Facing walls of buildings

Claim 2

A panel wall forming the facing wall of a building and comprising structural cladding panels arranged in a formation in which the adjacent corners of four contiguous panels overlap in a common corner junction, characterized in that, at said corner junction, the body of the first panel has a flange projecting laterally outwards and consisting of two side portions at the sides of the body and a corner portion integral with the side portions and extending around the corner of the body, the front face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly with respect to the front faces of the two side portions of the flange, the body of the second panel has a flange on one side thereof, which flange is set back rearwardly with respect to the body of the second panel at said corner junction, the other side of the body of the second panel at said corner junction overlapping one of said side portions of the first panel flange and the second panel flange overlapping one part of the corner portion of the first panel flange, the body of the third panel has a flange on one side thereof, which flange is set back rearwardly with respect to the body of the third panel at said corner junction, the other side of the body of the third panel at said corner junction overlapping the other of said side portions of the first panel flange and the third panel flange overlapping another part of the corner portion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the body of the fourth panel at said corner junction overlap the flanges on the second and third panEls including the parts of said flanges which overlap the corner portion of the first panel flange.

Claim 3

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front face of said corner portion is set back rearwardly with respect to the front faces of the side portions of the first panel flange by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the flanges on the second and third panels, whereby the front faces of the flanges on the second and third panels lie in a common plane through the front faces of the two side portions of the first panel flange.

Claim 4

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said flanges is clamped to the overlapping body of the adjacent panel.

Claim 5

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal edge of the corner portion of the first panel flange is formed with a step and is spaced from the body of the first panel, the end of the flange on the second panel is spaced from the corner of the body thereof and has a step on the outer edge thereof aligned substantially with the step on the internal edge of said corner portion, and the end of the flange on the third panel is spaced from the corner of the body thereof and projects between the two steps on the corner portion of the first panel flange and the end portion of the second panel flange.

Claim 6

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein each panel comprises a shell of synthetic plastics material shaped to form a concave body and laterally extending flanges integral with the rear edges of the body, and reinforcement means mounted inside said body.

Claim 7

A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shell is formed by moulding glass fiber reinforced polyester.

Claim 8

A panel wall as claimed in claim 6, wherein said reinforcement means comprises wooden inserts embedded in the body of the panel.

Claim 9

A panel wall as claimed in claim 6, wherein the concave body is filled with a mouldable material which hardens to form a solid core constituting said reinforcement means.

Claim 10

A panel wall as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mouldable material is concrete.

Claim 11

A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rear end of the side wall of the body on each panel which overlaps a flange on an adjacent panel is turned inwards and engages in a recess in the reinforcement means of the panel.

Claim 12

A panel wall as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reinforcement means in each panel support screw threaded means which extend through the underlying flanges of adjacent panels and clamp the underlying flanges to the body of the fist mentioned panel.

Claim 13

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second panels are arranged side by side and the third and fourth panels are arranged side by side directly above the first and second panels respectively.

Claim 14

A panel wall as claimed in claim 12, wherein a sealing strip is provided between the body of the second panel and the side portion of the first panel flange which is overlapped by said body.

Claim 15

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two side portions of the first panel flange for said corner junction form the flanges for the second and third panels at adjacent corner junctions.

Claim 16

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of said panels are fitted with windows.

Claim 17

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top panels at the top of the wall each comprises a body having a flange projecting laterally outwards and extending substantially along the full length of the top of the body and down one side thereof, a corner portion of said flange having the front face thereof set back from the front face of the remainder of the flange by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the flange, and an adjacent panel has the body thereof overlapping the flange on said one side of the body of the first mentioned top panel and the adjacent end of the flange thereof overlapping said corner portion of the flange of the first mentioned top panel.

Claim 18

A panel wall as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom paNels at the bottom of the wall each comprise a body having a flange projecting laterally outwards and extending along a side of the body and terminating at the bottom thereof, and an adjacent panel has the body thereof overlapping the flange on said side of the body of the first mentioned bottom panel.

Claim 19

A structural cladding panel comprising a substantially rectangular body having a flange projecting laterally outwards from the rear edges of two adjacent sides of the body, said flange having two side portions terminating close to the ends of said sides of the body which are remote from the corner of the body enclosed between said sides, and said flange also having a corner portion extending around said corner of the body, the front face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly with respect to the front faces of the two side portions of the flange by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said side portions, and said corner portion being of a size such that a group of four such panels may be mounted with corners thereof in overlapping relationship at a corner junction with the second panel having the body thereof overlapping one side portion of the first panel flange and an end of one side portion of the second panel flange overlapping part of the corner portion of the flange on the first panel, the third panel having the body thereof overlapping the other of said side portions of the first panel flange and an end of one of the side portions of the third panel flange overlapping another part of the corner portion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the body of the fourth panel overlapping side portions of the flanges on each of the second and third panels including the parts thereof overlapping the corner portion of the first panel, with the front faces of the flanges on the second and third panels lying in a common plane through the front faces of the two side portions of the first panel flange.

Claim 20

A structural cladding panel comprising a substantially rectangular body having a flange projecting laterally outwards from the rear edges of two adjacent sides of the body, said flange having two side portions terminating close to the ends of said sides of the body which are remote from the corner of the body enclosed between said sides, and said flange also having a corner portion extending around said corner of the body, the front face of the corner portion being set back rearwardly with respect to the front faces of the two side portions of the flange by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said side portions, and said corner portion being of a size such that a group of four such panels may be mounted with corners thereof in overlapping relationship at a corner junction with the second panel having the body thereof overlapping one side portion of the first panel flange and an end of one side portion of the second panel flange overlapping part of the corner portion of the flange on the first panel, the third panel having the body thereof overlapping the other of said side portions of the first panel flange and an end of one of the side portions of the third panel flange overlapping another part of the corner portion of the first panel flange, and the two sides of the body of the fourth panel overlapping side portions of the flanges on each of the second and third panels including the parts thereof overlapping the corner portion of the first panel, with the front faces of the flanges on the second and third panels lying in a common plane through the front faces of the two side portions of the first panel flange.

Claim 21

A structural panel as claimed in claim 18 wherein the body and flange comprise a shell of glass fiber reinforced polyester shaped in a mould, and reinforcement means are provided in the body.

Claim 22

A structural panel as claimed in claim 18, wherein the outer edges of said side portions of the flange are turned over rearwardly and terminate at the plane passing through the rear face of the corner portion of the flange.