As a core infrastructure in scenarios such as data centers, laboratories, and modern offices, the selection of the raised cavity and pedestal height of raised access floors directly affects pipeline layout, heat dissipation efficiency, load-bearing safety, and space utilization. Unreasonable height design may lead to difficulties in later pipeline maintenance, increased air conditioning energy consumption, and even structural safety hazards. In building space design, determining the height of the raised cavity often requires balancing functionality and economy; simply pursuing a "high space" does not necessarily meet the needs. To accurately set the height of the raised cavity, it is essential to first consider the core influencing factors and then refer to common height standards based on specific scenarios to achieve "reasonable adaptation".

The core function of the raised cavity is to provide space for pipeline laying, equipment installation, and floor adjustment. Therefore, the height setting should be based on actual needs. This article will systematically sort out the core logic for selecting the raised height from three dimensions—functional requirements, scenario characteristics, and technical specifications—and provide implementable selection schemes for different scenarios.

I. Key Influencing Factors

1. Pipeline Laying Requirements

The types (e.g., cables, air conditioning ducts, water supply and drainage pipes, fire-fighting pipelines) and quantity of pipelines under the raised cavity are the primary factors determining the height. If only a small number of low-voltage cables need to be laid, a height of approximately 200 mm is sufficient. However, when the space needs to accommodate multiple high-voltage cables (with large diameters), large air conditioning ducts (with a cross-sectional size of up to 500 mm × 300 mm), and water supply and drainage pipes simultaneously, sufficient "space for pipeline arrangement" must be reserved. Additionally, the safety clearance between pipelines (e.g., avoiding cross-interference between cables and water pipes) should be considered. In such cases, an additional 100-200 mm of redundancy should be added to the total occupied height of the pipelines to prevent inflexible pipeline adjustments during later maintenance.

2. Heat Dissipation and Ventilation Requirements

For scenarios with high-heat equipment (e.g., data center servers, laboratory instruments), the raised cavity also needs to fulfill the function of ventilation and heat dissipation. The height selection should be combined with the air flow organization design:

• Underfloor air supply systems: Airflow needs to diffuse evenly upward from the raised cavity. Excessively low height can increase airflow resistance, so the height is usually required to be ≥ 300 mm. If the heat density of the equipment room is high (e.g., power density ≥ 10 kW per square meter), the height should be increased to 400-600 mm to ensure that cold air fully covers the bottom of the equipment.

• Natural ventilation scenarios: For ordinary offices or small equipment rooms, the height can be appropriately reduced, but it is necessary to ensure that there are no dead corners in the raised cavity to avoid dust accumulation affecting heat dissipation. A height of no less than 150 mm is recommended.

3. Load-Bearing and Structural Safety

There is a correlation between the height of raised access floors and their load-bearing capacity. An excessively high raised cavity will increase the load on the floor pedestals. Therefore, the height should be comprehensively considered based on the ground foundation conditions and load-bearing requirements:

• Conventional load-bearing scenarios: For offices and meeting rooms, the required uniform floor load is ≥ 2.5 kN/m². The pedestal height can be controlled at 100-300 mm, and standard pedestals can meet the needs.

• High load-bearing scenarios: For data center server cabinet areas (load ≥ 8 kN/m²) and laboratory heavy equipment areas (load ≥ 10 kN/m²), reinforced pedestals should be selected, and the height is recommended to not exceed 400 mm. If the height must be increased (e.g., ≥ 500 mm) due to pipeline requirements, the ground should be reinforced (e.g., laying reinforced concrete cushions) and the pedestal density should be increased (e.g., reducing the spacing from 600 mm to 400 mm).

4. Scenario Characteristics and Future Expandability

As scenario requirements continue to develop and upgrade, adjustments to equipment layout are needed. The functional requirements of different application scenarios vary, which imposes special requirements on the raised height. Meanwhile, space for future upgrades should be reserved:

• Cleanrooms/laboratories: Frequent cleaning of the raised cavity or pipeline replacement is required. The height should be sufficient for personnel to perform maintenance while bending over (usually ≥ 400 mm). Some scenarios need to reserve channels for disinfection equipment, requiring a height of ≥ 600 mm.

• Smart buildings/exhibition halls: If sensors, wireless APs, or intelligent wiring systems need to be installed in the raised cavity, an additional 20-50 mm of space should be reserved to avoid excessive pipeline congestion.

• Future expansion needs: For scenarios such as data centers and equipment rooms that plan to increase the number of servers, or offices that plan to add workstations, it is recommended to reserve 10%-20% redundancy when designing the height. For example, if the original requirement is 300 mm, it can be adjusted to 350-400 mm to reduce the cost of later updates and modifications.

II. Height Reference for Common Scenarios

The selection of the raised height of raised access floors for different scenarios can refer to the following standard schemes. In practical applications, adjustments should be made based on specific scenario requirements to select a suitable raised cavity height for the decoration plan.

