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The BaldakinModular Accommodation System (BMAS) ConceptThe Baldakin Accommodation Capsule (BC) & Module (BM)
Standard Twin Baldakin Accommodation Capsule (BC), side view
The Accommodation Capsule (BC) is a prefabricated, compact, sound insulated “private quarters” (i.e. bedroom and bathroom), accommodating 1 to 4 users, who can also use it to relax, work, play, listen and view “immersive” multimedia, etc.
BCs are either twins (BCT), equipped with 2 beds and 2 extra berths, accommodating 2 up to 4 users, or singles (BCS), equipped with a single bed and an extra berth, accommodating 1 up to 2 users, and any of these BCs can possibly be designed as a “compact” type and/or “without private bathroom” (WPB), to suit some specific applications.
BCs are usually built into Accommodation Modules (BM) of five 8’ Twin, or four 10’ Twin, or eight 5’ Single, or seven 5’8” Single, or eight 6’8 ” Single BCs (or a combination thereof) fitted in a 40’ ISO container frame, or of two 10’ Twins or four 5’ Singles or three 6’8” Singles (or a combination thereof) in a 20’ container.
In practice, a BC is an integrated private quarters, small and cheap, but attractive for its users.
“Small and cheap” implicates that it should be produced industrially and delivered to the site in an easy, modular manner.
BCs are designed to fit in an ISO container.
The idea of converting ISO containers to living quarters is not new and has been successfully implemented by many manufacturers (such as Portakabin, Containex, etc.).
However, the Modular Accommodation System (BMAS) approach brings it one step forward, by fitting a number of similar, prefabricated BCs side-by-side into an ISO container, which allows the construction of more rational and therefore cheaper living quarters.
An ISO container has an 8’ (2.43m) external width and 8’6” (2.60m) external height (or 9’6” (2.90m) for the ”Hi-Cube” type), combined with standard lengths of 10’, 20’ and 40’ (3.05, 6.10 and 12.2m respectively).
The natural choice was to design a BC to fit into a container of 8’ x 8’6” x 10’ or a multiple thereof, i.e. four 10’ BCs per 40’ container.
This gives a BC with the following internal dimensions (to take into account the thickness of the frame and of the insulation material): Width = 2.88m, Depth = 2.26m and Height = 2.36m (or 2.66m for the “Hi-Cube”).
Although a 10’ twin BC model has been designed on the basis of the above dimensions, a smaller but still comfortable 8’ Twin BC model, fitting five in a 40’ ISO container, is the most standard BC, suitable for most applications.
It is to be noted that the BC’s widths mentioned above may be adapted, in case some space needs to be provided for at the end of a BM to house some machinery or equipment.
For example, if one wants to keep 4’ (1.22m) to fit a split A/C unit and/or other equipment at the end of a 40’ ISO container, one could still fit four 9’ (i.e. externally 2.74m, internally 2.57m) wide Twin BCs or six 6’ (i.e. externally 1.83m, internally 1.66m) wide single BCs in the said 40’ BM.
Such BCs would have dimensions and characteristics in between respectively the 8’and 10’ twins and the 5’ and 6’8” singles.
The Standard Twin Baldakin Accommodation Capsule
Twin BC/BM Twin BC Left Twin BC Right 10' twin BC 8' twin BC 8' Twin BC 8' Twin BC 8' Twin BC Side view Side section Side section top section Top section Front view Front section Back view
& Module (BCT)
40' BCT 40' BCT Module Module Back view Front view
A Twin Accommodation Capsule is a BC with 2 adjustable beds (and 2 additional berths) and a private bathroom, which should be adequate for most applications.
Based on the above,
A BCT 10’ has the following internal dimensions: Width = 2.88m, Depth = 2.26m and Height = 2.36m.
A BCT 8’ has the following internal dimensions: Width = 2.26m, Depth = 2.26m and Height = 2.36m.
All materials inside the BC will preferably be black, or dark and/or “warm” coloured, such as for example in natural coloured tainted wood, except possibly the mattresses (for example in a sharp colour), and the bathroom will preferably be white or in a light colour (and in wet-cleanable materials).
Each BC shall be linked to the container frame through silent blocks or equivalents for proper sound- and vibration-insulation.
A BC may actually not be fully operational at time of shipment, specially in countries where the width of loads on roads is normally limited to below 10’.
Indeed, an angled front part (which can be possibly shipped in the same container) may have to be erected on the site, which is a very simple and fast process since it does not contain any piping and very limited cabling.
This front part is a very important feature of the BC design.
Indeed, it adds to the required depth to the BC, thereby providing for full-length adjustable beds (210cm) but also heightens the entrance to the BC.
