Going up a level
September 1st 2006 How do you decide if a mezzanine or raised floor will benefit your business and what points must you consider if you do decide to add such a structure your facility?
In this article, storage equipment specialist Link 51 provides the answers to some of the questions that are frequently asked about mezzanine floors and raised storage areas.
What exactly are mezzanine floors and raised storage areas, and what benefits do they bring to the end user? Essentially, a mezzanine floor is a raised platform independent of the host building structure, supported by steel columns. It creates additional floor space for a multitude of uses production, storage, retail and office space and so on. It offers a cost effective and rapid alternative to relocation, releasing unused space in existing premises with minimal disruption.
On the other hand, a raised storage area, or tiered storage structure as it is most commonly known, is a raised platform rack or shelf mounted structure independent of the host building structure. It is supported by either pallet racking or shelving to eliminate the need for a structural floor. It increases floor space and optimises storage capacity by using the height of the building.
What standards should they be built to? Mezzanine floors should comply with BS5950 parts one and five and BS6399.
They must also comply with Building Regulations and require approval by the building control body and your local fire officer. It may be worth checking to see if any local enactments apply.
Tiered storage structures, meanwhile, must comply with Building Regulations and require approval by the building control body and your local fire authority.
What load can they bear? Mezzanine floors can cope with all possible applications, from light storage to the support of heavy machinery, with imposed load ratings from 3.5 to over 20kN/m2.
Typically, rack or shelving mounted raised storage structures allow for between 3.5 5kN per square metre. However it is possible to design in greater floor loading although this will incur greater costs and may add limitations to the structure.
What sizes, formats and configurations do mezzanine floors and raised storage platforms come in? Are they an 'off the shelf' product, or are they all tailored to order? Mezzanine floors are all bespoke to meet customers' individual needs. They are available in a wide range of floor areas, from 10m2 to well over 15,000m2. With mezzanine floors however, forget square metres, think cubic it's all about getting the best use from the total volume of your premises, and often a multi-tier mezzanine offers the optimum solution.
Tiered storage structures are all bespoke to meet customers' individual needs. They are available in a wide range of floor areas, from 10m2 to well over 15,000m2.
What materials are they made of? In most cases the floor of a mezzanine will be made with steelwork and a choice of decking timber, steel checker plate, particleboard or open mesh.
The walkways within tiered structures can either be supported by angles fixed to the front face of the rack or by purlins to allow greater spans of walkways.
The flooring material can be specified as particleboard typically 38mm thick or open grid steel flooring, the depth of which can be varied to allow for various floor loadings.
Benefits of particle board flooring include the option to add decorative or non slip floor surfaces which can be laid on top. If there is a very large area of flooring with particleboard it may be a requirement of the building regulations that the underside of the particleboard floor be fire protected to Class O flame spread resistance. Benefits of open steel flooring include increased spread of lighting from the floor above and water penetration for the operation of sprinklers.
How much do mezzanine floors and raised storage areas cost? As mezzanine floors are tailor-made, they are individually priced depending on size, scope and specification. Prices typically range from 5000 up to 1m. In general terms it is more economical to use a rack or shelf mounted structure than a mezzanine floor. However, a mezzanine floor (if fitted with a suspended ceiling and column protection) will negate the need for a sprinkler system which will ultimately decrease the overall cost.
How long does the mezzanine floor or raised area installation process take from order to completion? The normal project timetable for both mezzanines and tiered storage areas is similar. A typical timetable would be as follows: Week 1: Detailed Site Survey Week 2: Design and general arrangement. Create drawings Week 3: Client approval of design and drawing Week 4: Building regs application* Week 7: Structural steel manufacture
*This can vary according to length of time it takes to pass building regulations application.
How long do mezzanine floors and tiered structures take to install? Depending on size and complexity installation times range typically from a single day to several weeks. As a rough guide, a straightforward 500m2 mezzanine floor can be installed in one week.
How easily can they be dismantled and re-erected elsewhere? Mezzanines and raised storage structures can be dismantled at a similar rate, but it is not advised. Building regulation and fire approvals are given for specific locations, so if you move a floor you have to go through all that again. You would have to do new load calculations for the new site. You'd think re-using a floor would save money, but it often ends up costing more.
Can I use shelving or racking on a mezzanine floor? Where shelving or racking is to be installed onto a mezzanine floor it is very important to design the floor to accept the point loads of the rack or shelf frames.
One benefit of this method is greater flexibility in width of walkways. It also allows for greater flexibility for changes to be made to the shelving or racking configuration at a later date.
Free guide to Raised Storage Areas and Mezzanine Floors Link 51 has produced a 40 page guide to mezzanines and raised storage. The A5-sized booklet provides a host of valuable advice to anyone considering installing a mezzanine or raised area with particular emphasis on compliance with building regulations.
For a free copy of the Link 51 guide to Building Regulations for Raised Storage Areas and Mezzanine Floors, use the enquiry bar below: More articles from Link 51 (Storage Products) Ltd: | 
