Action Office
Encyclopedia
The Action Office is a series of furniture designed by Robert Propst
, and sold by Herman Miller
. First introduced in 1964 as the Action Office I product line, then superseded by the Action Office II series, it is an influential design in the history of “contract furniture” (office furniture). The Action Office II series introduced the concept of the flexible, semi-enclosed workspaces, now better known as the cubicle
. All cubicle office designs can be traced back to Herman Miller’s Action Office product lines.
. Although Nelson remained at Herman Miller’s main campus in Zeeland, Michigan
, Propst and the Herman Miller Research Corporation were located in Ann Arbor, Michigan
(placing it in close proximity to the University of Michigan
campus). Herman Miller Research Corporation’s mission was not to address problems with furniture itself, but to solve problems related to the use of furniture. The corporation’s first major project was an evaluation of “the office” as it had evolved during the 20th century — particularly how it functioned in the 1960’s. Propst’s studies included learning about the ways people work in an office, how information travels, and how the office layout affects their performance. He consulted with Joan Evans
(scholar of ornament and pattern), Terry Allen and Carl Frost (Michigan State University
psychologists), Robert Sumner
(who investigated the effects of different spaces on mental health), Edward T. Hall
(anthropologist and author of the 1959 book, The Silent Language), as well as with a number of specialists, including mathematicians and behavioral psychologists.
Propst concluded from his studies that during the 20th century, the office environment had changed substantially, especially when considering the dramatic increase in the amount of information being processed. Despite the change in what an employee had to analyze, organize, and maintain on a daily basis, the basic layout of the corporate office had remained largely unchanged, with employees sitting behind rows of traditional desks in a large open room that was devoid of privacy. Propst’s studies suggested that an open environment actually reduced communication between employees, and impeded personal initiative. On this, Propst commented that “one of the regrettable conditions of present day offices is the tendency to provide a formula kind of sameness for everyone.“ In addition, the employee’s bodies were suffering from long hours of sitting in one position. Propst concluded that office workers require both privacy and interaction, depending on which of their many duties they were performing.
AO-II was based around the mobile wall unit that defines space. The unit also supported multiple work-station furnishings that benefitted from the vertically oriented work space. The components were interchangeable, standardized, and simple to assemble and install. More importantly, they were highly flexible, allowing the company to modify the work environment as needs changed.
The AO-II lineup was an unprecedented success, and was quickly copied by other manufacturers.
Despite the Action Office II line becoming Herman Miller’s most successful project, George Nelson distanced himself from any connection with the project. In 1970, he sent a letter to Robert Blaich, who had beome Herman Miller’s Vice-President for Corporate Design and Communication, in which he described the system’s “dehumanizing effect as a working environment.” He summed up his feeling by saying:
Scornful as he may have been, Nelson was correct in stating that there would be a “larger market” for AO-II. By 2005 total sales had reached $5 billion.
of New York
, which contracted with George Nelson and Herman Miller in 1963 to design an innovative office space that could maximize efficiency in a small area. The result was based on Nelson’s CPS (Comprehensive Panel System), and featured “pods” of four cubicles arranged in a swastika
pattern, each with an L-shaped desk and overhead storage. Surviving photos of the Federal Reserve Bank offices reveal a design that would not appear much different from a cubicle of today.
In 1964 this design was re-used for the Woman’s Medical Clinic of Lafayette, Indiana
. Nelson also used the design in his own New York design offices.
In 1985 the Action Office earned the title of “Most Significant Design since 1960” from the Worldesign Congress.
Recent modifications to the Action Office included making more storage room available and allowing for collaborative workspace. One design, dubbed Resolve, using technology and 120° corners, was permanently added to the Museum of Modern Art
(MoMA) collection in New York City
just two years after its creation in 1999.
Robert Propst said in 1997 that he had hoped that his idea would “give knowledge workers a more flexible, fluid environment than the rat-maze boxes of offices,” but regretted that his idea had evolved to some extent into just that, saying that “the cubicle-izing of people in modern corporations is monolithic insanity.”
film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which featured a white AO-I roll-top desk in the reception area of the film’s space station.
Robert Propst
Robert Propst was the inventor of the Action Office that evolved into the cubicle office furniture system.Robert Propst was from Colorado and worked for Herman Miller in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he was hired in 1958 by Herman Miller Inc...
