ABSTRACT
A major change is taking place in the way we think about the buildings in which
people work. The office is not what it used to be. Managers lucky enough to
get private offices find themselves away from the windows, in rooms with
glass walls so that people passing by look in. People who have studied for
years to become technical experts and professionals in their fields find them-
selves in small, box-like enclosures that all look alike. Everyone can see what
they do and they can hear everyone sneeze. No matter how nice-looking and
functional the workspace, it is not likely to be a private office, and the chances
are it does not have a window. Senior executives find themselves moved
out of their large corner offices into an ‘open office concept’ in some kind of
experiment to show solidarity with the troops – oh, and where did the
secretary go?
