The access floor industry, sometimes referred to as raised flooring, was born in the early

60s in response to special environmental concerns within large mainframe computer

rooms. In addition, the massive amount of cooling and air-conditioning required by
supercomputers created the need for a flooring system that allowed air circulation, wire
management, and load-bearing support for the heavy equipment. The early versions of
raised/access flooring used simple steel plates supported by structural steel suspended
over the existing floor. Soon the industry adopted the two-foot by two-foot panel format
with adjustable pedestal and lateral understructure support, still used today. Until the
late 70s, industry growth was fueled by the use of computers in both government and
industry. The late 80s would see Wall Street explode and bring with it a demand for
additional and larger trading operations and the infrastructure needed to support them.
At the same time, the personal computer drove access flooring into general office
buildings. Computers occupied nearly every desktop, requiring Intra and Internet access
and e-mail and fax machine capability. Open office architecture, free of walls or power
poles, improved the work environment and thus productivity. According to an article in
the Wall Street Journal, on Jul., 9, 2003, more and more building designers were turning
to raised flooring to give the constantly complaining, overheated, and shivering office
masses control over personal climates. Raised-floor ventilation delivered conditioned air
through adjustable vents in each workspace. To address the rising need of quieter
environments in the workplace, the panels were filled with concrete to dampen the
noise. With critical services located under a continuous floor system, an office could be
reconfigured in minutes rather than days, thus lowering building life-cycle costs.The 90s
saw a boom in the telecommunications industry overall with the exponential growth of
Internet-related services. Web farms were being built literally around the clock, driving
access floor manufacturing to new heights. In addition, high-tech environments, clean
rooms, biomedical, microelectronic, pharmaceutical, and laboratory facilities fueled the
need for greater flexibility in electrical and HVAC system access and design. The
advanced flooring systems that were manufactured used several different components,
giving a building owner a choice among concrete-filled or hollow-steel panels, metal-clad
wood-core panels, or, in some instances, complete die-cast aluminum components. This
Bear market of the 2000s would bring downturns in all industries. The focus has turned
inward to cost savings and ever-increasing environmental concerns. Building owners and
facilities managers are looking for ways to refurbish their facilities rather than relocate or
replace them. In a recent research report by Buildings magazine (Modernization in the
Buildings Market, March 2003), 83.1 percent of survey respondents are currently
involved in modernization projects, while only 64.8 percent are involved in new
construction projects. Topping the list of products to be purchased for modernization
projects are carpet at 81 percent, and hard-surface floors at 50.6
percent. Greener/smarter buildings, and the business worlds obsession with budget
constraints, have spurred a new evolution in the access flooring industry. Advances in
adhesives and equipment have enabled a new on-site rejuvenation process. While the
access floor infrastructure endures, the finishes and wear surfaces applied to the panels
do not. In a stand-alone mobile unit delivered to the site, building owners can now reuse
existing floor panels by removing, refinishing, and reinstalling them over a period of
days rather than weeks or months. By refinishing on-site, handling and transportation
costs and the cost of a new understructure and its installation are eliminated. In
addition, there is no worker downtime or complaint or environmental hazard from
airborne contaminants, particulates, or out-gassing. Recycling panels also uses less
energy, fewer raw materials, and minimizes accumulation in landfills. From a fiscal and
environmental standpoint, clearly it makes sense to reuse and refinish at the source.Dotti
L. Campbell is director of sales and marketing at Access Floors OnSite (www.accessfloorsonsite.com),
Charleston, SC.