As has been pointed out, though, cubicles cost way more than drywall.

Cubicles must also be wired and meet building codes. They just come "prefinished".

When I see the budget that includes the cubicles, I'll let you know for certain.

I always thought the cost savings came into the manner of cramming more people into less space, far less than to do with the actual building costs. Any office the size of a standard cubicle, to me, is a closet.

Ditto.

Pricing of cubicles has always been a mystery to me. We have Herman Miller products at my place, and while this information is several years old, here is how they worked the pricing:

List price for all the pieces and parts to build 1 cube: $20,000 (several years old pricing, probably different now)

Our corporate discount (At that time): 75%

Real price of each cube & parts: $5,000.

I still thought it was expensive. Not sure who would really spend the list price if for some reason they weren't eligible for any discounts...

Randy

I will point out that the people I'm working with design integrated circuits all day long.

Also, that cost isn't totally finished. Specifically, it does not include wiring, electrical, or flooring. It does include some of the wiring and electrical parts, but not the labor. It also includes the equivalent of drywall and paint and paint labor. There's bound to be a labor cost for physically assembling and installing the cubicles. It does include a desk and maybe a lamp and a small cabinet or two. It may or may not include a chair.

I've seen offices made from actual broom closets, complete with electrical mains shutoff on the wall- very cramped.

Stu

Slashdot post about this same issue. Evidently you're not the only one who thinks cubes are a bad idea.

For the record, I agree.

The cost of the cubes can be justified in a number of ways and are one time charges. The ongoing cost of maintenance is usually assessed on a bucks/sqft basis. That charge never ends and has to be justified constantly.

Airlines represent this taken to ridiculous levels. Having squeezed space out of their aircraft so drastically that people just don't like to fly anymore.