A timeline of how the office has changed

From ping pong tables to cubicles, how the history of work will shape its future

February 15, 2022 5:30 AM

As employers race toward the future, it might make more sense for them to take a stroll down memory lane.

Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler, author and assistant professor of design history at Perdue University, says that while the office has taken on many shapes and forms over the course of the 1900s through the present, the purpose of the physical workspace has largely remained the same.

“Obviously work has always been at the center of the office,” Kaufmann-Buhler says. “Over history, office design shares a similar idea, which is this idea of creating a physical space that will optimally reflect the corporate hierarchy and core corporate goals and corporate products.”

That means that employers can look back at what worked before, in order to create a blueprint for the post-COVID-era. When employees think of the “modern workplace,” they may picture the open-plan layouts, communal seating areas and ping pong tables that are ubiquitous for white collar organizations. But those ideas are far from revelatory, according to Kaufmann-Buhler.

“In the post-war era, there was this real idea of marrying the aesthetics of corporate culture with the practical needs of space. I think that is really in many ways still at the center of so much of what office design is,” she says. “What goes around comes back around. I fully expect that we’re going to see people saying, ‘You know what? We discovered this new idea. It's called an office. It's where everybody comes to a physical space where we all work together.’”

Kaufmann-Buhler shared an abridged workplace history for clues into what may be next for the future of work.

Pre-war era

Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1906 Larkin building

Collection of The Buffalo History Museum

Workplace hierarchies were highlighted in office design: management worked in closed offices and lower-tiered workers congregated in communal spaces. This idea took shape in Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1906 Larkin building in Buffalo, New York, known as the first modern office building with cutting-edge amenities like air conditioning, and ample natural light.

Post-war 1950s

The Chicago skyline began to take shape in the 1950s

Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg

Empowered by a post-war economic boom, employers funneled prosperity into their offices, Kaufmann-Buhler says. Major corporations like Deere established sprawling suburban headquarters, while cities like Chicago and New York saw their skylines transform as skyscrapers sprouted to accommodate an influx of workers.

1960s

An example of office landscaping design

Herman Miller

Kaufmann-Buhler calls this the “golden age of office design,” with many of the elements we recognize today taking shape. “There was this concept called office landscaping, where workers were arranged in open and partitioned spaces based on patterns of communication,” she says.

1970s

Herman Miller's designs are still used today

Herman Miller

Herman Miller introduced the concept of systems furniture, with moveable tables, chairs and rolling walls that could create workspaces more freely. The company also introduced ergonomic office chairs in a design that is still imitated and used today.

1980s

Cubicles were the norm in the 1980s

Darryl Brooks - stock.adobe.com

“In the 1980s, you really see the cubicles taking over,” Kaufmann-Buhler says. This was largely in response to the adoption of computers: as organizations embraced new technologies, the office had to accommodate these machines with updated furniture and layouts.

1990s

Employers added fun perks to the office

Unsplash

Ping pong tables, foosball and other “perks'' helped tech companies establish an “anti-corporate culture” that encouraged more creativity and engagement, Kaufmann-Buhler says. Advertising agency Chiat\Day created an office without assigned workspaces, supporting a more organic workflow.

2000s

WFH became more normalized due to better technologies

Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg

Collaboration was key, as more organizations adopted a fluid workspace environment and ditched their cubicles, Kaufmann-Buhler says. Working from home started to be normalized as access to technology grew — and remote organizations started to see the cost benefits of reducing their physical footprint.

2022 and beyond

The workplace of the future should support all employees

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Flexibility is the top priority — for both where we work and what kind of space we’ll work in. “We need spaces that give people choice,” Kaufmann-Buhler says. “I really do hope that some of the flexibility that has been created in this moment does stay and that there are structures and systems that support workers who have diverse needs.”