Office Cubicles and the Technology

Office furniture must keep up with technological advances. As new technology is introduced, the office furniture industry needs to make necessary adjustments. Thus, when computer and monitor sizes change, desks must evolve accordingly. For instance, in the past, when computers were significantly larger, desks needed to have a larger surface area. However, today, the latest computers are more compact and desks do not need to be as bulky as in the past. Thus, computer desks are continually being redesigned to accommodate these technological trends.

Commuter monitors too have changed. CPUs are smaller and wider screens are becoming more common. These changes in technology naturally cause a shift in the design of office furniture because there is no longer a need for the desk to provide ample space for large equipment. Then, you would have needed to set up an office cubicle in a three-piece L - a corner work surface (which would have been taken up mostly by the monitor) and two straight surfaces coming off of either side. However, with smaller CPUs taking up less space, you can instead work with an office cubicle in a two-piece L - two straight work surfaces that meet in a corner that no longer needs to be as deep.

More space is needed for wider screens monitors. Since many computer desks provide a stand for computer monitors, they must now be designed to accommodate these wider screens. Although monitors are now wider than in the past, they are smaller in terms of depth with the rise and wide acceptance of flat panel technology. Monitor stands have had to evolve to accommodate these new screen sizes.

Other technological influences on office systems furniture include multi-purpose machines for printing, faxing, and photocopying. These relatively smaller components, such as personal digital assistants, music devices, fax and copy machines, and other handheld items create unique needs in the workspace. Computer desks need to accommodate these new gadgets with the inclusion of trays designed to hold them.

In addition, offices are now going paperless. We need less file cabinet storage in cubicles than we have in the past. For instance, a traditional cubicle used to have a box/box/file and/or a file/file - a three-drawer cabinet and a two-drawer cabinet - in place. The office cubicle also used to have two overhead compartments - one closed bin and one open shelf. These would have been necessary when everything in the office used paper. However, now that more projects are stored digitally, you may wish to re-evaluate space and specific needs and take a closer look at exactly how your office space is best configured.

You might want to determine how much space is needed for storage and how much work surface will truly be utilized. With a close review of your office cubicles, you may find that instead of paperwork filling their drawers, employees now have empty spaces - or spaces sparsely populated with personal items. While it is critical to not completely eliminate personal spaces, you may want to make sure that your office cubicles have little wasted space. As is often the case, you will find employees expanding their usage of their office workspace to fill what they have available - even if they do not need all of it for work and personal items. Once you have evaluated space needs of your employees to work efficiently and happily, you can start to reduce the number of office cubicle components that you purchase, eliminating one of the overhead bins, for example, or one set of drawers... and saving money and space in the process.

There are many creative ways to address evolving business demands and growing space challenges. MAiSPACE provides custom office furniture including smaller desks, so sitting arrangements are more easily configured. We offer tables, which can replace desks, and versatile book shelves, which can become filing cabinets with crates and decorative boxes when required. When space is limited, there are imaginative alternatives that can serve as dual purposes. MAiSPACE helps you take advantage of every inch of space in your office in an efficient, economical manner.

Moreover, the MAiSPACE system revolutionized the contract furniture industry by developing and patenting an integrated standards-compliant plug-and-play zone distribution voice, data and power cabling system. MAiSPACE's cable management system delivers the largest cable capacity in the industry and is stunning in its simplicity. We conform to telecommunications industry standards for horizontal cabling systems in open offices. Standard belt line access and easily accessible consolidation points provide an interconnection between work area outlets and telecommunications closets creating a zone distribution system. Unrestricted cable pathway access simplifies changes to the existing network within hours. Factory-terminated and tested modular cable assembles in copper or fiber support plug and play office reconfigurations. A wide variety of cable types are available to meet specific customer needs. "This includes Category 7 cabling, which is available for data-intensive and video applications, surpassing all current industry standards," Jason Moisa - MAiSPACE Marketing Assistant notes.

MAiSPACE is research-driven, constantly evaluating and updating product options to enhance furniture system capabilities by keeping in step with advancing technological, ergonomic and architectural innovations. Take a look at your office and your equipment and then decide which type of office furniture is best for you. As a matter of fact, let us do the work. With our creative designs and purchase choices, you can keep pace with technological change while improving in-house morale and saving money all at the same time.