Action Office Case Study

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The single most common workplace in North America is the closed-plan office, with 5 -6ft panels separating workers into cubicles. The term cubicle comes from the Latin term “cubiculum” which means, “Bed chamber.” 1 It was used in English as early as 15th century for small chambers, and for small rooms or study spaces with partitions that didn’t reach the ceiling.
In cubicles, people often find themselves wondering rather than working. Privacy hence becomes a source of distraction rather than means to work efficiently.

Robert Probst, a designer who worked as the Director of research for office of furniture manufacturer, Herman Miller Inc., developed the “Action Office”, it was a proposition for an altogether new kind of space, a design which had plenty of work surfaces and display shelves; partitions were a part of it, intended to provide privacy and places to pin up works in process. This is how the office cubicle came into being. Today, it is estimated that more than 40 million North Americans spend their working lives in cubicles, with many of them passing more waking hours in the closed-office environment than in any other—even their own living rooms.

The closed style workplace is characterized by high panel cubicles, in which employees are placed based on their rank within the company’s hierarchy. The people higher up get big corner offices with windows, while the others are stuck in the middle with four walls. Closed plan office layout means employees have an increased amount of privacy. With privacy comes a lot of concentration. Whether each employee has a separate office or if a few employees share an office space, this can be very useful for jobs that require a distinct amount of privacy, such as law and...

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...a good solution, and the pressure of someone watching over would get the employees to finish their work. Having glass on all four sides will also allow natural light to come in which will help keep the workers more alert and as a result enhance their productivity.

Studies show that people are more creative and efficient when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption, while interaction is a useful way to exchange ideas and theories. My intervention, the glass cubicle gives people the privacy to talk without any external listeners but at the same time, gives the employers the benefit to see when their employees are talking on phone. It allows people to work privately by frosting the glass, but at the same time, Glass cubicles blend privacy and transparency to create an efficient working space that keeps the employers and the employees both happy.

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