Systems furniture
Encyclopedia
Systems furniture is a generic term for bundles of panels, worksurfaces, shelves, and other items sold by a single manufacturer as a package for furnishing offices. Cubicle
s and the sea of cubicles
are the item most often associated with systems furniture, but other open plan
arrangements such as office landscape
are possible.
of the Herman Miller
company is usually credited with inventing systems furniture. His original system named Action Office
was quickly copied by other companies. Although these systems were not originally intended to compress office workers to maximum density, they were quickly adapted to that purpose.
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...
s and the sea of cubicles
Sea of cubicles
Sea of cubicles is a derisive vernacular term for featureless, modern open office designs which consist of seemingly endless rows of identical office cubicles.- History :The exact origin of the term has been lost...
are the item most often associated with systems furniture, but other open plan
Open plan
Open plan is the generic term used in architectural and interior design for any floor plan which makes use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices...
arrangements such as office landscape
Office landscape
Office landscape was an early movement in open plan office space planning.- History :Large open office environments have existed for a long time. However, these frequently consisted of many identical rows of desks or long tables where clerks, typists, or engineers performed repetitive functions...
are possible.
History
Robert PropstRobert 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...
of the Herman Miller
Herman Miller
Herman Miller may refer to:*Herman Miller , U.S. manufacturer of office furniture and equipment*Herman Miller , Hollywood writer and producer...
company is usually credited with inventing systems furniture. His original system named Action Office
Action Office
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”...
was quickly copied by other companies. Although these systems were not originally intended to compress office workers to maximum density, they were quickly adapted to that purpose.