Fo’ real: it was 40 years ago that the geniuses in office design came up with the soul-destroying workspace we call the modern cubicle.
In celebration, office designers IDEO have teamed up with Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, to create the ideal cubicle. I swear. No punchline. Check it out here. My favorite feature: the hideaway hammock. Adams is also contracting with Namco Networks on a Dilbert Cubicle computer game, which tells me his kids’ college tuition payments must be coming up.
Dilbert designed this cubicle. No joke. / IDEO
From the IDEO press release:
Practical considerations include modules for a seat, a computer, and a display (complete with “boss monitor”). The floor modules lift for storage or flip between artifical grass and tatami mats; the light modules at the top mimic the sun’s movement throughout the day. Other, more whimsical modules provide a hammock, an aquarium, and a punching bag.
I once wrote a feature in TIME about the “newbicle,” or the future of the much-hated office space. Soon afterwards, my company moved to a brand new space filled with—surprise!—gray, fuzzy-walled, ugly-as-sin oldbicles. Now that we’re preparing for our second move in two years, I’m holding out hope. I’m thinking Joe Klein could use a punching bag.