Oddly enough, the open office layout was born at about the same time as the cubicle farm. The open office alternative is a popular alternative to the cubicle, and for good reason. Sounds pretty depressing, right? Thus, the cubicle farm was born, and with it, thousands of unhappy team members. Instead of flexible spaces, you were more likely to find a grid-like pattern of Action Office II desks, all with 6-feet tall walls, creating barriers to collaboration and communication. “Instead, they wanted to stuff as many people into as small a space for as cheaply as possible, as quickly as possible.”
“It turned out that companies had no interest in creating autonomous environments,” writes Saval.
Unfortunately, the workspaces were not used as intended. Sales for the Action Office II (and its many knockoffs) took off. Propst’s new design had 3 adjustable walls, with variable shelves and tack boards to allow for “individuation.” The idea was that the walls and shelves could be arranged and decorated in whatever way the team member desired. Propst did not give up on his dream of the ideal office furniture and later emerged with Action Office II. “The product won a few awards within the industry,” writes Saval, “but otherwise saw little actual adoption in the workplace.” The elements of the office could be rearranged, and it was the first time that office furniture design took into consideration that there would indeed be real live humans using them.ĭespite this, the Action Office was a commercial failure. The Action Office consisted of a standing desk, a ‘communications centre’ for making phone calls, which came in an array of bright colours. Propst was, “Among the first designers to argue that office work was mental work and that mental effort was tied to the environmental enhancement of one’s physical capabilities.” “Called Action Office, it was the brainchild of Robert Propst,” writes Nikil Saval for. When the original cubicle was unveiled in 1964, it wasn’t actually a cubicle at all. The original office cubicle wasn’t like the cubicle of today. Related Reading: The cubicle debate: Is the open-concept office any better?
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