This allows one to walk a few steps down into the BC, giving the user the unusual but pleasant impression of walking down (“into a nest, a den”), reminding that of going from the cockpit into the cabin of a sailing boat.
This difference of level, associated with the angled design of that front part, allows also for a narrower corridor between BCs.
Indeed, from about 4’ (1.2m) wide up to the waste-level (i.e. about 3’ (90cm) over the walking path, where the width is not so important), it becomes wider to reach about 8’ (2.4m) at eye level, giving to the user the impression to the users of a wider corridor.
This allows for the typical face-to-face (F2F) combination of two 40’ BMs to have a width of only about 24’ (7.3m), including the corridor in-between.
One enters into the BC by sliding sideward the central angled frame (possibly fitted with transparent glass) and walking down into the BC.
These and the two other angled frames on each side of this entrance can be occulted from inside to obtain intimacy and or/darkness (for video watching) by using silver-coated or special darkening glass (actuated by light or electrically) or just simple curtains, or slide-down panels housed just under the ceiling of the BC.
A flat screen TV/monitor can also slide in front of the entrance on rails, which are next and parallel to those of the BC’s sliding entrance door.
In fact, one of the key attractions of the Modular Accommodation System (BMAS) concept is the possibility that the BC be filled with “state of the art” multimedia electronics at an attractive cost.
Indeed, in view of the limited dimensions and volume of a BC, a standard multi-media PC with out-of-the-shelf peripherals (or even a car system), preferably connected to surround loud speakers an even a “bass shaker”, would provide enough “multimedia power” to allow the users to immerse themselves into TV programs, films, games, Internet and Intranet info, etc. made available to them through a Local Area Network (LAN) or Intranet.
The lower section (i.e. approximately the lower third) of the angled front part is not transparent, for obvious reasons.
It can be either plain or, in case of multiple layers of BCs, it can be composed of the same frames as the upper parts, but fitted with mirrors, in order to increase the luminosity of the corridor(s) located in the lower level(s).
The two vertical sides of the angled front part are either plain or fitted with mirrors, on their portion visible from inside.
The corridor located at an upper level, linking two BM in the typical F2F combination, is possibly covered with a transparent or translucent angled or rounded “roofing”.
This, together with the see-through path/corridor linking the BCs (made from metal or plastic grating or in a translucent material), should ensure some natural light in the corridor on the lower level(s) when several layers of BCs/BMs are combined together, preferably supplemented with some artificial lighting using possibly some hidden (natural or “warm” colour type) neon tubes.
It is to be noted there that although the use of a standard (not Hi-Cube) ISO container frame is suitable for most of the applications, the use of a “Hi-Cube” allows for the (upper part of the) corridor to be fully enclosed in the container frame.
After walking down the few steps from the corridor into a BCT 8’, one walks into a passage, with a 210cm long (i.e. approx. 6’11” long) x 80cm (i.e. approx 2’7½”) wide (“Queen Size”) adjustable bed on each side.
In a BCT 8’, that passage is approximately 66cm wide at bed level and 76cm at the level of 75cm wide extra berth.
The extra width available in a BCT 10’ allows its equipment with a dual “King Size” (i.e. 95cm or 3’2” wide) beds, thus leaving a very comfortable width of almost 1m (at bed level) for the passage.
In the same manner, a BCT 9’ could be equipped with 3’ (90cm) wide beds while leaving (at bed level) another 94cm for the passage.
The said passage leads to the “bathroom”, which is fitted with a large square, rounded or round window, to provide more natural light to the whole BC
A door communicating with the outside, centred on said window, may be foreseen as an option for some applications.
The equipment of the bathroom is composed of toilets on one side, a shower on the centre and a full size ventilated cabinet for clothes, accessible from the bathroom by a water-tight door.
This cabinet for clothes can also be accessible from the bedroom, by a door at the head of the adjustable bed located on the same side.
To make the bathroom more “cosy” when not in use, an articulated padded seat covers the toilet bowl and extends all the width of the bathroom.
A wash basin/sink is located in the middle, under the window and a duckboard extends over the shower section of the bathroom.
A sliding door, preferably fitted with plastic or glass, possibly frosted, of the type used for shower cabins, is installed between the bathroom and the rest of the BC.
That door or the window can be occulted by means of a curtain (or, for example, the window can be occulted by internal shutters covered possibly with articulated mirrors) to ensure the required privacy and/or darkness.
The two beds located on each side of the passage are preferably of the BB type, adjustable and possibly motorized.
One other important point of the design of the twin BC design is the fact that these two beds can be made into a double bed by moving them sideward, through a system of slides, rollers, a dual position cam, etc.
