The Power of Flexible Design – What raised floors and modular walls could mean for your workspace.
Successful interior workspaces incorporate a trio of design priorities: aesthetics, quality and longevity.
Traditional build-outs check off the first two, but when it comes to a space’s lifetime, they may fall flat.
Now, imagine being able to rebuild an office space from the inside out many times over.
As workspace dynamics and needs shift, LEGO-like modular wall and raised floor systems are giving companies greater flexibility to reconfigure their spaces in cost-effective, environmentally-friendly ways.
To attain the floorplate and workspace flexibility clients desired, Gilliland Construction Management recently used modular walls and raised floors in several new construction and renovation projects.
While the word “modular” may invoke images of unimaginative, prefabricated portable structures, today’s innovative modular wall systems are anything but. Customizable systems utilizing green materials and integrating technology components are elevating the look, value and lifetime of spaces—giving companies willing to try out bold new concepts a building method that will grow and change as they do.
“The last groundbreaking improvement in construction was the invention of drywall,” said Michael Schlosser, architectural interiors specialist at Parron Hall. “That was in 1916. Modular walls have now broken the mold. Today, we can design and manufacture walls offsite then simply pop them into place.”
These consumer-ready, easy-to-install systems can create open and inviting workspaces in military, commercial, education, healthcare, government and industrial settings. The walls are prefabricated over a few week period then installed after the space’s flooring and ceiling has been completed—an arrangement which also allows modular walls to be repositioned without the demolition of these surfaces.
They are also fully customizable, coming in wood, glass and laminate finishes—in varying colors and prints—and available with add-on accessories like whiteboards, shelving, doors, hooks and tack boards.
“Our only limitation is our imagination,” Schlosser said. “From function to appearance, each client has their own needs, and we can tailor these walls to be exactly what they need them to be. Really, anything is possible, we just have to figure it out.”
Raised floors have long been used in data center and control room designs to house snaking cables and large equipment in a safe, easy-to-access environment. These customizable systems are increasingly being incorporated into new construction and tenant improvement projects to provide under-floor pathways for various service distribution systems, including HVAC ductwork and telecommunications wiring.
With modifiable understructures and panels, made of materials like steel, aluminum and concrete, raised floorings provide a convenient solution for companies to concealing utilities while also giving them the ability to change an ever-evolving workspace without major construction.
These flexible design products can provide great value to both tenants and building owners. Their quick installation, cost-effectiveness and versatility are a powerful asset in new construction and renovation.
If your workspace is looking for a customizable flexible design like modular walls or raised floors, feel free to reach out to Matt First about suggestions and how he can help you your project out.
*All images provided by Parron Hall
