1/ I think the medieval university is the best-designed working space
2/ A lot of the frustrations at work have to do with office spaces. I believe the monotony of schedules, the mindless “busy” work that happens at the desk, the constant interruptions and the endless meetings are all a *consequence* of our current ideal of open spaces offices
3/ My general take is that, if possible, offices should be avoided. If, however, an office is needed or desired, I think the open space should be avoided.
4/ What do we want in an office? IMO, there are 3 things you are trying to do at work: do coordinated work with others, have random conversations with others and do your own private, silent work.
5/ My take is that these 3 types of work are sufficiently different that require separated spaces.
6/ I find that the model of the medieval university offers a good example of how to do this: 3 very different spaces with 3 different purposes in one place
7/ The Library: a place to do solo work (and get resources, which today takes place on the internet). Silence is enforced by staff and peers. There is no assign siting. The library is not my office, yet there is no time limit on sitting.
7/ The Library (cont.): There are fewer seats than students; limited supply helps limit the pretext that by sitting on the library you are magically doing work which is a common phenomenon of the office desk.
8/ The Classroom: booked on a recurrent basis, mostly by teachers/managers. Emphasis on focus on recurrent meeting, less on one-offs. This setup incentivizes parties to be more conscious of the use of group time.
9/ The Courtyard: a place to meet and socialize. Helps build relationships (which in turn fosters better collaboration) and to encounter unexpected
10/ Classrooms on one end, the library at the other, courtyard in the middle
11/ Being at the office all day feels oppressive to me. Having my own desk isolates me in a place design to get people together. Open floor plans bread interruption. Easy interruption leads to shallow thinking.
12/ Thoughtfulness requires time. Collaboration requires structure if not to be abused. The medieval university layout is, as far as I can tell, the best available solution
thanks @ArchDaily for the daily newsletter inspiration and Ada Louise Huxtable for her amazing On Architecture
