The Benefits (and maybe a con or two) of Low Profile, Raised Access Flooring
Reduces Construction & Lifecycle Costs
Many data centers, command centers and any high-tech spaces are often a jumble of wires, many of which are abandoned in place. This makes it difficult to know which wires feed which equipment. Messy cables make any changes to the configuration of your facility a huge ordeal, with the potentional for downtime and public service interruptions.
The efficiency gains in structured cabling installation and electrical distribution can offset the additional capital cost of the raised access floor itself, making an access floor a neutral or even a net-savings component of a construction project.
Slow to Change, Fast to Fail
We all know someone in our respective organizations who thinks the tried-and-true methods are best. Perhaps you know a person wanted to stay with diesel-powered city buses, rather than switch to a hybrid design. Perhaps your in-house facilities and engineering departments resist change for no other reason than: “We’ve always done it this way!”
Additional Construction Costs
If your organization does not currently use a raised access floor in your offices, dispatch or command centers, you will likely face resistance when you propose a low-profile access floor. Typically, those in charge of the budget will be hesitant to try something new, especially when it impacts your infrastructure. And to be clear, an access floor does increase construction costs.
However, we all know that construction costs are not the only costs affecting our organizations. After fuel and payroll costs, supporting (back office) infrastructure costs take up the biggest chunk of annual budgets.
We all know change can be uncomfortable, but positive changes are what drives our industry forward. Change can come in many forms: A change in energy sources. A change in bus design. Improved efficiency in dispatch and control systems. Even a change in our attitude and outlook on the future of urban transportation can have tangible effects on our daily work, which affects the lives of millions of people each day.
Agile Workplaces Create Agile Organizations
Never before has the need to be agile and dynamic been so important in the automotive industry.
Decide What To Do Using Official Sources AND Surveying Employees (get buy-in)
One of the best ways to create an agile workforce is to have a flexible office design, using cable management access floor to easily allow the office to be reconfigured.
Many business leaders know that in-person work helps boost collaboration, collision and collective energy.With the highly competitive automotive industry we have today, it has never been more important to ensure your team has all the tools they need to design cars that sell, and the inspiration they need to create cars that stand out.
Steve Jobs once said: “Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.”
In Person Work Is XX% more efficient than remote work. Steve Jobs designed the round Apple office for random meetings. People have moved to open offices because they think it increases collaboration. Zoom burnout. Loss of Productivity in 2020.
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) looks for ways to maximize office productivity while reducing the overall size of an office. One of several methods suggested is to use a raised access floor in an office, which makes offices more flexible, while reducing the square footage needed for a given number of employees.