IN CUBICLE FARMS, a plea for “sonic privacy.” “In general, people do not like the acoustics in open offices. . . . The noisemakers aren’t so bothered by the lack of privacy, but most people are not happy, and designers are finally starting to pay attention to the problem.”

Plus this: “The original rationale for the open-plan office, aside from saving space and money, was to foster communication among workers, the better to coax them to collaborate and innovate. But it turned out that too much communication sometimes had the opposite effect: a loss of privacy, plus the urgent desire to throttle one’s neighbor.”

Bottom line: “You talk to more people in an open office, but I think you have fewer meaningful conversations.”

UPDATE: Reader John Muth writes:

I’m surprised no one has picked up the REAL reason for the spread of cubicles, even in the face ample scientific evidence that knowledge workers are more productive in hard-wall offices: cubicles don’t require government approval or inspection to build or reconfigure. You just bring in a crew and do the work. With hard-wall offices you have permit application and approval, inspections at various stages of completion (inspection timing is at the convenience of the inspector, meanwhile work stops until he/she deigns to show up), final occupancy permits, etc.

I’m not saying we should get rid of building inspections, but under current processes cubes are the only way to go, even though they suck as a working environment.

Another side effect of regulation.

ANOTHER UPDATE: John Tierney, the author of the piece, emails:

Thanks for linking to the cubicle piece. That’s an astute comment by your reader about cubicles being a reaction to regulation. In the course of talking to designers, I heard complaints about the difficulties in meeting building codes when they tried to include different kinds of rooms in an office.

And I was told that even high partitions in cubicles are taboo if a designer wants try to get their building certified “green” — the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating. To get the rating, you need to meet various standards for reducing energy use and increasing the amount of natural light throughout the office. The practical result, I was told, is that you can’t build tall cubicles that would block light from the windows.(I think 42 inches may be the max height for partitions.) Of course, it’s nice to have more natural light in an office. But I bet a lot of cubicle dwellers would trade the light for higher partitions and more privacy.

Yes.