Open office layouts are a scam. Everyone I've talked to prefers the quiet and the privacy of having a cube.

It's just a way to pack more people into the same space so the company doesn't need to pay for bigger office space.

The best office environment I've worked in were in bays/quadricles, where a single team sat in a single giant cube, so you can easily communicate while still being closed off from drive-by's. Was really fun because each team decorated their bay in fun themes :)