some companies make a point of having fancy offices for executives, while others make a point of giving the CEO the same sort of cubicle as everyone else. I did an article on this a while back. 

But really, the biggest issue is saving money; when so many employees are working at home, on the road, going to conferences, etc., it just doesn't make sense to have offices for all of them in case they all show up.

It's going to be interesting to see how it affects software pricing, when not all the employees of a company are 'in' the same facility.

Four generations? Generation Y, Generation X, Boomers, and.... ?

I'm still using a standing desk. Working at a home office, I value the ability to configure my workspace however I see fit. 

Although getting up regularly has many of the health benefits of a standing desk, and will likely be more conducive to a conventional office. 

I'll certainly get up, and even walk around the block, if I'm stuck for ideas.  What I don't like is the idea of having to move to get things when I'm actually working.

I used to think i was doing too much office walking when i had to get up to pick up the phone in a shared office. When i became a college instructor, i learnt the meaning of the word mobility. I spend at least 5 hours a day walking around within the same lab space without adding the hours i walk outside the lab. not even sure if that is still healthy.

When I'm stuck on a lede or a hed, I have to move. I can't sit still for too long anyway without getting agita. My best friend is a legal secretary. If you removed her printer or fax machine, she'd probably need an attorney. Exercise or not.

The nature of the office would be best defined by the nature of the work. Some jobs allow for distance between team members and others need to be in close proximity to each other.

So simply put, there wouldn't be a single solution to how the future work place would look like. What is needed is a framework for what factors will dictate certain features in the work place. 

As for the company culture a requirement for the team gather for culture training may be what is needed. I was impressed when I learnt in the 13 years ago that my colleagues who worked for Hewitt Associates got to choose to work from home any 2 days of the week, except of course when there an emergency that needed them to come in on their chosen work at home day.

It would drive me insane to have to get up and walk across the office every time I needed something.  Maybe it's great for fitness, but what does it do for concentration?

I saw an interesting show about office design that focused on businesses' desire to add "invisible" exercise; that is, to redesign office space to force employees to move around more, thus inadvertently get more exercise. So instead of creating this really convenient office space where everything is at your fingers, designers are now consciously moving stuff out of reach. Wireless technology helps! Printers and other shared devices are put in central locations so AAs and others HAVE to walk to them; designers are asked to move elevators and escalators to inconvenient locations and put stairs in the center of the space, after making them well-lit and attractive.

Have you noticed these changes where you work?

As society shifts towords the "older" generation of baby boomers in sheer numbers, there's no doubt that lots of stuff is going to be geared to them. Although the worker bees will still be the younger set, the administration and bosses will tend to be considerably older.

Those demographic changes will certaintly mean some changes in the work place as electroinic devices get easier to use and read from, and work sites get more user friendly and much less prone to accidental through better lightning and design.