Same as it ever was

Ah, good times! Flicking through my old Architects Journals.? This one from November 1993 caught my eye.? An interview with IBM’s then design manager of property, Peter Wingrave.?

If you are 30 years old (like my son) you hadn’t been born.? Some standout observations that could almost be today:

“The briefs reflect the way the business is changing … and we’re lucky if our marketing areas are ever 40 per cent occupied … It's crazy to build, run, heat light and decorate a building as if people were there when 60 per cent of the time you know they are not”.

“Personally, I spend a lot of time in (the office’s restaurant), which is open all day. Five years ago that would have been thought of as skiving.”

“I try to design offices for the benefit of the customer”.

“I think there are interesting times ahead for offices. We are already seeing the slow breakdown of the traditional office which people come to in the morning and left at night.”

“We would like our offices to catch the social spirit of an old gentleman’s club; you just pop in when you need to. You get more out of people that way.”

Now, that last one's a gem :-)