As we move further into the 21st century, the greatest demand on buildings will be flexibility. Responding to rapidly changing business conditions is critical, and Tate’s innovative Building Technology Platform® (BTP) is a complete system that ensures the ability to respond to change. Tate’s BTP integrates ConCore® steel panels, PosiLock® steel understructure, modular wiring for power, voice, and data (PVD), and underfloor air distribution. Tate’s BTP reduces design, construction and energy costs, speeds building occupancy, and maximizes comfort and indoor air quality. And, BTP allows organizations to effortlessly reengineer, reorganize, and restructure the work environment. 

Let’s talk reality — companies are in business to make a profit. One of the key methods in profit maximization is reducing expenditures, and Tate’s BTP does just that. Organizations can realize tremendous savings with the BTP concept, which includes decreased installation, wiring, operating and reconfiguration costs. For example, a bare ConCore/PosiLock access floor system can typically be installed anywhere in the United States for between $4 to $7 per square foot. Modular wiring can cut installation costs by over 40%. In addition to slashing costs for installation, modular wiring can also reduce reconfiguration costs upwards of 80%. Engineering studies on underfloor HVAC air distribution illustrate operating costs are less than half the price of traditional overhead HVAC systems. 

But, don’t think that the BTP is limited to the design and construction of new buildings. This pioneering concept provides an invaluable design for use in renovation projects as well.

A spectacular renovation project using Tate’s BTP clearly illustrates that 1 + 1 = 3. DST in Kansas City, Missouri proves this new math. Originally a two-story, 40,000-square-foot structure, it has since been converted into a three-story high-tech office space of 60,000 square feet. Utilizing space-saving features of a Tate access floor, underfloor wiring, and YORK’s FlexSysTM underfloor HVAC distribution system, architects were able to insert an additional floor between the first and second floor. Adding a third floor was accomplished by eliminating the excessive and wasted overhead space traditionally used to house HVAC ductwork and wiring in a drop ceiling. Even with the addition of an entire third story, there was still room for an 8-foot ceiling throughout the first level and the “new” second floor. This high-tech transformation of the building could only be made possible through the use of Tate’s Building Technology Platform.

The bottom line—buildings must maintain their capacity to evolve quickly and economically. Technology needs will continue to increase as will the need for high performance buildings requiring Tate’s Building Technology Platform —the backbone for sustainable future-proof building design.