, and sold by Herman Miller
Herman Miller (office equipment)
Herman Miller, Inc., based in Zeeland, Michigan, is a major American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment, as well as furniture for the home. It is notable as one of the first companies to produce modern furniture and, under the guidance of Design Director George Nelson, is likely the...
. First introduced in 1964 as the Action Office I product line, then superseded by the Action Office II series, it is an influential design in the history of “contract furniture” (office furniture). The Action Office II series introduced the concept of the flexible, semi-enclosed workspaces, now better known as the cubicle
Cubicle
Тhe cubicle, cubicle desk, office cubicle or cubicle workstation is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall...
. All cubicle office designs can be traced back to Herman Miller’s Action Office product lines.
History
In 1960 Herman Miller created the Herman Miller Research Corporation under the direction of Robert Propst, and the supervision of George NelsonGeorge Nelson (designer)
George Nelson was a noted American industrial designer, and one of the founders of American Modernism. While Director of Design for the Herman Miller furniture company both Nelson, and his design studio, George Nelson Associates, Inc., designed much of the 20th century's most iconic modernist...
. Although Nelson remained at Herman Miller’s main campus in Zeeland, Michigan
Zeeland, Michigan
Zeeland is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,805 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the western edge of Zeeland Charter Township which is politically independent. Its name is derived from the Dutch province of Zeeland...
, Propst and the Herman Miller Research Corporation were located in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
(placing it in close proximity to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
campus). Herman Miller Research Corporation’s mission was not to address problems with furniture itself, but to solve problems related to the use of furniture. The corporation’s first major project was an evaluation of “the office” as it had evolved during the 20th century — particularly how it functioned in the 1960’s. Propst’s studies included learning about the ways people work in an office, how information travels, and how the office layout affects their performance. He consulted with Joan Evans
Joan Evans (art historian)
Dame Joan Evans, DBE was a British historian of French and English mediaeval art.Born at Nash Mills, Apsley, Hertfordshire, she was the daughter of antiquarian and businessman John Evans and his third wife, Maria Millington Lathbury...
(scholar of ornament and pattern), Terry Allen and Carl Frost (Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
psychologists), Robert Sumner
Robert Sumner
Robert L. Sumner is an American Christian author, Baptist pastor, evangelist and editor of the fundamentalist newspaper called The Biblical Evangelist.-Personal:...
(who investigated the effects of different spaces on mental health), Edward T. Hall
Edward T. Hall
Edward Twitchell Hall, Jr. was an American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher. He is remembered for developing the concept of Proxemics, a description of how people behave and react in different types of culturally-defined personal space...
(anthropologist and author of the 1959 book, The Silent Language), as well as with a number of specialists, including mathematicians and behavioral psychologists.
Propst concluded from his studies that during the 20th century, the office environment had changed substantially, especially when considering the dramatic increase in the amount of information being processed. Despite the change in what an employee had to analyze, organize, and maintain on a daily basis, the basic layout of the corporate office had remained largely unchanged, with employees sitting behind rows of traditional desks in a large open room that was devoid of privacy. Propst’s studies suggested that an open environment actually reduced communication between employees, and impeded personal initiative. On this, Propst commented that “one of the regrettable conditions of present day offices is the tendency to provide a formula kind of sameness for everyone.“ In addition, the employee’s bodies were suffering from long hours of sitting in one position. Propst concluded that office workers require both privacy and interaction, depending on which of their many duties they were performing.
