designing the office of the future

Interesting excerpt from an article in the Grand Rapids Business Journal Express:

As he (Lodato, an industrial designer working for Herman Miller) sees it, the role of office design will be to absorb or manage those elements. Much of this will come from integrating technology into furniture, but not in the manner designers have traditionally used. For example, this would likely not include building computer components into furniture. The next-generation office will likely reverse that paradigm, using technology to add value to furniture.

Technologists envision a workplace that essentially manages itself. Individual workstations could be outfitted to recognize users, adjusting climate control and light settings. A next-generation Aeron chair might remember ergonomic settings for each user.

“You could create an intelligence in the fabric that will understand your weight and chemistry,” Lodato said. “It could recognize who you are, and maybe that you’re perspiring too much and overstressed. It’ll know you’ve put in a long week and say, ‘Hey, it’s Friday, take a break.’ The chair talks to you.”

rudimentary mind map

Ingrid's wire-escape solution

A fellow thesis mate sent this my way after we discussed in class about the annoying way wires fall down when unplugged from laptops. Here she has a powerplug, a usb cable, and headphone/speaker plug held down by the space created between the frame and spring of her desk lamp. Pretty resourceful solution to such an annoying problem.

for my thesis....

It occurred to me a couple of months ago that the idea of the 'home office' reinforces the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. People used to work out of their homes as farmers, blacksmiths or artisans. They used to sell their wares and/or services and things were much more local, hand-crafted, and decentralized. Along came the industrial revolution and people began migrating to labor in factories. Cities sprang up and so did slums. The economy centralized and later shifted to a more white collar workforce. People "went into" work, sometimes commuting hours to get to the office.

Now, a lot of people are working from their homes as artists and craftsmen again. They are selling their work on etsy.com and their personal websites while getting paid through paypal. The internet has made that possible. Anyone can have a store front on the web. Much more interesting is that even high-tech and financial industries are following suit.

Corporations are asking their employees to work from home to save costs on office space, retain valued workers, improve employee morale, and inspire innovation. An article in Business Week titled "Square Feet Oh, How Square" says,"By dumping square footage, negotiating flexible leases, reconfiguring shadow space, creating movable, everything-on-wheels offices, and designing 'getting away without going away' areas, companies can better leverage their talent and inspire innovation." The savings are tremendous and that is why home offices are on a rise. More and more people are telecommuting and therefore, setting up home work spaces. "For the second consecutive year, an American Institute of Architects survey of industry professionals revealed the home office is the most popular special-function room in the house." (Business Week, November 15, 2006).

The home office is a system of computers, wiring, storage, lighting, and furniture and just ripe for re-design, streamline, and innovation. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the unique personalities that make up this pajama workforce.