[cmelbye]

It's cheaper, it makes informal collaboration easier, it fosters better energy in the office.

Any office layout is going to have tradeoffs. It seems like the problems you have with open space offices could be solved with a pair of noise-canceling headphones?

[neoterics]

Those are the buzz words they use - "collaboration", "energy" etc. but to be honest has there ever been a study done to show if that is indeed the case? Also, I see no reason why those can't be achieved with high walled cube sections.

Our whole floor is open, we have different departments, and even then I mainly see only a single group talking/collaborating, it's not like suddenly the lawyers are more social and are breaking their cliques and interacting with the marketing teams.

With the last sentence, I am going to assume you are more outgoing and extroverted, because a noise-cancelling headphone will not do much to reduce the external stimuli that I'm receiving from my other senses.

I guess there is a certain level of coziness, safety associated when the world is not able to look at me and vice-versa and it may be hard to explain, but it is vital for me to focus 100%, and I'm sure a lot of people towards the introversion end of the spectrum feel that way.