Computing the Cubicle: Design for the High-Tech Office, 1970–1990

This article examines the influence of personal computing on the interior design of American offices and office furniture from 1970 to 1990. I argue that the cubicle, with its modular system of work surfaces, powered partitions, and ergonomic accessories, served as an intermediary among the computer, the organization, the architecture, and the worker adapting the computer to the office environment, and adapting the office environment to the computer.