Category: Office Fitout (page 5 of 8)

Planning permission and building regulations for commercial mezzanines

Before having a commercial mezzanine installed, it’s important to gain all relevant approval required.

Commercial mezzanine floorsare typically raised, demountable platforms, commonly used by businesses to cost-effectively gain more space within their premises.

Having a mezzanine installed before it has been approved is risky business, as it could end up requiring changes to make it compliant with the relevant regulations.

Does a mezzanine require planning permission?

Providing that your mezzanine floor is a mobile structure and that no external changes are required to install it, then you won’t require planning permission.

You are, however, likely to require building regulation approval.

Building regulation approval for mezzanine floors

Nearly all new mezzanine floors require building regulation approval to ensure that they are safe, meet quality standards, and are compliant with safety regulations.

Mezzanine floors are required by law to be compliant with the following statutory requirements:

Building Regulations 2000 (England and Wales).
Structure: Approved Document A.
Fire Safety: Approved Document B.
Stairs, ramps and guards: Approved Document K.
Means of access for disabled: Approved Document M.

When you apply for building regulation approval, your local authority or approved inspector will look at the detailed plans for your new mezzanine and information about the existing building, to ensure that the new structure will be safe and complies with access and fire regulations.

At Millennium Storage and Interiors, we have 20 years’ experience in designing and installing mezzanine floors. We will be happy to provide you with everything you require to gain building regulation approval.

Mezzanine safety tips

March 7, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

Keep employees safe at work by implementing these four simple mezzanine safety tips.

Installing a mezzanine floorin your warehouse is a smart way of affordably gaining more floorspace.

Once you’ve had your mezzanine installed, it’s important to train employees in the safety rules and regulations surrounding how to use your new space safely.

As well as initial training, processes should be put in place to ensure that mezzanine safety is maintained ongoing.

Here are our top 4 tips for using your mezzanine safely.

Review your safety policy

After your mezzanine has been installed, don’t forget to review all existing health and safety policies and update them accordingly. Safety regulations surrounding your mezzanine should adhere to OSHA, be easy for employees to access, and actively communicated and implemented.

Keep it free of clutter and debris

Staff should take extra care to keep the mezzanine floor and staircase clean and free of clutter and debris. Workplace slips, trips and falls could often have been prevented if an area had been kept tidy and free of obstruction.

Designate a safety officer

All employees should be trained in mezzanine safety as part of their onboarding process. Having said that, it can also be useful to assign one or more people the role of ‘safety officer’, making it their responsibility to know the safety regulations inside out and ensure they are being adhered to.

Do not exceed load limits

Your mezzanine will have a maximum load limit which should always be adhered to. Make sure the maximum weight limit and person capacity are clearly visible and there are processes in place to ensure that they are never exceeded.

For more help and advice about how to use your new mezzanine safely, give our friendly team a call on 01942 603 344.

How To Create A Breakout Space

February 8, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

If your office doesn’t have a breakout space and you have thee space to create one, then you and your employees will be missing out on all the benefits they can bring. Here’s some guidance on how to create the ideal breakout space in your office.

A breakout space may have a name that suggests something new and exciting but really, it’s simply an area where employees and visitors can sit and relax in an informal space. The breakout area or break room to use the old-fashioned term is simply the modern evolution of an area that would have been a smoking room in factories and offices before it was banned.

Now the breakout room is a place for relaxation away from computer screens which the most people now work on in service industries. They can also be places to eat lunch, hold informal meetings and brainstorm.

Breakout rooms should be furnished with soft furnishings, comfy chairs and sofas and painted using colours that encourage relaxation. Ideally the area should be partitioned to separate it from the main office.

If you are looking for office refurbishment call us today to find out about the services we offer.

3 Reasons to Revamp Your Office In 2019

January 10, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

After waving goodbye to 2018 it is time to focus on what 2019 has in store including any changes that might be needed to your office space. Here are our top 3 reasons to revamp your office in 2019.

Bring some positivity
Not everyone starts the year on a positive note. The often dark gloomy days of January leave staff with nothing much to look forward to. Throw in a month of struggle after the excesses of the Christmas and News Year break and you have a recipe for poor morale and people with one eye on a career move. An office makeover can take away some of this feeling of repetition and help create a more dynamic environment that will hopefully inspire staff.

Improve productivity
A well organised and inviting office space can do wonders for productivity levels. Studies have even shown this to be the case. If staff are unhappy with their work environment they won’t be as productive. Ensuring there is plenty of natural light and work spaces are open is particularly important as is ensuring those who prefer peace and quiet aren’t bothered by noise and chatter.

It will demonstrate progress
If your business isn’t moving forward it can often start going backwards. A makeover will project success and give the impression to customers that your business is going places.

What You Need to Create A Healthy Office

November 25, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

If you own a business, you and your staff are going to be spending a large proportion of your waking lives working in the same office space. This makes it vitally important that you ensure that the environment is as healthy as possible to keep everyone motivated and productive. Here’s how to achieve a healthy office…

One of the first places to start in creating a healthy office environment is lighting. Too much artificial light is not good for the eyes and old outdated lighting can not only be inefficient but also add additional problems for employees already staring at laptop and computer screens. Where possible offices should make the most of any natural light available.

