The first image that comes to mind when we think of an office is a place with a table and chair. But it was not always the case. In the Middle Ages, monasteries were the main places for study and knowledge, with private rooms designed to help monks concentrate when researching. However, records state that such spaces were uncomfortable since scholars remained standing most of the time.
However, even considering that during the Renaissance — from the 13th century onwards — intellectual production began to leave religion and expand into the arts, science and commerce, the “classic” office model emerged only after the industrial revolution, when the administration was separated from production. Later, this model was used by countless professions, including architecture. At the end of the 19th century, despite being physically separated from the factories, the offices still had a very industrial organization, with large central halls and rows of desks. Around these spaces were distributed private rooms separated by glass partitions, and high-ranking officials occupied the mezzanines.
This format, called Taylorism, focused exclusively on the maximum production of employees, with work rationalized based on the study of the times and movements of each operation. Spatially speaking, the environments reflected spatial segregation, emphasizing hierarchical differences and standardization of activities.
It took a few decades for the first concerns with work environments to emerge, which understood psychological variables as important interferences in production. At that moment, ventilation, whether through air conditioning or natural, and solar lighting became guidelines. In addition, the first initiatives to reduce the hierarchical differences in the offices appeared, with large open areas and no room divisions, which also helped to reduce the cost.
In 1950, the Bürolandschaft (or planned office) appeared, with contemporary furniture with curved screens and large potted plants used as visual barriers arranged in the open plan. However, despite stimulating collaboration between co-workers, there were frequent complaints about acoustic discomfort and lack of privacy. In the 60s, the well-known cubicles appeared, with their 1.8m high partitions, materialized in the classic Action Office, by Herman Miller, created by the American designer Robert Propst. For the first time, employees at the bottom of the pyramid had a private space. Despite good intentions, Propst's concept was distorted, giving rise to the infamous cubicle. In this sense, it seems that the offices focused on architecture maintained their free layouts and large distributed tables, in the classic studio style, mainly due to the size of the materials that were handled, such as large sheets and elements for models.
However, approximately 30 years later, an invention appeared that profoundly changed office structures. With the popularization of computers, the workplace had to be reorganized according to a new distribution that included digital-related functions and those that still required manual effort. Furthermore, with globalization and the consequent ease of travel, professionals from other parts of the world began to be considered, generating an effort to attract and value workers even more. Philip Johnson's AT&T Building, from 1984, is a landmark of this new labor arrangement. The American telecommunications company's building offered higher-than-average ceilings, a gym, food courts and medical care to attract employees.
In the wave of dynamic, fun and collaborative corporate environments, a few years later, headquarters of large companies, such as Google and Amazon, began to invest millions in mega structures focused on the quality of life of their employees. Architecture offices also bought the same idea, offering more attractive and interactive spaces. In the quest to encourage creative processes, colors, textures and bold shapes took over the rooms. In addition, nature-related elements have also become a constant presence, bringing biophilic concepts into the offices. However, more than offering environmental and psychological comfort to their employees, companies — mainly those focused on architecture — should also print their brand, making their offices a showroom of their culture. The company's pillars led to a variety of spaces combining natural, regional elements with state-of-the-art parameterized furniture.
In recent years, in addition to the large and daring offices of architecture and other creative disciplines, it is possible to notice the growing number of companies that chose to share workspaces in coworking spaces. In this format, collaboration and networking stand out to the detriment of private and individualized environments. During this period, remote work also began to be popularized until it reached stratospheric proportions with the spread of Covid-19. After so long, the image of the office as a room with a desk and chair has returned. That is, it is no longer necessary to have a huge colorful commercial room with different types of entertainment to house a company. The employees can be spread all over the world, working from inside their homes. Remote work is here to stay, mainly because it drastically reduces the companies' costs with basic infrastructure. In the architect's work, the huge clipboards and piles of papers from decades ago have been replaced by virtual dynamics, apps and websites. They preserve the team's connection, but mostly keep the collaboration system alive at the creation time — that old peek at the neighbor's drawing accompanied by a sure-fire suggestion that solves the project.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on February 03, 2023.
