Definition: raised floor

An elevated floor used in datacenters and laboratory facilities that allows wires to be run underneath. A raised floor is also used to distribute cooling. There are many varieties; however, the traditional raised floor uses square tiles over an aluminum grid that creates a plenum (space) several inches above the actual floor. Each tile can typically be lifted up and out for access to the cables below. Although raised floors are commonly used for datacenter cooling, a unique alternative eliminates the raised floor (see KyotoCooling).




The Traditional Raised Floor