Walked through an old courthouse in Richmond and changed my mind about open floor plans

I always thought open layouts were the best thing for getting work done. Then last weekend I toured the 1930s courthouse in downtown Richmond and noticed how the separate offices and hallways kept noise down. People could actually focus without hearing every phone call two desks over. The building had 12 foot ceilings and small rooms but it felt less chaotic than my current coworking space. I spent 2 hours just walking around watching how the layout controlled the flow of people. Has anyone else seen a old building layout that made you rethink modern office design?

2 comments

2 Comments

carter.jennifer12d agoMost Upvoted

Did you notice how the old courthouse had those little alcoves and waiting areas too? I was in a Victorian post office once and the way they had separate desks with high partitions between them made me realize how much modern offices feel like a fishbowl. The noise isolation was amazing even though the ceiling fans were loud. I think we went too far with the whole open concept thing and forgot that people actually need privacy to get stuff done.

ryanrodriguez11d ago

especially with the open concept thing, i totally get what you mean about the noise. like yeah it's great for "collaboration" or whatever but half the time i'm trying to read something and i can hear steve from accounting eating his chips three desks away. did those old high partitions actually block sound decently, or was it more of a visual thing? i've always wondered if the wood or whatever they used back then made a real difference or if it was just a vibe shift.