Letter: No open-plan office can be the right temperature

From Scott McNeil, Banstead, Surrey, UK

Yvaine Ye discussed pitfalls of open-plan offices (12 January, p 33) and readers expanded on them (Letters, 2 February). Another is the issue of temperature.

I am surprised how many buildings have air-conditioning systems that can't cope with open-plan spaces behind expanses of glass, so occupants of the south side are baking hot while those on the north freeze.

I recently worked with people from East Africa who wanted 25°C, western Europeans who wanted 20°C and northern Europeans and Canadians who complained of heatstroke at 16°C. The result is open offices cooled, at great expense, to a temperature at which many feel too cold and have to wear additional clothing.