[mtrimpe]

I'm reading PeopleWare right now which deals with this issue at length and their conclusion is quite similar to yours.

In retrospect it's as simple as it's obvious: people should be allowed to setup their offices in a way that works for them.

Interestingly enough this all comes from the original patterns book, the one which concerned itself with actual architecture.

It essentially states that people should create their own space and that structure and order should only be imposed through adherence to shared general principles.

Many of these principles seem so simple and obvious yet are so often forgotten in practice, such as that the wall should be far away enough to give your eyes a chance to relax.

Another one was that the sounds you heard had to be similar to that of your own, which seems strikingly true in my own experience.