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Of course, work implies a place
to work, so we must now turn to the office of the future.
The example above from 1964 is a classic of Space Age thinking.
Note the clean, crisp lines. Observe the geometric order, the
subtle blending of technology and architecture. Also notice that
all the furniture is bolted to the floor so that if your chair is a
bit too close to the desk, it's your fault if you didn't bring an
oxyacetylene cutting torch.
Not that it was all trendy
modernism. The company that commissioned this also had an eye
for economy. We cut out the armrests and passed on the savings
to you!
 The
other side of the coin was the Early '64 World's Fair school of office
design that seems to have been intended to be manned by air
stewardesses.
True, there are no writing
surfaces, drawers, keyboards or even a cupholder, but it does have
multicoloured panels, moulded plastic consoles, a standard issue AT&T
telephone handset and huge status lights that are still too far away
to be actually read by anyone at the desk.
And, of course, screens; lots
and lots of tiny screens everywhere. None of them seem to be
tuned to anything, but one must take the rough with the smooth.
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