Areas that bring people together such as mail and copy areas, food and beverage centers, and conference rooms are located off the town square and serve as a sort of marketplace. Although the economy has changed, the town square concept is still a viable planning model, even for the most traditional business models. The days of dramatic, sensational workplaces are over for all but a few advertising and PR-related firms. Most new companies want a combination of effective, productive, flexible and dynamic solutions. In order to take advantage of advances in technology and the Internet, businesses are racing to create a more flexible organization that integrates these changes.
Office work is intensive and mobility is key.
Workspaces that are team-oriented, flexible and contain a variety of different places to work can be highly effective in today s offices. Mobile technology, movable whiteboards, reconfigurable furniture, movable walls have been used to provide environments that can quickly change to support a variety of teaming needs in one space. Examples of these environments include Upshot, Giant Step Productions, Go2Net and Microsoft. We are now in a world of constant communication where the transmission of voice, data and imagery is defining the way we relate to one another. The rapid introduction of technologies to the workplace, both integrated and distributed, must parallel the organization.