1. Data Centers

• Small equipment rooms (< 200 m²): 300-400 mm, meeting basic wiring and underfloor air supply needs.

• Medium-sized equipment rooms (200-1000 m²): 400-700 mm, adjusted according to the heat density gradient.

• Large data centers (> 1000 m²): 600-800 mm, complying with TIA-942 and GB 50174 standards.

• High-density areas: 450-600 mm is recommended. Tests by manufacturers such as IBM show that this range can optimize airflow distribution.

2. Office and Commercial Buildings

• Ordinary offices: 150-250 mm, meeting cable management and basic ventilation needs.

• Smart exhibition halls: 200-300 mm, reserving space for sensors and intelligent wiring.

• Meeting rooms: 150-200 mm, balancing aesthetics and functionality.

3. Laboratories and Cleanrooms

• Conventional laboratories: 300-400 mm, facilitating pipeline maintenance.

• Cleanroom changing rooms: Basic height of 200 mm.

• Biological cleanrooms: ≥ 600 mm, meeting the passage requirements of disinfection equipment.

• Electronic cleanrooms: 400-600 mm, complying with anti-static and micro-environment control requirements.

4. Industrial and Special Scenarios

• Control rooms: 300-500 mm, adapting to high-density cables and heat dissipation needs.

• Radio and television centers: 350-500 mm, meeting the shielded installation requirements of audio and video cables.

• Hospital ICUs: 250-400 mm, balancing cleanliness requirements and pipeline complexity

III. Height Selection Process and Precautions

1. Height Selection Process

• Requirement Clarification: Define the scenario functions (e.g., whether high-heat equipment is included), pipeline types and quantities, load-bearing requirements (e.g., cabinet weight), and future expansion plans.

• Preliminary Calculation: Calculate the minimum height based on the total pipeline diameter + maintenance space + heat dissipation requirements; determine the maximum allowable height based on the load-bearing capacity and ground conditions.

• Scheme Verification: Use CAD or BIM software to simulate pipeline layout and air flow organization, and check for space conflicts. For high load-bearing scenarios, calculate the pedestal stress.

• On-Site Review: Measure the ground flatness (error ≤ 3 mm/2 m) and ground load-bearing capacity to ensure the design scheme meets on-site conditions.

• Scheme Finalization: Comprehensively consider requirements and on-site conditions to finalize the height, and specify supporting parameters such as pedestal type and floor specifications in the contract.

2. Precautions

• Avoid "The Higher, the Better": An excessively high raised cavity will increase air conditioning energy consumption (e.g., for every 100 mm increase in height, the air conditioning load increases by approximately 5%) and easily reduce floor stability.

• Pay Attention to Ground Flatness: If the ground error is large, leveling should be performed first to avoid uneven stress on the pedestals leading to floor deformation.

• Compliance Check: It is necessary to comply with national standards such as Code for Design of Data Centers (GB 50174) and Code for Design of Building Floors (GB 50037). For example, the height of raised access floors in data centers should not be less than 200 mm.

• Cost Control: For every 100 mm increase in height, the material cost of pedestals and floors increases by approximately 15%-20%. A balance between functional requirements and cost should be found.

IV. Huilian — Providing You with a Suitable Raised Access Floor Solution

As a leading brand of raised access floors and a professional manufacturer with international certifications such as CISCA and ISO 9001, Huilian provides professional raised access floor solutions from design consultation to installation and maintenance, helping customers accurately match their height needs. The company continuously improves and enriches its product structure and range, covering three mainstream product categories in the raised access floor field, which can meet the needs of various application scenarios.

• Large-Scale Production Capacity: Huilian has two production bases covering an area of 140,000 square meters, with more than 500 skilled workers. Its strong production capacity ensures support for large-scale projects while providing competitive Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ) and high-quality products.

• Scenario-Based Product Matrix: For different scenarios such as data centers and laboratories, Huilian can provide a full-range adjustable pedestal system with a height range of 100-1200 mm.

• High-Quality Products: Huilian adheres to strict quality standards and holds international certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 45001, CISCA, SGS, and KS. The company owns exclusive design patents and is committed to quality assurance, ensuring that each product meets the highest industry standards.

• Global Project Experience: Height solutions verified in over 1,000 projects across more than 50 countries, including large data centers and high-precision cleanrooms.

V. Conclusion

The selection of the raised height of raised access floors is essentially a balance between "functional requirements, safety performance, and cost control". There is no need to blindly pursue high heights, nor should the height be reduced solely to save costs. The core principles of "sufficient pipeline capacity, adequate heat dissipation, guaranteed load-bearing, and future expandability" should always be followed. Whether you need a high-standard data center complying with TIA-942 or a cleanroom meeting GMP requirements, Huilian can provide a height solution that balances functionality, economy, and compliance