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April 2008 online: www.ambiencedore.com/news | You're receiving this newsletter because |
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It’s been 40 years since Robert Propst and architect designer George Nelson attempted the first prototype of Action Office in 1964. The first commercial installation was 1969. After years of prototyping and studying how people work, and vowing to improve on the open-bullpen office that dominated much of the 20th century, Propst designed a system he thought would increase productivity (hence the name Action Office). [1]At the time, offices were bull pens with a sea of platforms and desks. Propst wanted to maximize productivity and comfort, even though ergonomics was not a part of the conversation in those days. When Propst first started working for Herman Miller he was issued a Nelson desk. It didn’t work, Propst said. People didn’t work that way. His refusal to take existing Herman Miller furniture led to his research that resulted in Action Office. [2]
"The Action Office wasn't conceived to cram a lot of people into little space," says Joe Schwartz, Herman Miller's former marketing chief, who helped launch the system in 1968. "It was driven that way by economics." During the 1960s the treasury set up new rules incentives for stimulating business. (Today companies can depreciate office furniture in seven years, whereas permanent structures--that is, offices with walls--are assigned a 39.5-year rate.) Propst's original vision began to fade. "They kept shrinking the Action Office until it became a cubicle," says Schwartz, now 80. As Steelcase, Knoll, and Haworth brought their versions to market, they figured out that what businesses wanted wasn't to give employees a holistic experience. The customers wanted a cheap way to pack workers in. [1] Propst's workstations were designed to be flexible, but in practice they were seldom altered or moved at all. Lined up in identical rows, they became the dystopian world that three academics described as "bright satanic offices" in a 1998 book, Workplaces of the Future.[1]
Cubicles 2008 Cube farms still exist; the used market is struggling with an aging and diminishing supply of product. Hot used deals from the Dotcom era are a thing of the past. New cubicle theory: Reports of the Millennium generation are that they know they and their services are in demand. They have their own ideas of entitlement and expect a workplace suited to their needs and schedules. This doesn’t necessarily equate to the whacked out non-cubicle designs tried by the DotComers. Workers requests for workspace demand privacy without being boxed in. MIX IT UP. Plan non-work space hangouts for informal breaks and meeting areas. More textures and variation in work stations and meeting areas keep the mind stimulated. Cosmopolitan was born from the Dotcom demands for more technologically advanced wiring with ease of IT access combined with more ascetically pleasing panel skins. Breaking the fabric mold was key to meeting the design challenge. Going beyond fabric only stations Cosmo started to offer metal perforated tiles in metallic’s like ginger, silver and chocolate espresso combined with wood veneers and four different colors of glazed window tints. Cosmo competes with the mega manufacturers, Herman Miller, Haworth, Steelcase. Tayco’s secret success: Give the best customer service and put the competition to shame by offering a new good looking take on the 40 year old concept. Tayco’s small manufacturing size allows flexibility and the ability to meet custom option requests. Poor customer service and outdated design options are the two major reasons that our clients switch from Herman Miller Ethospace to Cosmo. When it takes 8 months and multiple aggravating phone calls to replace a simple base board on an existing product --it’s no wonder our clients are ready to consider a different manufacturer. We have never experienced this with any of the Tayco products which makes it a pleasure to sell. Panel height: Don’t go 100% short, workers still want the “Tree effect” a safe haven for focusing on work. Don’t create the lone prairie dog scenario where all employees are the tallest thing around- you’ll have everyone twitching with the primordial instinct to take shelter in order to avoid becoming the targeted prey. Provide at least 68”h panels down the spline (industry term for the spine) and either step down to seated height 53” or open up with more glazed window tiles. Use the 42”h shorter panels sparingly for teaming say at the very end of the wing panel as a pass over to the next employee. 42” high is the perfect standard height for meeting and greeting at your lobby & reception or assistant stations. Understanding the differences between cubes: Cosmo is a particularly handsome premium tile system comparable to Herman Miller Ethospace but less costly and more innovative. New Cosmo Monolithic panel options are now being offered to lower the overall costs. Cosmo is manufactured by Tayco in Canada which just earned Greenguard certification. On a Budget: Panelink is the best entry level cubicle alternative offering plenty of glazed window options and unique radius panel options. Avoid the monolithic traditional and mind numbing psycho ward fabric box. Panelink prices out at about 20% lower than the Cosmo. Panelink is considered a monolithic panel system comparable to Herman Miller’s AO Action Office line. Leave Tradition behind: “UP” alternative systems release in 2006 took Silver at Neocon Chicago. Up is very “fashion forward” and appeals to businesses that require a very contemporary setting. It’s post & beam construction gives a more open feel. The most requested is the 53”h frosted paneled workstations that offer an ergonomic flow. At lower panel heights the price point is very attractive and compares similarly in price to Panelink. The price steps up when you add the overhead storage, then you’re back to a higher price category. The case for cubes moving forward: Most of our clients out grow their spaces in approximately two years or have to move due to leases running out. It makes more sense to plan ahead and buy what you like and need rather than think that you’ll only be there another 2 years and buy cheap until you move. What’s the point of buying something cheap and then repurchasing it again when you move? If you choose built-in options you leave everything behind when you leave. Your freestanding cubicles can be depreciated in 7 years as opposed to 39 years for building improvements/ built-ins. Cosmo, Panelink and Up all will keep their design relevance. All are constructed to be reconfigured. (Beware that there are some cheaper looking slick cubicles on the market that are not reconfigurable and installers won’t touch them for future moves.) Contact Mar: mar@ambiencedore.com |
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