building structure 23, and in the embodiment thereof illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the upper floor or deck 33 contains a vehicle service area 35, a restaurant and refreshment section 36 providing vehicle parking in conjunction therewith, and a section 37 containing a motel and parking accommodations. The lower level 32 (as shown in FIG. 5) may have similar facilities and service areas or they may differ considerably. In the particular structure 23 being considered, the lower floor 32 thereof is provided with a restaurant 38, parking area 39, and shopping section 40 which may contain a plurality of individual shops or one large shopping area within a single enclosure.

It is evident in FIG. 5 that the exit ramps 30^! and 31 connect with the lower floor 32 of the building structure so that all departing vehicles leave the building structure via the ramps 30 and 31 from the lower deck or floor level

32. As is shown best in FIG. 4, the entrance and exit ramps 28 and 30 are superposed in vertical juxtaposition and are each cantilevered from the side wall 41 of the building structure. The down ramp 30 is relatively short since the entrance thereto is disposed at a location at which the entrance ramp 28 has a sufficient elevation to permit vehicles to move thereunder and onto the down ramp. However, the downward inclination of the exit ramp 30 facilitates rapid acceleration of each vehicle as it leaves the building structure 23. The entrance ramp 28 extends for substantially the entire length of the building structure, and such great length coupled with the upward inclination facilitates deceleration therealong of each vehicle entering the building structure, thereby enabling the access road 24 to be relatively short. It will be appreciated that the entrance ramp 29 and exit ramp 31 along the opposite side of the building srtucture are correspondingly disposed and configurated in accordance with the description of the ramps 28 and 30, and serve to integrate the building structure with the traffic pattern of the roadway 15 so as to serve vehicles moving in the opposite direction therealong.

The modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6 constitutes a building structure that departs from the building structure 23 heretofore described only in that the entrance ramps provide a direct outlet to the lower floor level as well as to the upper floor level. Otherwise, the two building structures are essentially the same and because of this, the primed form of the same numerals used to identify the components of the building structure 23 are used to designate the respectively corresponding building components illustrated in FIG. 6. Thus, in more specific terms concerning the differences between the two structures, the entrance ram 28' inclining upwardly to the second floor level 33' has a generally horizontal section 42 intermediate the ends thereof disposed at the elevation of the lower floor level 32' and communicating therewith through an opening generally indicated at 43. Accordingly, a vehicle leaving the roadway has selective access to either of the floors or decks 32' or 33' directly from the entrance ramp 28'. The building structure 23' is similarly provided with an entrance ramp (not shown) on the opposite side thereof accommodating traffic moving in the opposite direction along the associated roadway.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is a single floor or single deck building structure generally denoted with the numeral 44. The deck or floor 45 of the building structure is provided with a variety of facilities for the traveler including, in the particular embodiment illustrated, a vehicle service area 46, shopping section 47, parking section 48, and restaurant 49. Vehicles can enter the building strucure 44, depending upon their direction of travel, through entrance ramps 50 and 51, and vehicles leave the building structure through one or the other of exit ramps 52 and 53. In this embodiment of the invention, the building structure is quite long and the entrance ramps 50 and 51 thereof open onto the deck 45 through entrances 54 and 55, respectively, located intermediate the ends of the building structure at the approximate center thereof.

Thus, the entire length of the building structure is not used for deceleration of vehicles moving upwardly along the entrance ramps, but since the building structure is relatively long and extends over the underlying roadway for a considerable distance, adequate length is afforded for vehicle deceleration without having excessively long access roads leading from the roadway to the entrance ramps. In a similar manner, the exit ramps 52 and 53 connect with the deck 45 at about the midpoint thereof, generally adjacent the exit openings 54 and 55, through entrance openings 56 and 57, respectively. Since the etnrance and exit ramps on each side of the building structure 44 terminate short of each other, they can be disposed in longitudinal alignment, as shown in FIG. 7,

3.562.984 and they are supported by cantilever construction as heretofore explained so that they do not physically occupy the ground area underlying the same.

A further modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 11 and it is also a single level building structure generally denoted with the numeral 58. The building structure 58 spans or bridges a multiple-lane divided roadway 59 and extends longitudinally therealong. The deck or floor level 60 of the building structure is provided with a vehicle service section 61, restaurant 62, parking section 63, and motel 64. Access to the deck 60 is provided in one direction by an entrance ramp 65 connecting with the roadway 59 via an access road 66 and is provided in the opposite direction by an entrance ramp 67 connecting with the roadway 59 via an access road 68. The entrance ramps 65 and 67 are mclined upwardly and extend for substantially the entire length of the building structure 58 so that the entire extent of such ramps can be utilized in decelerating vehicles traveling upwardly therealong.

Departures from the building structure 58 and deck 60 thereof are effected in one direction along an exit ramp 69 and in the opposite direction along an exit ramp 70, each of which ramps extends for substantially the entire length of the building structure. Since both the entrance and exit ramps on each side of the building structure extend for substantially the entire length thereof and because the building structure has but a single floor level, the ramps cross each other in a vertical sense and therefore are disposed in side-by-side juxtaposition (as shown most clearly in FIGS. 9 and 11). Again, the ramps are supported by a cantilever construction extending outwardly from the side walls of the building structure, as shown in FIG. 11 which illustrates the ramps 65 and 69 in relation to the side wall 71 of the building structure. As respects such cantilever construction, the cantilever supports for the down or exit ramp 69 extend over the underlying lower end portion of the entrance ramp 65 because at such end portion thereof the exit ramp 69 has its highest elevation. Such overlying cantilever supports are generally denoted in FIG. 9 with the numeral 72.

In all forms of the invention, the building structure is relatively narrow, occupying essentially the air space over the associated roadway, but the building structure is quite long and can have any length necessary to provide all of the services and facilities desired for any one service area along such roadway. Since the building structure does not extend laterally outwardly from the roadway to any considerable extent, and because of the cantilever structure of the entrance and exit ramps, the land bordering the roadway is substantially unencumbered by the building structure and ramps thereof. The considerable length of each building structure and fact that each deck thereof is elevated above such roadway and further fact that the entrance ramps incline upwardly generally along the entire length of the entire building structure or a substantial distance therealong, the length of such entrance ramps is used advantageously to decelerate vehicles moving upwardly therealong so that access roads leading to such ramps may be quite short. The traffic pattern through each building structure maximizes exposure of the motorist to the various services and facilities offered throughout the structure, thereby providing him with the greatest opportunity to advantage thereof.

While in the foregoing specification embodiments of the invention have been set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making a complete disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.