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Campi Flegrei,
Naples Gulf

In the volcanic region of Campi Flegrei, fumaroles (steam exhalations) were already used for heating the spas. The engineer and entrepreneur Gaio Sergio Orata realizes he could replicate that system with a double floor or crawl space. As a result, the combustion of wood inside communicating ovens produces hot air that circulates in this space.

The raised floor conquers
the Empire

In the following centuries, the system was improved and widely used in spas and luxurious villas in Rome. Brick pillars support the huge tiles that create the space under the floor where the heated air flows. In the hottest thermal environments (calidarium) the temperature reaches 60 degrees, requiring wooden clogs for walking.

conquista impero
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Infernal
machines

IBM introduces a new device on the market called a mainframe computer, which works with point-to-point commands: each command corresponds to a cable connection. The first computers weighed several tons and occupied tens of square meters of space. Technological rooms are created to contain them and raised floors become an absolute necessity.

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Descrizione dell'immagine
Descrizione dell'immagine

Raised
computers

Initially, raised systems were purely technical solutions for computer centers, telephone exchanges and power station control rooms: in fact, they provide a structure that supports the weight of the machines, facilitates cables access and helps equipment to cool down. The raised floor uses simple steel plates supported by structures and pedestals (also in steel) which lay on the existing floor.

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Descrizione dell'immagine

A flash of
genius

The engineer Claudio Rossi is the protagonist of the diffusion in our country. Originally from Piove di Sacco (Padua), he moved to Milan after graduating in mechanical engineering. Here he works for a Swedish compressed air company. He realizes that, to install huge computers in the CED (Data Processing Centers), he must find a way to host the cables effectively. Raised floors seem ideal for the same reasons they have already solved overseas: ease of use and maintenance, high mechanical capacities.

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The Piovese district was born

Back in Piove di Sacco, Eng. Rossi founded HIROSS together with his brothers Giuliano and Vittorio in 1964. The company will play a significant role in the diffusion of raised floors and will be the leader of the "cold district", one of the most important in Europe.

The standards of the
raised floor

The standards for raised floors, that are still in use today, were born: 60x60 cm panels with adjustable pedestals and lateral stringers. The rise in aluminium prices led companies like GSA srl to produce iron pedestals for floors installation. The substructure system is revolutionized: snap-on locking (which replaces anchor screw), greater precision and tolerance of the components.

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Evolution
in Italy

In the Piovese area, HIROSS relies on subcontractors for the production of raised floors, since particular machines are required to square and edge them. Among the partners there is also Umberto Matterazzo, later founder of Newfloor. Experiments begin on current projects to find new materials and solutions. In Italy, new companies are emerging, often led by HIROSS ex-employees.

Aesthetics and livability

In large offices with high traffic, the raised floor not only plays a technical role, but also an aesthetic role and enhances the living spaces. As a result, its characteristics begin to be improved, resulting in more functional and suitable for workers’ needs. A floor that maintains the same characteristics as a traditional walking surface is needed: stable, acoustically and electrically insulated, and fire resistant. Tate, the historic US company, introduces the first welded steel panels filled with lightweight concrete: more stable and less rumored.

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1986
Newfloor is born

In the Piovese area, after collaborating with HIROSS for years, Umberto Matterazzo decides to invest in a company that specializes exclusively in the manufacturing of raised floors. He buys the land and builds the production site: Newfloor is born.

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Non-standard dimension

The 60x60 cm size comes from the Roman era of Orata, when the tiles measured two feet long. "Non-standard" solutions started appearing in the 1990s in response to increasingly diverse functional and aesthetic demands. Newfloor is among the first companies to offer this possibility, with panels ranging from 40x40 cm to 60x150 cm.

Avant-garde materials

At that time, panels were made in marble, without edges, cut with water and then glued to the support. Now it is starting to look at ceramics, which are lighter and cheaper than marble and easier to maintain than linoleum and carpet. Ceramics are applied everywhere: raised floors, but also facades. The ceramic company Marazzi was the first to produce a tile with an injected edge. Newfloor starts a collaboration with them and a German company to edge ceramics. In 1998, the company patented the porcelain stoneware panel edged with permanent joints.

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Continuous research

Recycled panels require less energy, fewer raw materials, and simplify waste management. In 2001, Tate launched the first high volume airflow panels for data centers. New researches on aesthetics are carried: floor with glossy, honed, and design finishes, where ceramic is always at the center.

The loose-laying floor

The spread of old buildings renovations, the high waste disposal costs and the reuse of materials, result in the need to cover old ruined raised floors with new or more fashionable finishes. In 2013, Newfloor patented the Freefloor system, a dry loose-lay floor.

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Descrizione dell'immagine

Look the future being realistic

The raised floor is an established and consolidated industry, which is now growing technologically. Newfloor focuses its research on creating products that are unique in the market: on one hand new coverings, that meet increasingly sophisticated design needs; on the other the integration of systems in the floor, such as radiant heating or backlit panels. Also, it collaborates with universities to introduce the raised access floor system to architecture and engineering students. Hoping to inspire new steps forward in the raised access floors world, towards new adventures.