Raised flooring
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Raised flooring refers to a type of flooring that is found usually in data centers and telecommunications environments.
These floors are similar to suspended ceilings, but in reverse. This type of floor consists of a metal framework or understructure that provides support for individual floor panels which are usually 2 foot square (imperial) or 600 mm square (metric for Europe) removable tiles. Raised flooring systems are a number of inches from the base or sub-floor. The panels are usually have a bare galvanised metal finish for overlaying in carpet tiles for office environments.There are a variety of finishes to suit the application, anti-static finishes HPL or vinyl are normally used in Computer Room Applications. To remove panels, workers will normally use a tool with a suction cup on the end that is referred to as a "floor puller", "tile lifter" or "suction lifter".
These types of floors allow data and electrical wiring to be run underneath the floor panels. They can also be used as a plenum, allowing for air conditioning systems to circulate cool air through the floors and help to keep computer equipment cool.
A problem associated with raised flooring is that since the flooring tiles are rarely removed once equipment has been installed, the space below them is seldom cleaned with vacuum cleaners, and fluff and other debris settles there, making working on cabling underneath the flooring a rather dirty job. Smoke detectors under the raised floor can be triggered by persons disturbing the dust resulting in false alarms.
