Office Raised Access Floors for convenience
Raised floors also known as raised access floors in interior designing and decoration comprises of an elevated load bearing structural floor panel unit supported by vertical pedestal which is adjustable. The height of the floor can be up to 4 feet and the space between the floor panel and the original floor is used as a concealed chamber for housing and distribution of electrical and mechanical services. Such elevated floors are very commonly used as command centers, computer rooms, IT data centers, and in many modern offices where there is a need to route supply lines like cables and wiring for data, telecom and electrical supply. The height of the flooring can be such that maintenance staff can comfortably walk or crawl beneath for attending to breakdown or other related work. Lighting points are provided where required. The floor panels are easily removable to gain access to the floor below.
Parts of a Raised Access Floor System
Floor panel of raised access floors are usually of size 24″x 24″. They are made from steel-covered particle board or a steel panel having cement internal core, or simply hollow. Panels are covered with carpet tiles, marble, high-pressure laminates, and stone. Computer rooms and laboratories can have tiles with artistic finishes. To save money, panels with cement top are used in offices, lobbies, hallways, casinos and museums.
Pedestal is the adjustable vertical structure that supports the floor panels. They are fixed to the floor below using some adhesive or mechanically bolted. The height of the pedestal assembly is adjustable by about 1½” to allow for deviations in the sub floor so that the raised floor can be made level. The pedestal has a grid head to facilitate panel fixing.
Stringer connects the pedestals of raised access floors together horizontally and provides the lateral support needed for rigidity when the structure height is to be increased.
Where is a Raised Access Floor Used?
Raised access floors in interior designing and decoration have become a common feature today in many organizations where there is need for raised levels on account of their activities. Examples include: financial and insurance offices, call centers, data processing centers, large computer room setups where voluminous processing of electronic data is done, e.g. financial information, customer information, and telecom exchanges. Raised flooring is also installed in schools, universities, libraries and major archive areas. Retail facilities like department stores have started increasingly using raised floors coated with special finishes.
Benefits of Using Raised Access Floors
Raised access floors have the following benefits: You can easily access the service points of power, telecom, and data services. This is important for modern buildings having large volume of these services. The underfloor space serves as a large passage for HVAC systems. When there is need for frequent changeover of offices to new occupants the layout needs a churn and that would mean redirection of services. Raised access floors provide easy access to the services necessary for maintenance, upgrading, rerouting etc.