In class we recently discussed the design of office environments and how they impact us. “Current office planning concepts have developed over a long period from the time that people first organized themselves into business units. Thus, observation of historical trends in working practices and workplace environments is a good starting point for developing an appreciation of how social and technological change impacts working patterns.”
I found it really interesting to learn that during the early 1800’s, “There was no distinction between an office building and a domestic building – the first offices were simply rooms in parts of a house, with the rooms designated as places where work was done. If the business expanded, more of a house was taken over and used as office space and logically, it is possible to conclude that entire houses would sometimes become buildings dedicated to offices rather than dwelling places.”
(Right Click + View Image to enlarge; 1. Bullpen Layout 2. “Office Landscape” 3. Action Office 4. Cube Farm 5. Networking)
From the early 1900’s to 1950, management thinking lead to Taylor’s scientific theory of office management. His management principles were based on the concept of a machine the principles of running a complex organization. Taylor’s principle layout became known as the bullpen layout and made it possible for supervisors to keep a close watch on employees as they worked as they were seated in an open space with zero partitions and were strictly confined to their job.
The second image above is from Wired magazine and depicts the evolution of office spaces and how they reflect changing attitudes toward work. We’ve gone from being workers cramped together in a completely open environment (while bosses looked on from private offices) to a new class of employee being created “too important for a mere desk but too junior for a window seat. Facilities managers accommodated them in the cheapest way possible, with modular walls. The sea of cubicles was born.” In the last decade, furniture designers have begun to redesign the cube farms of past “with movable, semi-enclosed pods and connected desks whose shape separates work areas in lieu of dividers.”
Many of us have worked in an office environment at one time or another during our lives. Naturally our needs within these spaces vary, but researchers have narrowed down some essential factors:
- Territory – we’re territorial beings. We personalize our spaces with photographs, lamps, etc. We like knowing that we are going to sit in the same spot everyday and find our things there. It’s comforting to us.
- Privacy – either real or perceived – is essential in the office environment. The right amount of privacy can increase worker productivity (due to limited distractions) and a sense of security as well.
- Community – the majority of us crave privacy and the office setting is no exception. However, we don’t want so much privacy that we feel isolated from other employees.
As designers we should keep these needs in mind as space plan offices that are functional, effective, productive and flexible working areas that optimize the use of the space within the constraints of the buildings and the offices.
Sources:
Designing for Human Behavior http://designingforhumanbehavior.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/office-space/
Wired Article http://www.wired.com/print/culture/design/magazine/17-04/pl_design
Filed under: Environment, corporate environment, interior design, office, office space planning
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