Can you get a government grant for a mezzanine floor?

Can you get a government grant for a mezzanine floor?

In the UK most local authorities will have business funding grants available for new start enterprises and business wishing to expand and relocate. A mezzanine floor structure can be incorporated into the funding package as part or as a full grant application.


The above photograph is from a recently installed mezzanine for storage funded by a local authority business grant. Once the floor was complete grant funding also helped to create a new office and showroom below the mezzanine.

If you wish to discuss funding for an Alba mezzanine floor or finance options available please contact us via our website www.albasystems.co.uk

Mezzanine for cold store.

When a customer approached Alba Systems about installing a mezzanine in a chill store Alba didn't take cold feet. 

Alba designed a free standing mezzanine to let the air circulate around the chill store. A high standard of finish was required for this upmarket high street food retailer and tread safe decking boards were used with a white melamine underside to keep the clinical look. Alba installed this mezzanine on a night shift enabling the customer to continue their daily operation. Alba can install a food safe mezzanine floor with finished to compliment a food processing area. 

If you would like to discuss a proposal contact Alba Systems today.  

Warehouse Canopies

Looking for an external warehouse canopie? 

Alba Systems based in Scotland can manufacture all types of Canopies internal and external applications catered for. 

Canopies help protect employes and delivery drivers from the elements and can be used to store goods that require to be kept dry. 

Contact Alba for a full design and consultation free of charge. 

www.albasystems.co.uk. 

Take a bow Alba surveyors..!

Alba Systems has just completed a large 800m2 mezzanine in Hawick in the Scottish borders for one of our distributors in a large factory that manufactures plastic cables. The challenge on this project was the fixed machinery that runs 24/7 could not be moved and had to stay operational. Add to this that hardly two of the lines of machinery were in the same line and size of equipment varied, every mezzanine column had to be in a specific place on the factory floor. It felt as if it took as long to survey this site as it did to physically erect the structure but after 4 weeks on site the customer has a new 800m2 of additional floor space with no disruption to the their daily operation.

A new addition to the Ayrshire Skyline

 Have you ever wondered how they install the wind turbines you see popping up
all over the place? 

Prontoport in Kilmarnock have just installed a turbine training tower to
train the personnel that install the turbines on location. 

Prontoport approached Alba Systems to see if we could manufacture an 18M
high tower outside to enable them to provide the training for this type of
installation. 

Although this is slightly outside our standard scope of works we agreed to
design and manufacture the tower and this was completed at the start of the
year. 

The construction is all galvanised mild steel designed to cope with the
elements of standing 18M high in the west of Scotland. 

Again this demonstrates Alba Systems flexibility and enthusiasm to take on a
challenge. 

If you're looking for a bespkoke structure contact Alba Systems today for
free expert advice. 

It's all about the survey!

One of the most important things to get right when buying a mezzanine floor is to get the site survey correct. 

Some sites are more complex than others, this is where Alba comes into its own. 

We have just finished a 700m2 platform for a Glasgow based distributor, who asked for our expertise in building a mezzanine floor above a very busy car parts warehouse. The challenge on this site was the existing ground floor shelving was full of parts and was all different types and size of bays and weren't running in straight lines. 

Alba design team spent a day on site surveying the site plotting all the hundreds of shelving units to ensure the team on site had no clashes when erecting the steelwork. 

Alba installed this mezzanine out of hours meaning the customer has zero disruption to their daily operation. 

If you would like to see if Alba can achieve what seems impossible in your premises give us a call to discuss your requirements or we can come and meet you at your premises. 

Boom! 15 tonne truck lands on Q-DEK mezzanine

Alba Systems were appointed by one of its main distributors to provide a 900m2 mezzanine floor to provide the main pedestrian area in Scotland's first indoor trampoline centre. 

The platform is only 1.2m high to match the surrounding trampoline beds the lowest floor we have ever installed. 

