Techno-utopia and office design

Through a selective review of workplace interiors in two internationally renowned design journals from 1960 to the present, this paper explores the physical objects of office work, particularly desks and chairs, during the era when information moved from paper to mainframe computers in basements, to desks, then into pockets. It diverges from the utopian promise of information-age office work to step into a world in which material culture can be seen to reflect and reinforce both utopian and dystopian ideals. Iconic designs of each decade are selected and examined.

Techno-utopia and office design. Presented at: Design History Society Conference California College of the Arts, San Francisco.

McAndrew, C.L., Marmot, A. (2015)

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