Most open office layouts have to pump some sort of white noise into the environment to dampen voices echoing across huge rooms. I really don't understand why there is such an aversion to doing an open-ish office, segmenting groups of desks into smaller closed off (floor to ceiling frosted glass) areas instead of having the entire room open.
> I really don't understand why there is such an aversion to doing an open-ish office, segmenting groups of desks into smaller closed off (floor to ceiling frosted glass) areas
Because that costs money, and open offices are a cost-savings measure. It's a way to be cheap while looking hip/stylish/whatever.
In some cases I think there's also a barely-concealed dick measuring thing going on, where companies put in open office space so that they can elevate some employees by giving them cubicles (and executives, obviously, will always get outer-ring offices with windows!). So you take away with one hand, give it back with the other, and suddenly what was formerly standard for everyone becomes an incentive you can hand out discretionarily.
It would add trivial cost to hang heavy sound-absorbing curtains as room partitions to break up an open space. These would reduce noise significantly from all sources and make the roomlets colorful and cozy. And they could be moved around over time to accommodate changes in team size, and just to add visual variety.
No decent restaurant uses stadium seating as their decor. There's good reason. Patrons don't want to dine in a gymnasium.