A central spine capable of accepting a 15 tonne boom lift was installed to allow access to the lighting etc for maintenance. 

Airspace opens in East Kilbride on the 2nd December 2014

Atriums are a waste of Space...

Alba Systems don't like atriums, lets be honest they look good but they are using up valuable space.

Thankfully a large Scottish college had they same opinion, when they had been in their award winning new building for a few years they realised they could have more classroom space if they could fill in the void. Having installed several mezzanine floors previously in the building they contacted Alba Systems again to see if the proposal was feasible. 
Access to the area was a challenge in the fact the only way to get material to the area was up a large set of stairs.

Alba met the challenge head on and the result was a new classroom turning the glass atrium into a 2 storey glass fronted useable area. If you need to use your space better give Alba a call to discuss we are here to help.

We do small too!

Alba Systems have installed some very large projects recently, but just remember we will look at any size of project just like this dinky little floor installed recently in Aberdeen for an oil industry customer.  For more information on Alba Mezzanine floors have a look on our website or have a look at our Yell.com page and view our video. 

                                  http://www.yell.com/biz/alba-systems-ltd-glasgow-901457953/

Keep it Open!

Following on from the successful fit out of a mezzanine floor for the prestigious Kitchen supplier Ashley Ann Kitchens at their Wick head office and manufacturing centre, they discovered they had a space requirement in their Stirling Hub.

Alba was contacted again to advise on the best solution to help clear space on the floor area that they arranger orders of kitchen units for dispatch. The first photo below shows how congested the floor space was before Alba got to work. The best solution on this occasion was to provide an openwork floor which allows you to maximise the area of mezzanine within the building without having the expense of fire rating the structure. The open steel grating supplied had small enough apertures to allow a pallet truck to be used on the top level. Alba installed a Q-Dek mezzanine open deck to 3/4 of the building giving the customer an entire new upper level to be used as storage.

If you could benefit from Alba's unrivalled advice (Remember its free) please contact us to arrange a visit or call us for an informal chat.

 

 

Roll out the Barrel....

Alba Systems have just completed a multi-level staircase to allow access to whiskey barrels at Inverhouse Distillers.

To be called Scotch Whiskey the product has to be kept in a cask for a minimum of three years.
The barrels have to be checked periodically to check the Angels aren't helping themselves to a cheeky wee extra share.

After the racking was installed Alba Systems installed an impressive three level staircase with a top level at almost 8M to provide access to the barrels of the liquid gold.

Whilst touring the site Stuart Torrance of Alba Systems witnessed a barrel of 50 year old whiskey being opened and sent for bottling. It's incredible to think the guy who laid the cask to rest 50 years ago will be long retired as it was laid down to mature in May 1964.

Stair to nowhere....

Alba has just completed one of three large staircase structures at a site in Runcorn in Cheshire.
This Stair leads nowhere at the moment...Why?

The Staircases are fire escapes that are to be clad in a one hour fire rated enclosures as safe means of escape from the large 3 tier mezzanine floor.

Once the staircases are complete and encased the mezzanine structure will be installed giving the customer four floors of storage in this large warehouse.

Alba installation team leader Phil McCabe commented "I can build these things with my eyes shut, which I do because I'm scared of heights"

Look out for more details on this as this project develops.

Edinburgh Mosque obtain additional classroom space.

                                          (Completed Structure ready for Glass Balustrade)
Alba Systems were approached to help a space problem at a busy Mosque that was especially crowded on  Fridays, the main prayer day. The Mosque is situated in an old church hall and a standard proprietary system was not a possible solution due to the wooden floor.
Based on our expertise of non standard applications we fixed into the brick building columns where possible and the main support columns were taking down into foundations in the basement area.

                                         (Wall Plate Fixings using Chemical resin anchors)

                                         

                                        (Completed upper level ready for classroom activities)  

The upper level will be used as classroom space to teach young children and as additional prayer space.

