The last hundred or so years has seen a massive evolution in the culture and therefore design around office spaces, much of this has to do with the radical changes we’ve seen in industrialisation and in technology.
Office Interior Origins
Had my great grandfather been a white-collar worker, he would have started his working life, in the early 1900’s, in an office culture and space which would have been very much created for people to come in, do their work and not interact much with their colleagues.
People were expected to be closer to robots then and less like dynamic human beings, and so the interiors reflected that – People crowded together in open offices while the bosses had their private enclosed offices, looking over the rest of the team on the floor. This was very much reflective of the strong sense of hierarchy in the work place in those days.
In about the 1960’s the work culture changed, adapting to a more socialist perspectives – Less hierarchy and more working together as a team. The office arrangement was still open and shared working space, but people started being positioned sitting next to each other more comfortably so as to create a better environment for collaborations and working together. Towards the late 80’s, the cubicle, the first modular office furniture system, was created and started selling on mass.
The Cubicle
The 1980’s saw the cubicle world erupt but not in a good way. Dividers came up between people, allowing them a level of privacy, which was great, but most of the dividers were dreary, non-energetic grey or navy blue which created completely uninspiring work spaces and cut people off from each other rather than encouraging synergies.
Thank goodness for the mid-90’s where the proverbial walls came tumbling down and a new experiment began in office interiors which resulted in the concept of hot desks, and came about as a result of technology and the advent of the laptop. This too had its down falls, but at least the cubicle thinking had been turned on its head.
Today’s Solution
Fast forward to today and one can find a vast range of office interior solutions, each of them as we’ve seen through the eras, have differing pros and cons. The best solution is to look at each office space individually, as well as the needs of each company, their corporate culture and the energy and environment that they’re envisioning for their team.
We’d love to help you create the best office space solution for you and your team, so give us a call today on 01675 437 547!