[alistairSH]

Can anybody comment on the usefulness of open plan space when there is a wide range of programmer ability? I can see if everybody on the team is a rock star that the benefits of open space could be smaller. But, what if you have a mix of senior engineers and junior developers (who presumably need more active mentoring)?

I ask because in my current role, I'm the product architect for a large web application. In addition to the usual design and development tasks, part of this role is bringing new development teams up to speed on technologies they have not used before. I find it much easier to be in a team room with those teams, they get immediate feedback, can ask questions, etc. If I was in an office or cube, I'd have a constant stream of emails from individuals to answer.