It is rare to find too many commercial and industrial buildings which do not utilise raised access flooring at some point in their floor plan, and in certain types of industries, it has become ubiquitous.
Consisting of a set of secure pedestals which hold floor panels on top of them, access flooring systems are not only versatile in appearance but also in function, designed around the need to house certain types of utilities such as water pipes, cables and gas pipework.
This means that, whilst it can and is often used in such a wide variety of buildings, there are some places where it can be more commonly found than others, and in some industries, it has become truly ubiquitous. Here are just a few examples.
Data Centres
Data centres, server rooms and many computer rooms essentially can only exist because of raised flooring solutions without inefficient or truly radical designs.
Early computer rooms of the 1940s and early 1950s had the same reinforced wooden flooring as any other office building of the time, but images of computers such as ENIAC and the wires trailing along the floor and hanging across eyelines provide some indication of just how much better organisation was needed.
Modern data centres do not just use an access floor system for cable management, however. They also use them for advanced, heavy-duty cooling systems, something that is vital to ensure that the heat generated by dozens, if not hundreds of servers does not cause technical issues.
Offices
Since the 1980s and the integration of networked computers such as the One Per Desk as well as a general trend towards open-plan and cubicle offices, the need for cable management has become increasingly important and technical support needs to be undertaken with as little disruption as possible.
This is where raised flooring can help, as it not only keeps trailing cables safely and securely underfoot but also allows for the use of discreet access panels which can be used to provide electrical sockets, network ports and anything else needed for a member of staff to do their job.
Typically, offices which use an access floor cover the top of it with either carpet tiles or vinyl flooring, depending on the aesthetic sensibilities of the room in question.
Retail Establishments
Shops often need to be extraordinarily versatile and almost chameleonic in the way that they adapt to different market needs and surroundings, and it is here where raised flooring can be particularly useful on the sales floor.
On a basic level, they allow for a more even and flat floor surface, rather than being reliant on the existing foundations, which is particularly important given customer traffic, as well as providing electrical cabling for point-of-sales terminals.
Alongside this, however, is the versatility it allows in marketing and design. Many larger stores will frequently change their lighting systems, decorations, amenities and technical utilities, which often require a raised floor in order to do so efficiently.
Whilst not used in every shop, it is something that many superstores rely on in order to adapt as quickly as they do.
