The irony is it's exactly this sort of all-or-nothing statement that leads companies astray. There are plenty of environments and team structures that worship

The irony is it's exactly this sort of all-or-nothing statement that leads companies astray. There are plenty of environments and team structures that worship the benefits they get from being able to work next to one another, from being able to just ask something rather than get up, or write an email. Even just for the comradely. Just as there are jobs and people and teams who need walls, either to put stuff on or relax (perhaps the wrong word) within the separation they provide. And how much people need one or the other changes over time, depending on what they're doing. There isn't one simple answer... Except that holding offices as status symbols is pretty toxic when the person who really wants one is actually better off without one. Perhaps a medium-term hot-desk/office allocation based on what people want and need. There are a couple of interesting models laid out here but seriously, before you turn your office into a warren-line Eudamonia Machine, please step back and talk to your employees. And if you are pushing for something like that... fire escapes, fire escapes, fire escapes.