Paul William Lantz
Engineers at Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH

RE33019, Aug 15, 1989

Oct 7, 1987

7/105365

James A. Rhodes - Columbus OH
Michael Wren - Columbus OH
Paul W. Lantz - Columbus OH
George W. Acock - Columbus OH

E04B 1345

52 2

An environmentally controlled building having a covered atrium. The atrium roof can be a conventional rigid roof or an air-supported, flexible, continuous membrane roof. A pressurization system pressurizes the building interior and the atrium relative to the ambient atmospheric pressure outside the building. When the atrium has a membrane roof, this pressure differential inflates the membrane roof to maintain the roof in the desired configuration. Such a membrane roof can be semi-opaque to permit passage of diffused sunlight, permitting some plants to grow, while inhibiting passage of direct sunlight. Air locks are provided at the building entrances and exits to maintain the pressure differential as people enter and leave the building. A barometric pressure sensor monitors the ambient atmospheric pressure outside the building, and a control unit controls the pressurizing system to adjust the air pressure within the building and the atrium in response to variations in the ambient atmospheric pressure outside the building in an inverse relationship. As a consequence, ambient atmospheric pressure changes are not so noticeable to people within the building and the atrium.

4858397, Aug 22, 1989

Dec 28, 1987

7/138732

Paul W. Lantz - Columbus OH

E04B 132

52 80

An air-inflated fabric roof of hyperbolic paraboloidal shape including a cable network therein and covering a building or other structure, or a part of a building such as an atrium. The building includes an annular rigid outer structure enclosing an inner area covered by the air-inflated hyperbolic paraboloidal fabric roof having the cable network therein. A pressurization system maintains the building interior at a predetermined pressure above ambient atmospheric pressure to inflate the fabric roof. The cable network includes a rigid, continuous ring member connected to the annular rigid outer structure. A first set of cables extends across the central opening of the ring member in parallel in a first or X direction. A second set of cables extends across the central opening in parallel in a second or Y direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The cables are tensioned so that their points of intersection lie in a hyperbolic paraboloidal surface having the general equation ##EQU1## Two tie cables extend diagonally across the central opening of the ring member and lie in the Z=O plane.

4608785, Sep 2, 1986

Feb 11, 1985

6/700254

James Rhodes - Columbus OH
Michael Wren - Rushville OH
Paul W. Lantz - Columbus OH
George W. Acock - Columbus OH

James A. Rhodes & Associates - Columbus OH

E04B 1345

52 2

An environmentally controlled building having a covered atrium. The atrium roof can be a conventional rigid roof or an air-supported, flexible, continuous membrane roof. A pressurization system pressurizes the building interior and the atrium relative to the ambient atmospheric pressure outside the building. When the atrium has a membrane roof, this pressure differential inflates the membrane roof to maintain the roof in the desired configuration. Such a membrane roof can be semi-opaque to permit passage of diffused sunlight, permitting some plants to grow, while inhibiting passage of direct sunlight. Air locks are provided at the building entrances and exits to maintain the pressure differential as people enter and leave the building. A barometric pressure sensor monitors the ambient atmospheric pressure outside the building, and a control unit controls the pressurizing system to adjust the air pressure within the building and the atrium in response to variations in the ambient atmospheric pressure outside the building in an inverse relationship. As a consequence, ambient atmospheric pressure changes are not so noticeable to people within the building and the atrium.

4696133, Sep 29, 1987

Jan 27, 1986

6/822491

Michael Wren - Rushville OH
Paul W. Lantz - Columbus OH
George W. Acock - Columbus OH
James A. Rhodes - Columbus OH

James A. Rhodes & Associates - Columbus OH

F04B 1342

52 80

A building includes an annular structure having inner and outer walls and a dome roof enclosing building units. An open space within inner wall is covered by air-supported fabric dome roof. Through selection of surface areas, thicknesses, and coefficients of heat transfer, for a given temperature difference the rate of heat flow through the inner wall is substantially equal to the rate of heat flow through the dome roof, providing optimum efficiency of climate control, including minimizing heat loss or gain, therefore minimizing power requirments for atmospheric control within the building and pen space. Preferably, the surface area of inner wall is substantially equal to the surface area of the dome roof.