Rolling Out The Instant Office

Timely BusinessWeek reality check -- access to the full article annoyingly requires a subscription, but it's an interesting snapshot of a domain in transition, 

Why maintain empty cubicles? Companies are gaining flexibility with on-demand office space

Working anywhere but work is causing a vast emptying out in corporate-land. About 60% of the office space that companies pay so dearly for is now a dead zone of darkened doorways and wasting cubes.

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The age of on-demand projects is creating a need for on-demand offices. Just as executives in the '80s and '90s created flexible workforces by outsourcing jobs, today they are creating flexible workplaces by outsourcing offices. Quick shifts in global business currents mean that during one quarter your team might need to be in Minsk, the next in midtown Manhattan. Projects that were supposed to last a few months sometimes linger for years.

The article continues with an overview of how some companies are seeking to better optimize the use of office space. 

Source: Rolling Out The Instant Office