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How the Medici, monks, and the British Empire shaped your office


The coronavirus pandemic has forced most people to create an office space of their own – whether by devoting a room in our homes for work, sitting socially distanced in common areas or just creating a “Zoom worthy” corner in a bedroom. As a scholar who researches and designs learning and workspaces, I’m aware how the modern-day workplace was shaped over several centuries. But few people may know that the origins of the office can be found in the monasteries of medieval Europe. Early origin in monasteries Beginning around the fifth century, monks that lived and worked in monasteries preserved…

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