FROM THE EDITOR.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha

On the list of people I'd like to meet is whoever designed the layout for the Alaska Business Publishing Co. office. We occupy the entire first floor of 501 W. Northern Lights Boulevard in Midtown Anchorage and have done so since we launched in the mid-'80s.

In what we call the "front office" is a reception area and three traditional offices: a door, four walls, a window or two. The rest of the office was divided into approximate thirds: a middle communal space with a kitchen and a sort of cubicle with multiple entrances and a wall several feet short of the ceiling that we lovingly dubbed "the fishbowl"; a north wing that houses production and editorial staff; and a south wing, occupied by the sales team and storage spaces.

The north and south wings have rooms with walls on three sides. The fourth side is open to a connecting hallway, creating spaces halfway between a cubicle and an office.

The overall effect is a bizarre, unintuitive series of hallways and doors that create a maze-like effect, confusing visitors and new employees alike. Whoever put this plan on paper--I'd love to ask them WHY.

It's unlikely I'll ever have the opportunity, a fact I am learning to accept. And, as we speak, our office space is undergoing a transformation. The fishbowl's walls have been torn down to create space for an open, communal meeting area. Also doors are being added to the two corner offices in the north wing, occupied by myself and our art director.

I'm an advocate for the doors, as they'll solve some issues we have with how the wing functions (though because of the nature of the hallway, they won't make the office layout any less weird). But as the framing goes up and the drywall is installed, I am unprepared for how different my office feels. A door is a...