Frequently Asked Questions

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Q. Why use a raised access floor?
A. A raised access floor is used to provide a means of creating a void below floor level which is capable of ensuring building services are available at their required destination. These services will typically include the following:

• electrical power
• data
• telecom
• environmental control/air conditioning
• fire detection and suppression
• security
• water and drainage.

The use of a raised access floor will allow quick and easy access to these services for maintenance reasons. Also in today’s modern office environment Churn is a major issue. That is the number of times that the office layout has to be modified to cater for changing requirements brought about by new technology, new personnel or new tenants to a building.

Q. What are the benefits of using a raised access floor?
A. Raised access floors are used extensively to provide the following benefits:

• Quick and easy access to the ever increasing volume of power, data and telecom services found within a modern building.
• The underfloor void or cavity depth is often used as a large duct for HVAC systems.
• In speculative buildings premises need to be adaptable for the needs of incoming occupiers.
• Once occupied offices need to cater for office Churn and lend themselves to new office organisations and layouts with the redirection of services that implies.
• Accessibility is a major consideration. People want easy access to the services for maintenance, rerouting or upgrading with as little disruption as possible to the work process.

Q. What are the alternatives to using a raised access floor?
A. The alternatives are:

• Suspended ceilings. High level trunking runs are above the ceiling and services drop down at the required locations through service poles. However any relocation, maintenance etc is at high level thus causing major disruption to the office area.
• Pre-cast trunking. This method was common in the 1970s. Steel trunking is cast into the structural slab or topping screed along pre-defined runs. No flexibility to cater for future changes.
• Poke-through. Not often used in the UK but this is a common design practice in the USA and is simply feeding services through holes cut in the concrete slab from the floor above and down power poles to low level. No flexibility to cater for future changes.
• Skirting and Dado trunking. Steel or plastic trunking which runs around the perimeters of individual rooms. Adequate for small rooms but very limited for larger areas, also limited cable capacity.
• Furniture. Specialist furniture which encompasses in-built service runs. Expensive and limited to vicinity of furniture runs.

Q. What types of raised access floor are available?
A. There are two basic groups of raised access floor system available each with their own advantages.

• Gravity held or loose lay products. Here the floor panels rest on the pedestal head. The panels are held in place by their weight with lateral location providing engagement between panel and pedestal head. These systems allow very quick and easy access to the floor void and the panels can be readily finished with factory bonded finishes.
• Lock down or screw down products. In this case the floor panel is screwed or locked directly to the pedestal head thereby holding the panel in place and also providing lateral location. This system provides a very solid and rock free floor with quick and easy access to the floor void. However these systems cannot accept factory bonded finishes.