Shaping the office of the future

Real Estate Weekly, June 2, 2004 by Mark Benhar

The office environment is an evolutionary process. Nearly 40 years ago, rows of desks began to give way to the rise of furniture systems--a combination of varied-height panels, cantilevered work surfaces and integrated storage and work tools that created highly flexible and efficient workstations for the rapidly growing white collar workforce.

Today, systems workstations or cubicles are giving way to new "desking systems," as office furniture evolves to meet the needs of today's modern-day worker.

Through the early '70s, most office workers worked in a big open room with rows of desks. As more technology came into the workplace, these tools generated more noise and a proliferation of wires, cables and cords. Having this mess exposed on desktops was unsightly and inefficient. The advent of office systems provided greater visual and acoustical privacy, while providing space saving efficiency and a place to route the cables.

Workers welcomed it. But the acoustical and visual privacy that taller cubicles provided could also isolate workers and make it more difficult to communicate with others. Throughout the '90s, more managers saw the value of open communication between workers, and furniture began to reflect that desire. Walls started coming down. That led to desking systems, which have screens to offer a degree of privacy, but at lower heights to create a more open work environment.

The quality of workstations is far superior today, with a greater range of acoustic consideration and visual privacy, and configurations offering multi-functional versatility. But as wireless technology becomes more advanced and affordable, a growing number of employers can be expected to move more of their space from panel-based workstations to the more flexible and open desking systems.

The predominant factors driving this trend are a general management shift toward collaborative working environments, as well as advances in wireless voice, data and other technologies. Today's workplace calls for a mixture of environments, with areas for community and collaboration blended with areas for "heads down" individual tasks. Today, about a 70/30 cubicle-to-traditional office ratio is the individual workspace norm in most large workplace settings, with a growing portion of the entire office shifting toward more collaborative spaces.

Many envision the ultimate "office of the future" as a virtually paperless, highly mobile, literally transparent, intimate environment, notable for what it physically lacks as much as what it contains.

The individual office of the future will most likely be recreated with a small footprint. To make the most out of smaller office spaces and private offices, there are several solutions that make use of vertical space efficiently. By wall-mounting rail tiles and overhead cabinets, workers are able to hang tools such as phones, letter trays and even computers, clearing them off the work surface.

In addition, many furniture manufacturers have moved to "curvilinear" work surfaces, as opposed to more traditional, rectangular work surfaces. These new surfaces create a "cockpit" setting that works well with modern space-saving technology such as flat screen monitors that require less space.

Flexibility, technology and an environment that allows end users to customize to meet their own personal work styles will shape the office of tomorrow. Desking systems and mobile tables fit in perfectly with this business model, as they offer the necessary flexibility and versatility.

Tools like instant messaging, file sharing and wireless networking allow employees to easily collaborate while reducing the dependence on more traditional space design. Today, 70 percent of all work is collaborative, while 30 percent is done individually. Yet the modern office was conceived when that ratio was reversed. The main goal of tomorrow's office will be to help workers capture, organize, analyze and share information more easily and efficiently. Ultimately, the focus is not on gadgets, but on production, privacy and personalization for.

Flexibility and mobility are key. Current designs still focus on the PC, but technological building blocks are now in place for a more mobile approach.

Wireless technology, flat screen displays and smaller input devices such as personal digital assistants point to a flexible interior that is not based around maximizing the number of spaces for individual PCs.

As furniture manufacturers incorporate new technology and work patterns into new designs, the next few years should offer some unique visions for the office of the future.

While the paperless, wireless office may still be a long way off, furniture designers are thinking creatively about how to reduce clutter while addressing the need for storage solutions, personal interaction and the incorporation of advancing technologies.