STRUCTURAL MEZZANINES
When considering optimizing your storage space, consider a mezzanine. Mezzanines are low-level stories used in warehouses, gyms, libraries, homes and many more applications. At times the cost of moving into a bigger lease not only costs more money, but also puts a halt on your day to day operations and can be solved by redeeming the pre-existing cubic volume to your facility. As a result these structural steel platforms can be used to reconfigure your plan, provide more production space and relocate areas of less importance to the 2nd or 3rd level deck.
DESIGN CRITERIA
Designing a mezzanine can be a straight forward process or a complicated one. There are many variables that play a role that are governed in the applicable use of mezzanines. One must consider for starters if the mezzanine has the ceiling height to be functional? Will it be used for equipment support or eventually expand as your business grows? As a structural platform, a mezzanine can be over designed to engineered to meet specification. One of the most important concerns to foreshadow is how much weight will the system support? Will it be a uniformly distributed load or a point load on a receiving end? This load will determine the approximate weight of the system and determine if the concrete slab of your facility can support your platform or require special footings. To be safe and meet all city or county compliance codes, one will need to conduct a slab and soil analysis with a local engineering firm or through your mezzanine manufacturer. Many customers that purchase a used mezzanine are unaware that the mezzanine’s structural column base and foot plates are sized to meet load bearing specifications. As a result, they do not forecast neither the weight distributed on the columns or the slab thickness to support the load. In this case a larger base plate does not even help eliminate the need for concrete footings.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER :
- Determine how you plan to use the mezzanine, is it over designed for future expansion?
- Make sure mezzanine column base plates are sized appropriately.
- Determine and coordinate with your designer to configure your column layout.
- Do guardrails and stairs meet the permitting agencies requirements and their code compliance?
- Know your slab capacity and soil strength.
- Do you have at least 14 ft of clear ceiling height?
- Do your mezzanine materials meet ASTM specifications?
- Is your mezzanine a modular mezzanine or a custom designed mezzanine?
- If it is modular and purchased as a package deal, does it meet your size and load requirements and have the necessary components (i.e. staircase, gate. handrail, etc.)?
- Are your flooring options suitable for your use to transport products
- and equipment?
- Have you selected a swing gate? If so, is it the best fit for its use?
- Are all structural calculations performed by a professional structural engineer?
- Are the engineering plans stamped by a professional engineer and ready for city submittal?
- Are the mezzanine structural calculations stamped by a professional structural engineer and ready for submittal?
- Is your installation team licensed and insured to meet city compliance?
- Is it galvanized or powder coated?