Action Office I
Propst and the Herman Miller Research Corporation formulated a plan to address the problems plaguing office workers of the time, which George Nelson’s team realized in the form of the Action Office I (AO-I). It was introduced in the Herman Miller lineup in 1964. AO-I featured desks and workspaces of varying height that allowed the worker freedom of movement, and the flexibility to assume the work position best suited for the task. It was ideally suited to small professional offices in which managers and employees often interacted using the same furnishings. It suffered from a few problems, however, as it was expensive, difficult to assemble, and it wasn’t suitable for offices at large corporations. Despite its shortcomings, Nelson won the Alcoa Award for the design, neglecting to mention Propst’s contribution.Action Office II
Following the poor sales of AO-I, Propst and Nelson went back to the drawing board, and sought to create the next-generation, Action Office II (or AO-II). For several years Propst and Nelson fought over what kind of work environment they believed would best suit a corporate office worker. Unable to come to an agreement, Nelson was eventually taken off the project. With Nelson gone, Propst was free to explore his concept of an office that was capable of frequent modification to suit the changing needs of the employee, without having to purchase new furnishings. He wanted to allow the employee a degree of privacy, and the ability to personalize their work environment without impacting the environment of the workers around them. Propst recognized that people are more productive within a territorial enclave that they can personalize, but also require vistas outside their space. His concept was the “back-up,” a two or three sided vertical division that that defined territory and afforded privacy without hindering the ability to view or participate in happenings outside the space.AO-II was based around the mobile wall unit that defines space. The unit also supported multiple work-station furnishings that benefitted from the vertically oriented work space. The components were interchangeable, standardized, and simple to assemble and install. More importantly, they were highly flexible, allowing the company to modify the work environment as needs changed.
The AO-II lineup was an unprecedented success, and was quickly copied by other manufacturers.
Despite the Action Office II line becoming Herman Miller’s most successful project, George Nelson distanced himself from any connection with the project. In 1970, he sent a letter to Robert Blaich, who had beome Herman Miller’s Vice-President for Corporate Design and Communication, in which he described the system’s “dehumanizing effect as a working environment.” He summed up his feeling by saying:
One does not have to be an especially perceptive critic to realize that AO-II is definitely not a system which produces an environment gratifying for people in general. But it is admirable for planners looking for ways of cramming in a maximum number of bodies, for “employees” (as against individuals), for “personnel,” corporate zombies, the walking dead, the silent majority. A large market.
Scornful as he may have been, Nelson was correct in stating that there would be a “larger market” for AO-II. By 2005 total sales had reached $5 billion.
Coherent structures
Propst’s last contribution to the Action Office lineup was a series of furnishings designed specifically for the hospital and laboratory setting. Known as Coherent Structures, the series of highly mobile containers, frames, carts, storage devices, and rails were introduced in 1971. Designed to streamline the service functions of a hospital environment, they were highly successful until the advent of centralized computer systems made such portability of documents obsolete.Ethospace
Designed by Jack Kelley, who worked on the design of both AO-I and AO-II, Ethospace enhanced the wall elements of the AO-II system. Kelley changed the wall units to highly varied — but standardized — tiles that could simply slide into a frame and be finished with end caps. By selecting new Ethospace tiles, one could quickly change the color, texture, function, and character of the workspace without dismantling the frame or disrupting work flow.First appearances
The first offices to incorporate the Action Office design were in the Federal Reserve BankFederal Reserve Bank
The twelve Federal Reserve Banks form a major part of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. The twelve federal reserve banks together divide the nation into twelve Federal Reserve Districts, the twelve banking districts created by the Federal Reserve Act of...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, which contracted with George Nelson and Herman Miller in 1963 to design an innovative office space that could maximize efficiency in a small area. The result was based on Nelson’s CPS (Comprehensive Panel System), and featured “pods” of four cubicles arranged in a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
pattern, each with an L-shaped desk and overhead storage. Surviving photos of the Federal Reserve Bank offices reveal a design that would not appear much different from a cubicle of today.
In 1964 this design was re-used for the Woman’s Medical Clinic of Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
. Nelson also used the design in his own New York design offices.
Action Office today
The Action Office I series was dropped from the Herman Miller lineup in 1970. In 1978 the Action Office II line was renamed simply, Action Office, and continues to carry that name today. Herman Miller describes it as “the world’s first open plan office system,” and claims a “$5 billion installed base.”In 1985 the Action Office earned the title of “Most Significant Design since 1960” from the Worldesign Congress.
Recent modifications to the Action Office included making more storage room available and allowing for collaborative workspace. One design, dubbed Resolve, using technology and 120° corners, was permanently added to the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
(MoMA) collection in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
just two years after its creation in 1999.
Robert Propst said in 1997 that he had hoped that his idea would “give knowledge workers a more flexible, fluid environment than the rat-maze boxes of offices,” but regretted that his idea had evolved to some extent into just that, saying that “the cubicle-izing of people in modern corporations is monolithic insanity.”
In the media
Although the Action Office can be seen in many films released within the last thirty years, the first appearance of an Action Office product was in the Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which featured a white AO-I roll-top desk in the reception area of the film’s space station.