When you think about greening your office, you probably think about recycling paper, or improving indoor air quality. But your workspace also needs to organize hundreds of cables and wires, accommodate computer networks, telephones, and appliances — and still be kept safe and well maintained (to keep that air quality improved). Is there a sustainable solution?
Yes: your best green bet here is a metal raised access floor—in fact, the right floor can contribute LEED credits to your building and stay entirely out of the waste stream. Look for a modular, all steel construction: both recycled and recyclable.
Your steel raised access floor can contribute LEED credits, specifically MR Credits 1 - 4: Building Reuse, Construction Waste Management, Materials Reuse, and Recycled Content.
A steel product is 100% recyclable and satisfies fire regulations: you'll get a green light from the fire chief who, in Manhattan for instance, will not allow a wood, particle-board, or plastic floor.
Find a steel floor that may be installed with non-plenum rated cabling—this keeps the toxins found on the sheathing out of the food chain, and provides re-use capability, allowing older buildings to meet current (and future) technology and connectivity requirements.
Steel has exceptional load bearing specifications, and this strong, tough flooring can be picked up, moved, and rearranged hundreds of times without deteriorating—it won't get torn out and thrown away. As an additional cash flow and environment saver, some raised access floors can be leased.
Your raised access floor has another green benefit: it's finished with carpet or wood tiles—which can be replaced one at a time, keeping waste out of overburdened landfills.
To save energy, landfill space, and benefit lower-budget buildings and renovations, clean and donate used tiles to Habitat For Humanity, or The Loading Dock.
Get your building working today—be clean and green with steel raised access flooring.
Sheri Gorman, LEED AP, is director of marketing for RD Weis Companies, Port Chester, NY, www.rdweis.com