see the movie "office space" to understand how we all feel bout cubicles.

the latest from Knoll are quite an effort to change this, at least imagewise

i think the biggest problem with cubicles is not the function rather the store bought, fits anywhere catolog items that most offices have. I worked at an architecture firm that designed the cubicles as a part of the overall scheme, everything was custom and if fit with the rest of the office. I never heard anyone complain. If we would have purchased cubes out of a magizine and placed them in there it would have been much worse.

i think they greatly hinder communication within an office. sightlines seem very important in the offices i have worked in and the one i work in now there are no sightlines to other people. we have to get up and walk somewhere if we want to talk to somebody within a relatively close distance. i have worked in an office before which had no cubicles and it seemed much easier to communicate with people even across the room. we would csall on the phone but still look at each other if it was needed...very nice. also, in my opinion and my preference, open space is much nicer than the cramped ass windowless space i enjoy everyday here. only six more days and i;m out though...can't wait.

I hope you are not talking about the A3 designed by Lise Ann Cotoure (or something like that) that is purely eye-candy (blob) that is a piece of shit (functionally)
I personally do not like cubicles, but Metro's "Topo" is not that bad if you must use one (Metro is a Steelcase Co.)

i hate small cubicles!!! and flourescent lighting!

a better one would have three sides of worksurfaces. the desktop should be at least 30" deep so you can put drawings without the edge of the drawing set falling off. every one should have a adjustable lamp with daylight true color bulb, and another task light by the computer with soft warm hue light.
also the partition should be high enough to block your line of vision to other people when sitting, but low enough so that when you stretch up a bit you can see everone.
there shoud be a large central workspace/counter/rendering area close to each cubicle space.
totally open office plan would make me too self conscious...you need some privacy.

also there should be a grommet hole each surface so that the person sitting there can decide how they want their space oriented.

I actually desire a cubicle. This open studio office crap is getting on my nerves...everyone up in my bidness... from their music, to their face, to their lunch smells, to their rolls of drawings ending up on my desk...and the dude behind me is always looking at my computer screen

give some privacy and some of my own space to pass gas in.

BRING BACK THE CUBICLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

that is what i said

herman miller and steelcase actually make some pretty amazing stuff in the way of cubicles and general office furniture, and its all made in beautiful western michigan.

http://www.steelcase.com/en/index.jsp

http://www.hermanmiller.com/

Although practicality is an issue in the work place, why do we have to be confined within such horrible, thin walls?
Yes, there are nice chairs and desks designs, but still the question remains: what does a cubicle say about our society?
In my opinion, it can be translated to a demeaning social status.

i personally hate them. what's up with the cubicles here? why do we have to confine ourselves in such a tiny space? especially when you're working in a creative environment.

anyone seen the joyn system by vitra? Joyn

I may be off the mark here, but are we more mad at the cubicles, or the fact that we're not in an office yet?

yeah the steelcase and herman miller lines are nice and pleasing to the eye, but there is one drawback: acoustics. the hard surfaces turn your cubicle into one large speaker, so that when you are on the phone or want to play a little ass saxaphone it travels to the whole damn office.
i like the idea of custom "cubes" the best. and an open plan, with some deliniation and demarkation, is the best solution overall i think.

i love my cubicle. it has padded walls, which is a great advantage for somone like me.

I like when open offices are divided into 'pods' with 4 to 6 people in them (each facing the wall) with a table in the center. I find it's a good combination of privacy and comradarie.

In our office we call them "workstations" but they are still horrible.

Found the following at BURNLAB.net
(thanks to lynnel herrera)

CUBE FARM
An office filled with cubicles.

PRAIRIE DOGGING
When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on. (This also applies to applause from a promotion, because there may be cake.)

follow the money.....
in the USofA office furniture (cubicles) can be depreciated - hard walls are part of the building and can't be depeciated.

The office I'm in now has cubicles made from steel studs and gypsum that vary from 48" to 60" - they don't move and I guess cannot be depreciated. This was done back about 1997.

The newer offices I've seen have gone more to the open plan where 5-6 people share a central plan table with computers at the perimeter.

One office that I recently toured had an open plan for the CAD monkeys with a mezzanine level for the principal offices where they could look over their minions and literally yell down to them.

I am hoping for an office that's like the movie The Cube but trade strange booby traps for rusty x-acto blades, toxic marker fumes and massive paper cuts.

they make my beer taste like ass.
my postman friend cliff says it has something to do with evaporation and changing states and some other stuff.
i say - coach - i need another beer.