An analysis of office furniture systems from the contract interior designer's viewpoint

Until the 1950's the office environment was conventional in both space plan and furnishings. In recent years, many office environments have changed with the evolution of the design concepts of the open landscape, open plan, and office furniture systems. In order to develop a better understanding of office furniture systems, a total of sixty-nine contract interior designers completed a questionnaire concerning the pros and cons of office furniture systems within the office environment. Results from the study indicated the greatest advantage of office furniture systems for themselves and the end-users was the "flexibility in arrangement of total systems," while the greatest disadvantage was "auditory or acoustical problems." Designers felt an "increase in employee productivity" was the greatest advantage of office furniture systems for the corporate level. Other findings showed the majority of the designers surveyed felt end-users are generally satisfied with the functional and aesthetic qualities of both the total systems' environment and their personal work station. A discussion of these findings and recommendations for further research is included.