Posted on: Monday, July 14, 2003

Firms give workers climate control

Bloomberg News Service

Bank One Corp., Union Pacific Corp. and the New York Times Co. are among companies installing so-called raised-floor systems in new offices to let employees control the temperature at their workstations, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The systems create 12-inch to 18-inch chambers in which hot and cold air is pumped, allowing for individual temperature-control vents, the newspaper said. It added that they originated in buildings in Europe during the 1970s and are slowly being integrated in U.S. office designs.

In addition to attracting tenants, the raised-floor systems are more efficient and cheaper to operate than current systems, the paper said. Temperature complaints top the list of employee gripes, according to a recent survey of managers by the International Facility Management Association, the Journal said.

Tate Corp., a leader in the market for raised floors, said 40 percent of its customers install the under-floor ventilation, 10 percent more than a few years ago, the Journal said. In 2000, the General Services Administration, which manages 300 million square feet of offices and courthouses, integrated raised floors into its building plans, the paper said.