The second and most troublesome area is temperature control. It can be difficult to regulate temperature to everyone’s liking in a large office as there will inevitably be cold spots and warm spots. Spending extra on better air conditioning systems can make a major difference all year round.

When these basic areas are taken care attention can then be focused on areas such as providing easy access to drinking water and even exercise spaces for more progressive offices.

Tips on Fitting Out Stockrooms

November 12, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

If you have a business that holds a lot of stock then you will naturally need to keep that stock in good condition and you will find there are plenty of solutions to achieve just that.

Organising a stock room correctly is of vital importance to the functioning business handling large amounts of stock. If a stockroom isn’t fitted with the right storage aids or is lacking them altogether, then chaos is often the result.

Having a well organised stick room means you can get to the items you need quicker and identify areas where there are low stock levels so new orders can be placed to satisfy demand for particular products.

Shelves and racking
Shelves and racking are mong the more popular storage options. They keep items off the floor and greatly increase storage capacity. Shelves and racking are ideal for use in stock rooms where both large and smaller items may be stored.

Wire shelves
Wire shelves are extremely lightweight and more mobile. They are also robust and ideal for storing medium and lightweight items. They are also easy to assemble and are usually delivered in flatpack form which saves space.

Garment racking and clothes rails
While shelving and standard racking is great for storing most products, clothing presents its own challenges. Garment racking is the ideal solution which allows items to be easily accessed and crease free. Clothes rails with casters are also useful in busy retail outlets where turnover is high.
If you encounter any problems organising your warehouse, feel free to get in touch with our helpful team today.

There Is More Than One Type Of Office Partition

September 26, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Office partitions allow you make the most of your office space as well as reorganise and create new workspaces. It is, however, essential to consider which office partition will work best in your particular environment. Here are some of the merits of each type…

Solid Partitions
As the name suggests these are more permanent partitions. These are most suited to office spaces where confidentiality is important. Solid partitions can always be mixed and matched with glass partitions to brighten things up.

Glass Partitions
Glass partitions are great for smaller offices where you want clutter kept to a minimum. They also create brighter more collaborative workspaces which tend to keep staff happier in comparison to solid walls which can create unnecessary barriers in some offices.

Demountable Partitions
These are highly flexible and easy to move around if your office space is more fluid. With many old town centre buildings being transformed into enterprise hubs and business incubators, demountable partitions can provide a way to create separation between work spaces and allow plenty of scope to change layouts at the same time.

For more information or guidance on installing office partitions give us a call today or look through the range of services we provide.

The Do’s and Don’ts Of Office Fitouts

August 25, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Did you know that a quarter of the space in most office isn’t used at all? This can not only contribute to an inefficient use of space but also cramped areas and low morale among uncomfortable staff. You can solve these problems by having a professional office fitout, but keep these do’s and don’t in mind before going ahead.

Do have a long think about what you want from your office
Refurbishing an office can sometimes be done in a rush to save time and disruption. Unfortunately, this often ends in poorly planned layouts so it pays to have a good think about what you need before hiring a company to do the fitting.

Don’t forget about planning
Planning an office fitout takes time and is best done by a professional using the latest technology so you can see what the result will be before the work starts.

Do keep an eye on trends
Like anything else interior design fashions come and go but some are enduring. In today’s technology age provision should be made to future proof your spaces and prepare them for the technological advances of tomorrow.

Don’t forget about health and safety
Health and safety might be boring but it is so important to stick to the rules and avoid introducing anything that could result in you getting sued by someone for neglecting health and safety during works and afterwards.

Office Fitouts, Noise And Disruption – It doesn’t Have To Be That Way

August 15, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Office fitouts more often than not happen when an office is occupied and this can be disruptive and at worst annoying to staff and prospective clients alike. So how do you plan an office fitout that causes the minimum of disruption?

The first thing to do is to use a professional office fitout company to do the work. We will have the experience necessary to carry out the work required with the minimum of disruption.

Planning is of course the key to ensuring that disruption and noise from the work is minimised. A good office fit out company will understand that work shouldn’t be carried out in a haphazard way. Instead refurbishment work will be carefully planned from where the work will be done to the time it is scheduled. Both are essential to ensure minimum disruption to workflows.

The last thing you will need from your fitting company is the sound of their drills while you are on the point of closing important deals in the boardroom and this is where planning the time this work takes place is important.

You will find that hiring an office fit out company will achieve all these goals quickly and efficiently.

3 Important Boardroom Design Considerations

March 10, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

The boardroom is the hub of your organisation where all the big decisions and deals are often made so it is important to make it a space fit for these purposes. With this in mind, here are our three most important boardroom design considerations.

Furniture
A tired old boardroom is likely to induce that same feeling of lethargy in meetings and conference calls. Investing in some new boardroom furniture including comfortable chairs and the right bright colours will liven up meetings and may even inspire more creativity.

Acoustics
The inside of your boardroom should at the very least be well insulated from outside noise from phones ringing and general chatter from staff outside. It should also have good acoustics on the inside so that everyone can be heard no matter where they happen to be seated.

IT Infrastructure
There is nothing worse than spending valuable time in the boardroom fiddling with monitors and fumbling around trying to get equipment connected. If you have potential clients sitting in your boardroom witnessing this, it will do little to inspire confidence in your business. A boardroom should be the flagship part of your office space and that should include seamless technology.