Although this is obviously blocking the passage to the bathroom when the beds are joined, the occupant of one side can then slide/roll his bed back, leaving then enough passage for that person to squeeze out to the bathroom (or out of the BC) without disturbing the other occupant.
This system allows also for the storage of sheets, quilts and pillows in the space made accessible behind the beds when they are pulled out (or under the beds when they are lifted).
The two extra beds/berths (located at the upper level) are only 2m (i.e. approx. 6’7”) long and narrow, from 75cm (i.e. approx. 2’5½”) to possibly as low as 55cm (i.e. approx. 1’9½”) at feet level (in the BCT 8’ version), which should not be a problem, since they will, most of the time, be used by children/teenagers.
The main (wide) part of each of these upper berths is foldable up (to move it out of the way) or down, to act as the back part of a sofa, together with the lower bed acting as the seating part.
This means that the BC can then be used as a sitting room, with at least 2 people sitting comfortably on each side.
On each side a foldable table is fixed on the partition or the ceiling, and can be stowed away. It is designed so that it may be used by the occupant of the lower bed, or by the person(s) using the opposite lower bed as a sofa.
Furthermore, various storage volumes (open or closed) are available to store equipment of the accommodation capsule (such as the P/C, etc.) and the user’s personal belongings.
The Standard Single Baldakin Accommodation Capsule & Module (BCS)
6'8'' Single BC 5' Single BC Top section Top section
A single Accommodation Capsule is a BC with 1 bed (and possibly 1 additional berth) and a private bathroom, which will suit applications where individual occupancy is a must.
A 5’ Single BC has the following internal dimensions: Depth = 2.26m, Width=1.34m and Height = 2.36m, i.e. allowing a passage width of only 64cm at (a 70cm wide) bed level and 69cm at (a 65cm wide) extra-berth level.
A 5’8” Single BC has the following internal dimensions: Depth = 2.26m, Width=1.57m and Height = 2.36m, i.e. allowing a passage width of 77cm at (a 80cm wide) bed level and 82cm at (a 75cm wide) extra-berth level.
A 6’8” Single BC has the following internal dimensions: Depth = 2.26m, Width=1.85m and Height = 2.36m, i.e. allowing a passage width of 90cm at (a 95cm wide) bed level and 1.05m at (a 80cm wide) extra-berth level.
In the same manner, a BCS 6’ could be equipped with a 3’ (90cm) wide bed while leaving (at bed level) another 76cm for the passage.
These BCs can be factory produced and dispatched in modules of eight 5’ Single, seven 5’8”, or six 6’8’’ Single BCs pre-fitted in a 40’ container frame (or respectively four 5’ and three 6.8” BCSs in a 20’ ISO container frame).
A simple foldable table is fitted on the partition opposite the bed.
Generally, the description and functionalities of the single BC are very similar to those of a Twin BC, as described above.
The “Compact” Baldakin Accommodation Capsule & Module
8' Twin 8' Twin 5' Single 20' Module with Compact BC Compact BC Compact BC 5' Single Compact BC HiCube WPB HiCube WPB HiCube WPB HiCube with shared bathroom Side section Top section Top section Top section
In a “Compact” Accommodation Capsule, the bed or beds are lower, when in a fully extended position, and occupy the space under the central corridor.
This means that the bed or beds should be preferably of a BB type, fully adjustable to a seating position (with the “bed” and “relax” configurations at ground level) and motorized
The space so freed can allow for the implantation of additional storage space, compared to the standard BCs.
Due to the specific design of the “Compact” BC, the table is sliding under the floor of the corridor.
In the case of F2F combinations of the narrowest “Compact” Single BCs (such as the 5’ “Compact” single capsule), the bed is narrower at the bottom, so that the beds of two consecutive BCs may be “in Stagerred rows”.
A module fitted with “Compact” BCs cannot be located over a module fitted in a standard (not “Hi-Cube”) ISO container frame.
Generally, the description and functionalities of the “Compact” BC are very similar to those of a standard BC.
The Baldakin Accommodation Capsule “Without Private Bathroom” (WPB)
Twin BC WPB 8' twin BC WPB 20' Module with Side section Top section 5' single Compact BC HiCube with shared bathroom Top section
Any standard or “Compact” BC can be designed and supplied without a private bathroom, for example due to limitations of the available depth.
In such cases, a special bathroom Capsule can possibly be included in the BM and shared by all the BCs of that BM.
The most simple example is that of a “Compact” BC WPB fitting fully into a “Hi-Cube” container frame, including the corridor, under which the bed extends.
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