Also known as an elevated floor system, an access floor system is simply a raised structural floor placed on a reinforced concrete slab. The access floor consists of several panels which are installed on different vertical adjustable pedestals.
Note that the pedestals are fixed to the concrete slab using mechanical fixings or adhesives. Since the pedestals are adjustable, the gap between the reinforced concrete and the elevated floor system can be varied between 7.62 cm and 48 cm.
The panels for a raised floor system are made of a wood or cement core clad in aluminium or steel. Its size should be 60.96 cm by 60.96 cm. These panels are compatible with different flooring finishes such as laminate, vinyl, linoleum, carpet, rubber, stone, and ceramic tiles.
Best raised access flooring company specialists Fieldmans Access Floors strongly believes that having raised access floors installed provides many benefits.
These include;
- The floor system tackles the issue of wiring transfer across the floor
- In high seismic regions, leads to the reduction of construction costs
- Can serve as a high heat mass base material for any radiant heat system. Actually, heating and cooling is more efficient with a raised access floor system
- Acoustic isolation is another common benefit associated with a raised access floor system
Another benefit of the raised flooring system is that the concrete can be finished as a final flooring finish by polishing, sealing, stamping, or even staining. That means the extra cost of covering used for covering a floor isn’t necessary.
In any high wind threat area, a raised access floor can improve the lateral resistance and probably enhance the durability of multi-storey buildings, particularly when combined with a concrete roofing system.
Note that raised floors can also be used in computer rooms. These systems are sophisticated and designed for computer rooms that are prone to overheating. These floors also offer other benefits.
These include;
1. Easier maintenance
Whenever dealing with complicated and probably crowded arrays of servers which are often referred to as ‘cloud’ servers, it can be almost impossible to perform effective maintenance if these servers are not well organized.
Think of raised access floor systems as a good way by which you can keep your servers organised. With properly laid cabling and easy access ports, maintaining your organisation’s computers is made more convenient for all technical supervisors and staff.
2. Fewer or no instances of overheating
The primary goal of raised access floor systems is to ensure that your servers and computers aren’t prone to overheating. Note that overheating can result in server maintenance issues such as hardware maintenance failure, and probable disruptions in service.
These machines are better cooled from the bottom using a unique design that can ensure that the effectiveness of the server array isn’t compromised by heat. Raised access floor systems are very helpful in preventing overheating in server rooms.
3. Disaster recovery plan
Many server tower storage solutions are believed to void a disaster recovery plan. Fortunately, newer designs of raised access floor systems have this plan. These systems are secure and have an alternative source of power.
In case of disasters such as critical power failure, the backup power source can keep the servers cool and functioning. This can preserve data integrity even during times of emergency.
Raised access floor systems are common and can be applied in different areas. Some of these areas include computer rooms, exhibit spaces, general open office areas, conference and training areas, and clean rooms.
