[mxuribe]

During a previous job when I had a more manageable workload, I actually enjoyed the open plan desk. The interaction with my peers, co-workers etc. was actually helpful - if not always for productivity - at least for ideas, general sanity checks, etc. And then i got my current job, and the workload is just crazy...so any tiny interruption kills my productivity...So i do similar to what you do: block some time in a conference room, an hour or two at most. I happen to book a conference room on the other side of the building, where most folks don't recognize me. But i always have mixed feelings about it. While maybe i am not getting 5x more done, i'm definitely loads more productive. But to me it seems sad, and says alot about how crappy some jobs can be, when to get anything done, you actually have to work away from your desk and peers. Ah well...

[rdl]

I think the trick is either to work from multiple locations (based on task), or to have a reconfigurable space.

In my next office, I am going to do a team-based pod system. Teams of 4-8. Single large room to start (2k SF or so), broken up however they decide (could be one huge room, or individual offices, or some combination, or smaller offices plus one big room, etc)

The thing I really want to try is offices with openable walls on 2-3 sides. One side opening into a shared team room; the other opening into a hallway or open plan space.

(The other trick is doing this somewhere with <$24/mo per SF real estate.)