The office as we know it is constantly evolving. We’ve seen it move from ranked desks through to the cubicle farms of the '80s and back to more informal, open plan spaces. Every change has been matched by ongoing developments in technology, as pen and paper gave way to the typewriter and the typewriter to personal computers.
But how is the office changing now, and where is it headed tomorrow?
Architects and business leaders have been reconfiguring the office for the last 150 years, shifting from long, orderly desks to divided workspaces and cubicle farms. Thankfully, we’ve now come out the other side, and today’s office spaces have gone back to open plan arrangements, promoting collaboration within teams.
Many companies have also made the move, at least partially, to hotdesking. Even the desks themselves are changing to suit new modes of working, as companies adopt standing desks, bar-style desks, mobile desks and even ‘superdesks’.