If you are in the process of creating a new business space flooring will be a fundamental element of your design. You will need to consider how it will be used, whether you want it to be functional or an integral part of the design, and consider whether you need delineated areas for any particular reason – such as driving traffic in retail areas or separating meeting rooms from open plan office spaces. As part of this you are also probably wondering whether raised flooring solutions are right for you or not. To help you with this we have put together a number of things to take into consideration when deciding whether or not to invest in raised flooring.
1. You need flexibility
Whatever you are using your space for – whether it is for an office, retail space, warehouse, distribution centre, etc. – if you require any element of flexibility to allow you to make changes then raised flooring will be an asset. Raised flooring is particularly useful for running electrical and communications cables giving you quick and easy connectivity wherever your desks may be placed. They can also enable changes from open plan offices to meeting room use and vice versa to account for any growth or downsizing of your office areas without having to re-route cables or alter connection points.
Similarly, they provide storage space for any kind of materials you may need to hide away. Want to keep enough stock in your retail space that allows quick access, but don’t have that much stock that you need a separate warehouse? Have a flexible co-working space where each client’s requirements are different or which change as old users move out and new ones move in?
2. You want quick access
You may need quick and easy access for any of the following reasons:
- Getting to cabling or telecommunications equipment for new or different connections
- Dealing with maintenance or changes to a building’s heating and cooling systems to correspond with layout alterations
- Accessing additional stock in a retail environment
Regardless of the reason, a raised access floor offers an easy solution to all those needs.
3. Fire suppression
Raised flooring can also be used for fire suppression and done well it can allow for changes to space layouts or uses without the need for major reconfigurations to your building’s fire suppression system.
4. Drainage
Particularly applicable to basement areas or those spaces that have a high moisture content raised flooring can be used to assist with water supply and drainage management. If your space is to be used as a wet or clean room, drainage may need to be a significant consideration and using raised flooring as an option to manage this can provide easy access for maintenance. In the same way it can also be used to provide piping for water supply.
If you would like to discuss the benefits and applications of raised flooring, talk to our team of trained professionals at Fieldmans Raised Flooring who can help you find the right solution for your business needs. We can be contacted on 020 8462 7100 to book an appointment or for an initial discussion.
