IF I HAD ANY DOUBT THAT AN INTERIOR SPACE COULD EVOKE EMOTION, I NEED ONLY TO LOOK TO MEMORY FOR EVIDENCE. EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVATION SUPPORT THE ARGUMENT. ACCOUNTING FOR THE IMPACT OF A SPECIFIC SPACE ON A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL MAY BE ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER. NONETHELESS, I THINK THAT IDEAS CAN BE CAST AND APPREHENDED IN FORMS, IDEAS THAT ARE FELT AS WELL AS UNDERSTOOD, THUG ENRICHING THE MEANING WE FIND IN OBJECTS, BUILDINGS AND SPACES, WHAT DOES THIS SUGGEST FOR DESIGN OF THE 21ST CENTURY WORKPLACE? I'LL BEGIN WITH A MEMORY.
Not long ago, I had an appointment to meet with an architect at a well-known firm in downtown Los Angeles. I arrived at the appointed hour and stepped from the elevator into a space filled with light, one that seemed to soar upward past the open staircase and a mezzanine with offices stacked around a central atrium. I had to wait a few minutes, but I was happy to live in that generous space for a while. It felt like a place where ideas could grow towards the light. It was vibrating with activity and yet, it also felt calm.
I liked being there. Did others share that feeling? What about the bearded junior associates trekking up the staircase? Or, the young woman I met with? Clearly, they had come of age and into the workforce at an earlier time than my own. In a sense, these young people were native to a culture unfamiliar to me, separated across time as Los Angeles and Kolkata are separated geographically. Certainly, office design had changed even in the last decade. And this one was clearly a post-Millennium office, although I saw no hover boards zooming through the reception area, no dogs snuffling around desks or “ironic” wallpaper.
How different are we? Surely, Baby Boomers and Millennials share more than biology and morphology. Or, is the mindset of the Millennial generation unlike any other in history? Do these young men and women have different attitudes and aptitudes, ideals and anxieties? It may be important to find out. After all, people age 20-37 are now most of the people in North America and in the workplace.* These are the people that design can engage, inspire and empower—or not.
There seem to be hundreds of articles in print and online that describe the current crop of young adults as entitled, lazy and lacking in discipline. At work, “spoon fed” Millennials expect to be rewarded without having earned the prize. They are highly social, but unable to form lasting relationships. They have no attention span; distracted by Snapchats with co-workers and friends. Such generalities do seem to apply. What we know, empirically, is that Millennials are the most ethnically diverse of any generation and are on track to become the best educated. They are less likely to be married than young adults in previous generations and are less attached to political parties or religions. And of course, we know they like artisan coffee, indie music and bean bags.