History of the Office Space Cubicle

Have you ever wondered about the history of the office space cubicle?  Who designed them and why?  Below are some interesting info I found recently.

• Two German brothers actually created the idea of the open office space plan
• An art professor named Robert Propst who had patents in heart valves and playground equipment invented the cubicle in 1958.  Then he referred to them as workstations or action offices.  He was hired by Herman Miller to create a new innovate design.
• Robert Propst also invented the standing desk during this time however it did not take off.  Managers said they could supervise employees who were sitting better than if they were standing.
• Back then people liked cubicles as they seemed to be liberating
• The first cubicle was not square
• Initially cubicles did not sell well however the tax code of the 1960’s made it financially better to buy cubes than spend money on permanent fixtures.
• Intel was the first big company to adopt cubicles in the office.  They thought it would create more of an egalitarian work environment.  Both supervisors and employees would sit in cubicles.

Read more here:  9 things you didn’t know about the office cubicle