Author(s)/Creator(s)

Ryan Williams

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

B. ARCH

Date

Spring 5-2016

Keywords

architecture, office, technology, environments, public, private

Language

English

Disciplines

Architectural Engineering | Architectural History and Criticism | Architectural Technology | Other Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning

Description/Abstract

This thesis contends that the "office" as a solely economic construct is no more: Its utility as an engine driving productivity and the accumulation of capital has stalled in our present age of information where value is constructed through knowledge exchange and interaction.

Via the use of new technologies, millennial workers' transition from the college campus to the office has become more seamless and, this thesis argues, it is in this paradigm shift that it is possible to identify a blurring of the public and private spheres. The millennial worker-turned-freelancer's life exists forever suspended between work and play, place and space.

Increasingly, it is possible to identify a trend towards entrepreneurship within the United States. Tech companies have becomes the champion for the small business owner, encouraging a new generation of millennials to go out and make it on their own. Currently, however, the United States does not have the infrastructure to support this self-empowered working class. With an increasing number of small business owners and a decreasing amount of rentable space, the modern freelancer is left to navigate the urban grid of the American city, conducting formal work tasks in informal work environments.

It is in these informal environments and organic encounters that meaningful connections might be made. No single space serves to cater to these criteria, and no single space is capable of highlighting this informality. This thesis looks to re-conceptualize the modern office through three formal strategies that attempt to catalyze a range of "organic" encounters.

Source

local input

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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