• 1960s and 1970s
Centralised equipment rooms require raised access floors owing to extensive cabling and cooling requirements for computers and peripheral equipment.

• 1980s and 1990s
Personal computers in general office areas motivate use of access floors. Advent of underfloor air conditioning for occupant comfort.

• 21st century
Underfloor service distribution, e.g. power, fibre-optic voice/data cabling and HVAC, becomes industry standard. Provides healthy, high productivity environment and flexibility for reconfiguration.

The presence of information technology in the workplace has dramatically increased in today’s world, and will continue to influence the way that buildings are constructed. Advances in communications technology, and resulting power, voice and data cabling requirements are integral considerations in creating a productive work environment.

Conventional service distribution systems using overhead HVAC, and overhead power, voice and data cabling have failed to provide a cost-effective, flexible, and occupant-productive work environment.

An alternative underfloor service distribution system has evolved which provides an effective approach to office building design and interior space utilisation. This method allows you to be responsive to advances in technology as well as changes in your environment. It’s an approach that maximises return on some of your most valuable investments – your people, your technology and your property.

This underfloor service distribution system is called the Building Technology Platform® (BTP). This represents Kingspan Access Floors’ collaboration with some of the best respected names in climate control – York® International, Trox® and Krantz®.

In this section the limitations of overhead service distribution are compared, with solutions provided by the Building Technology Platform®.