Editing Mezzanine (section)

==Definition==
A mezzanine is an intermediate floor (or floors) in a building which is open to the floor below.{{sfn|Allen|Iano|2012|page=303}} It is placed halfway (''mezzo'' means 'half' in Italian) up the wall on a floor which has a ceiling at least twice as high as a floor with minimum height.{{sfn|Coates|Brooker|Stone|2008|page=163}} A mezzanine does not count as one of the floors in a building, and generally does not count in determining maximum floorspace.{{sfn|Allen|Iano|2012|page=303}} The [[International Building Code]] permits a mezzanine to have as much as one-third of the floor space of the floor below. Local building codes may vary somewhat from this standard.{{sfn|Allen|Iano|2012|page=303}}  A space may have more than one mezzanine, as long as the sum total of floor space of all the mezzanines is not greater than one-third the floor space of the complete floor below.{{sfn|Allen|Iano|2012|page=303}}

Mezzanines help to make a high-ceilinged space feel more personal and less vast, and can create additional floor space.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Robinson|first1=Paula|last2=Robinson|first2=Phil|title=The Room Planners: How to Add a Mezzanine|work=The Telegraph|date=May 31, 2006|access-date=May 15, 2016|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/interiors/3350287/The-room-planners-how-to-add-a-mezzanine.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/interiors/3350287/The-room-planners-how-to-add-a-mezzanine.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Mezzanines, however, may have lower-than-normal ceilings{{sfn|Harris|1983|page=353}} due to their location. The term "mezzanine" does not imply any particular function; mezzanines can be used for a wide array of purposes.{{sfn|Habraken|Teicher|1998|page=133}}{{sfn|Guo|2010|page=78}}

Mezzanines are commonly used in [[modern architecture]], which places a heavy emphasis on light and space.{{sfn|Coates|Brooker|Stone|2008|page=163}}