THEORY STUDIES: ARCHETYPICAL WORKPLACE PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY ...

213 Pages·2010·4.21 MB·English

THEORY STUDIES: ARCHETYPICAL WORKPLACE PRACTICES IN
CONTEMPORARY INTERIOR DESIGN

A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School
of Cornell University
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts

by
Shuqing Yin
January 2011
© 2011 Shuqing Yin
ABSTRACT

This thesis focuses on identifying, classifying and naming of unnamed
workplace archetypes in contemporary interiors that are derived from
reiterative historical designs. The study is a component of the Intypes (Interior
Archetypes) Research and Teaching Project established in 1997 at Cornell
University. An Intype is an ideal example of a historically determined design
strategy from which similar models are derived, emulated or reiterated.

The modern office develops in the late 19th century and has demonstrated
significant design evolutions throughout its short history, spanning little over
one century. While much research has been done on the design of workplace
environments, there exists a large disconnect between the study of
workplaces from a management or environmental psychology perspective and
a purely aesthetic or stylistic perspective. Additionally, a comprehensive
knowledge of workplace design strategy is rarely integrated into professional
practice, nor is it part of most design curriculums.

This study creates a typology of the professional design practices of workplace
environments. The study identifies and documents workplace design
strategies that are repeated through time. A vocabulary for teaching and
comparative analysis is created through this study and offers practice-based
research in the hopes of encouraging greater design discourse and criticism in
academia as well as professional practice.
Ten workplace Intypes are discussed in this thesis. Five previously identified
Intypes are reexamined and applied to the workplace setting – Slat, Frame,
Marching Order, White Box, and Light Seam. Five new workplace-specific
Intypes were identified and named – 1 Bar 2, Face to Face, Incubate,
Pompidou, and Dual Desk. Each typology was examined through a
comprehensive survey of primary and secondary sources and describes a
practice’s characteristics traced back historically. Most of the Intypes trace
back to the mid-20th century when office spaces began receiving significantly
more attention in trade publications. One Intype, Marching Order, may be
traced back to the earliest days of modern office design. All identified Intypes
remain relevant in current workplace design practice.

The workplace Intypes developed in this thesis encompass numerous aspects
of the office environment including material, lighting, object, and spatial
applications.

In addition to this thesis, Workplace Intypes will be disseminated through the
free and open website – www.Intypes.Cornell.edu – a web-based research
and teaching site that makes design history and contemporary practice
accessible to academics, professional and students.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Shuqing Yin is a native of Union City, California. Inspired to study design
during a trip to Rome during her pre-teen years, she graduated with a
Bachelor of Science in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell
University in 2009. Under the guidance of Professor Jan Jennings, she
pursued her graduate studies, focusing on the design of workplace
environments. She hopes to bring her passion for workplaces into the
professional field of Interior Design.

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To Hard Work.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Of the countless individuals who have supported me throughout my journey, I
would first like to thank Professor Jan Jennings. A mentor, friend and tireless
advocate of the Intypes project, she continues to astonish and inspire me with
her wealth of knowledge and passion for design. Sincere Thank Yous to
Professor Ying Hua – you have inspired a passion in me for workplace design
that I never thought I would have – as well as Professor Kathleen Gibson –
you have shaped so much of my college experience in such wonderful ways.
To all of the DEA department, faculty and staff alike, you have all touched my
life in one way or the other and I am blessed to know you. I would like to thank
my family- my mother who is the embodiment of strength and perseverance
and Jimmy who gives me the strength to persevere. Finally to all my other
friends and loved ones, each and every one of you brings laughter and joy to
my life. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Biographical Sketch iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Figures viii
List of Tables xiii

Chapter 1: The Study
1.0 The Study 2
1.1 Introduction and Premise of the Study 3
1.2 A Brief History of Workplace Design 5
1.3 The Intypes Research and Teaching Project 15
1.4 Research Protocol 16
1.5 Site Visits 20
1.6 General Literature Review 22
1.7 Existing Terminology 29
1.8 Analysis and Summary of Findings 32
1.9 Assessment of Research 35

Chapter 2: Frame 38
Chapter 3: Light Seam 54
Chapter 4: Marching Order 69
Chapter 5: Slat 89
Chapter 6: White Box 103

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Chapter 7: 1 Bar 2 119
Chapter 8: Dual Desk 139
Chapter 9: Face to Face 150
Chapter 10: Incubate 165
Chapter 11: Pompidou 182

Theses Cited 196
References 197

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Miniature Precision Bearings, Inc.
Figure 2.2 E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
Figure 2.3 Heidrick & Struggles Headquarters
Figure 2.4 Tod Williams & Associates
Figure 2.5 Solomon Equities
Figure 2.6 Johnson, Johnson & Roy
Figure 2.7 American Trade Center
Figure 2.8 Fair, Isaac and Co.
Figure 2.9 Turkiye Is Bankasi
Figure 2.10 Concrete Incorporated
Figure 3.1 Roure Bertrand Dupont, Inc.
Figure 3.2 Prudential Insurance Company
Figure 3.3 Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison
Figure 3.4 PR Agency, Rome
Figure 3.5 Apple Computers
Figure 3.6 HypoVereinsbank
Figure 3.7 HBO
Figure 3.8 US Census Bureau Office
Figure 3.9 Law Firm, NYC
Figure 4.1a Larkin Building
Figure 4.1a Larkin Building Layout
Figure 4.2 Modern Efficiency Desk
Figure 4.3 Sears, Roebuck and Company

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