As you peer through the elegantly glazed vestibule of the new 53rd Street Library in Manhattan, instead of book-lined shelves, you see a large amphitheater with expansive wood tiers.
Fifty years ago, in the 75th-anniversary issue of RECORD, editor in chief Emerson Goble addressed an issue he was constantly asked about—why the magazine wasn’t as critical as it had been in its early years.
In spite of users’ grumbling about noise, distractions, and lack of privacy, the open-plan workplace—in its post-cubicle incarnation, with flexible, casual seating, and ample places to commune and play—continues to gain dominance in office design.
The New York architecture community has been in a swivet since the posting of an article titled “MoMA to Abolish Architecture and Design Galleries” in Architects Newspaper on April 12.