Mezzanine Floors Sydney are semi-permanent structures that, when constructed inside an existing structure, create a new floor between the floor and the roof. They’re a cost-effective method of creating extra space inside an existing building. Mezzanine floor experts AW Structures say that, if you’re looking to expand your business but the cost of moving or extending your premises seem too expensive, mezzanine floors might be the answer , expanding the floor space by a third.
Mezzanines have a variety of uses; they can be utilized to store items (Raised platform for storage) as well as plant support structures, work areas, manufacturing zones, offices, and retail areas. There’s an endless amount of possibilities of mezzanine structures and they are a economical way of increasing the amount of floor space you can use.
Mezzanine floors aren’t just an economical option for expanding, but also be an excellent option to consolidate an existing business into smaller, more efficient premises, making use of all the space available. If your business is currently operating on two different sites, should you consider the possibility of bringing your two sites together by introducing mezzanine floors to provide the floor space you need.
Things to take into consideration prior to buying a mezzanine Floor
Headroom Available
The most crucial aspect to consider in any mezzanine floor is the amount of headroom that is available. The norm is that a minimum roof height of approximately. 4.500m is the minimum required to have adequate headroom on both the first and ground floors.
Loading
Mezzanine floors are built to meet the requirements of customers, and also to meet the load requirements that are stipulated in Building Regulations and BRE Digest 437. Mezzanine loads start at 2.5kn/m2 (250kg/m2) in lighter offices without partitions. They can increase to extreme heavy loads for specialist activities, but a typical design load is around 5kn/m2 (500kg/m2) which is sufficient for the majority of applications. Also, consideration must be made to the maximum amount of deflection (bounce) in the design. Mezzanines are typically light-weight structures that permit deflection in their design. It is however reduced by reducing the limits of deflection in the design… the mezzanine floors that are less expensive typically have higher deflection (bounce).
Use
The choice of mezzanine floors is crucial as it can affect the application of the rules of the Building Regulations. In the event that the mezzanine flooring is intended to be used for a working area or is used to sell products, consideration has to be taken to ensure that there is a suitable accessibility for people with disabilities as per Part M in the Building Regulations. This is typically accomplished by the installation of an accessible (Part M) staircase. Mezzanine floors utilized as work areas or for retail use are required to comply with more stringent fire safety requirements and evacuation requirements as opposed to storage floors. All mezzanines have been assessed for risk according to the purpose for which they are intended and are constructed accordingly.
Access/Escape
Mezzanine floors are usually accessible through the staircase. You must consider where it is placed according to your specific needs. However, it is important to pay attention to its location relative to the fire escapes within the building in order to reduce the distance for escape. The maximum travel distances are an essential Building Regulations requirement and as for mezzanine floors with higher levels, more staircases are required.
Mezzanine support legs
Mezzanine floors are usually free-standing structures , independent of the structure and they are supported by their own columns. The placement and the number of columns are highly flexible and may be designed to suit particular site conditions and needs. However , as a rule of thumb the less columns are included in the design , the more costly the structure will become.
Decking surface
The majority of mezzanines use 38mm of high-density particle board decking, which is extremely flexible and offers an extremely durable and hard wearing surface that is suitable for a variety of applications. There are different decking materials readily available such as Plywood’s and other steel surfaces.
