The look and feel of today’s office space is dramatically different than what we saw just 10 years ago.  Collaborative is the new norm and private offices are a thing of the past.  Gone is the bowling alley of offices replaced by open spaces with exposed ceilings.

Drawing a parallel between the modern workspace and online social behavior, the Boston Globe notes, “in a fast-paced high-tech world where community seems to be more valued than privacy, the office partitions have come down in the name of collaboration and quick exchange…Offices are being designed to offer slightly cramped but open spaces to create “collision zones” for employees, where conversations get started and ideas get hatched. Status-based work areas have gotten the pink slip as companies envision cross-departmental, even cross-industry alliances. And why have a meeting around a gigantic table when you and a few co-workers can set up shop in a booth — not so different from one at Denny’s. Sound much different from your office? Just wait.”

The Boston Globe article is comprehensive and worthy of a read; it’s available on the Globe’s online real estate section.