Stuart Torrance of Alba Systems commented: "Most standard mezzanine floor manufacturers would pass up on a job like this as it requires a bit of in-house structural engineering and a lot of non standard details. Alba are gaining a reputation for being able to put in mezzanine platforms in the unlikeliest of spaces but still at a proprietary system cost.  The Mosque has now commissioned us to put in a similar mezzanine in their second hall on the same site"

Mezzanine Gallery installed ready for new tenant.

Alba Systems have  just completed another Q-Dek Mezzanine floor installation for one of our distributors in Glasgow.

It's not often we get a clear unit to work in so this ensured installation was completed in double quick time, this photograph was taken mid afternoon on the second day on site.

This gives the new tenant a place to put all their storage items when the move into the unit.

For more information contact us through our website www.albasystems.co.uk

Can I put a mezzanine floor in an upstairs office?

Alba Systems were called into investigate if  it was possible to install a mezzanine floor into a 150 year old grain store in Edinburgh that had been converted into an office building.

The customer occupied the first floor and needed to expand, the building had a high vaulted ceiling but the floor was not load bearing enough to take a mezzanine structure.
After Alba engineers visited site we came up with a unique solution.

Stuart Torrance of Alba Systems: "The customer required additional office space within the existing room. Normally mezzanine floors are free standing and bolted to the floor slab but in this situation the floor wasn't capable of supporting the point loads. We decided to use the existing 150 year old cast iron columns as support on the front edge where there wasn't any walls to attach to.
This then though up the problem that something like this could be brittle to drill into or even weld.
We decided on circular column clamps to attached to these as you see in the picture. The other end of the structure was bolted back into the hidden limestone wall using chemical anchors.

The installation of this was carried out at a weekend when the staff weren't in , we also used a crane to lift the steelwork through a first floor window.

This again demonstrates the flexibility of Alba to carry out projects that don't fall under the standard modular mezzanine you buy from most manufacturers. We also designed the structural element in-house and applied and obtained the building warrant within two weeks from Edinburgh City Council"

For more information on mezzanine floors from the unusual to the more standard, large or small visit our website  or give us a call and get one of our team to pay you a visit to discuss your requirements.

What company should I use to buy a Mezzanine Floor in Scotland?

"Where do I go to buy a mezzanine platform in Scotland?"  The answer is simple.....

Alba Systems are Scotland's only dedicated mezzanine floor manufacturer to trade and business to business.
We provide a free estimate, design and consultation at enquiry stage.
our unrivalled knowledge of building control regulations will allow us to evaluate your proposal at the quotation stage ensuring you are installing the correct solution and not leaving yourself with any costly surprises by using an English based manufacturer.
Scottish regulations and English regulations controlling the design of mezzanine floors are very different in a lot of situations.
Speak to Alba and get it right first time.

Have a look at the Alba website.

Watch Out Alba's about

Alba Systems delivery truck can be spotted up and down the UK delivering a mezzanine to another satisfied customer on a daily basis.

Look out for the Q-Dek Mezzanine Systems logo on the back and side of the lorry.

Online Mezzanine Quotation

Alba Systems have launched a live mezzanine floor cost calculator.
Simply enter the rough size of the platform you require along with ancillaries such as staircases, handrails etc and you will get an instant estimate to help you budget any projects you are considering.


Alba Quick Online Mezzanine Quotation

Mezzanine Platform and goods lift installed at Ashley Ann Kitchens

Alba Systems has recently installed a large mezzanine floor for the upmarket kitchen manufacturer Ashley Ann Kitchens.
Ashley Ann have stores throughout the UK but the manufacturing base is in the far north of Scotland in Wick.
The proposal was to install a 300m2 mezzanine platform with a goods lift to to aid in placing product on the mezzanine level.
So as not to disrupt the customers manufacturing Alba installed the mezzanine over a weekend so when production started up on the Monday there was no restriction to the manufacturing space.
Alba Structural systems will install mezzanine floors in any part of the UK for more information see our website Alba Systems