Raised floors are more known for their use in offices and IT solution establishments which have major cable management needs. However, some of the benefits highly-computerized businesses get from raised floors can also be enjoyed by many different businesses and types of buildings. Commercial use of raised access floors is then something you should choose for your building. Read on to know about the 6 reasons why.
Number 1: Comfort
Comfort goes on top of the list mainly because we are talking about the office or building. Raised floors, built a few spaces away from the concrete ground, provide for a plenum or a hollow area which can be used for several purposes. With this, raised floors can provide for a way to get better indoor air quality. This is because, with its set-up, raised flooring can house floor-mounted diffusers which distribute air directly to different areas of your building or office space.
This basically takes care of any thermal discomfort you might have. Furthermore, you’ll find yourself much more in control of the air inside your building, its volume and temperature among many things.
Number 2: Energy Efficiency
In connection to number 1, another main area of concern for commercial real estate owners today is making their buildings more environment-friendly. The cooling system provided by raised flooring reduces the need for other electrical appliances like fans. The hollow underfloor area makes for good air circulation and can help negate other heat generated inside your building. A good example of this is the heat generated by overhead lights which can be removed by the floor-to-ceiling air flow provided for by raised floors. Thus, a raised floor system can help efficiently maintain consistent and comfortable temperatures.
This improved efficiency is essentially a result of the natural convection that moves the air towards you and other occupants in your building, requiring less fan energy. This is in stark contrast to the conventional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in conventional structures that are designed to make use of higher fan power to force cool air down to the area where you need it.
Number 3: Cable Organization
As already mentioned, one of the main purposes of using raised floors is cable management. Employing the same for your commercial building means that you are avoiding the clutter of wires that may have resulted from cabling that is embedded in walls. This conventional type of wiring would have led to numerous number of wires that would have been crazy difficult to organize. Furthermore, by using a raised floor system for wiring, you are avoiding waste from non-reusable cables that are used in conventional wiring.
Simply said, by avoiding the conventional embedded system, you are not only fixing poor space utilization but also saving materials. This is because, with the embedded and overhead cable management that would have been done, you would have needed more ductwork, suspension materials, and definitely labor. With raised floor systems, you are able to do without the rigid conventional structures and the additional need for materials.
Number 4: Cost Savings
In line with generating less waste, of course, numbers 2 and 3 lead to fewer costs for you. Reducing energy costs and maintenance costs are indeed two of the strong points of raised floors. Aside from these, during the construction itself, choosing raised floors could save you additional expenses that you may have incurred by lowering structural costs. This results from the reduced floor-to-floor height and the ability to adjust the unleveled subfloor. Consequently, a raised floor allows “laser-leveled” floor without the need for more complicated processes, significantly reducing construction time as well.
Number 5: Accessibility
Employing the use of raised floors entails that you can make adjustments to your commercial building more easily. By housing power and telecommunications in your underfloor area, you are able to ensure that your building more flexible to changes. This is especially crucial nowadays that technological upgrades need to be done more frequently, not just to keep up with the times, but to ensure that you are making use of the most effective and efficient means to keep your building running.
In other words, with the plug-and-play features of underfloor wiring, you can instantly redesign rooms in your building and make a new workstation if you want. With raised flooring, your space is yours to design, alter, and organize so you can be as creative as you want.
Number 6: Durability
Lastly, as a property management company or commercial real estate developer, one of the factors you would expectedly take into consideration when buying something for your building is its longevity. Aside from purchasing high-quality materials for raised flooring, its durability can be further enhanced by floor finishes which you can easily replace over time (as compared to regular floors). Examples of floor finishes include carpet, vinyl tiles, laminate, and stones. To help preserve the overall raised floor system, some users also apply subfloor sealant to prevent the migration of dust and other materials which can deteriorate the quality of your floors in the future.
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After reading this short list of six, you already have the general idea of why raised floors are getting all the hype nowadays. So for a quick recap, the main points are cost savings in energy, maintenance, and installation, flexibility to accommodate change, and functionality. In addition to that, with the growing trend of “smart buildings” with built-in intelligent systems, raised flooring becomes an even more perfect fit for you and your family. What’s also special about raised floor planning is that it encourages creativity and change which you can easily employ with the aforementioned flexibility of the flooring.
Initially, you might have thought that cable management is the only benefit you could get from raised floors. But, in commercial use where wiring is the main focus, you now know that installing raised floors brings in more advantages that are essential in a building like efficiency and comfort. So, when planning for your future commercial hvac solution, make sure to choose raised floors.
