Who Invented Cubicles?
When people look at or work in a sea of cubicles they may be reminded of the phrase that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It was certainly the case that the inventor of cubicles, Robert (Bob) Propst, was hoping through the design to personalize the office environment. In the early 1960s, Propst looked at the array of desks in orderly rows that did little to express the individuality of the worker, and had to be kept in pristine order. He felt they had a clinical and demoralizing feel, and believed that partitions would offer workers privacy, a little less noise and a chance to express themselves in their own partitioned office space. Propst has invented a number of things, including pilot seats for supersonic aircrafts. In fact, through his work with the Herman Miller Company that asked for a newer seat design, the company founder, D. J. DuPree asked Propst to redesign the Herman Miller office and furniture. The end result was the partitioned cubicles, called the Action
