"And the alternative is?"

Uh, traditional office spaces? Or at the very least, real cubicles?

I guess the under 30 crowd may not be aware, but open offices in the US are a relatively new phenomenon for tech workers. I'm 40 and when I first started working as a programmer, suggesting implementing a modern open-plan office would get you laughed out of the building. Now it is nearly impossible to get away from them, much to my chagrin.

Hell no!

As a UK worker that's always worked open plan, I find cube farms extremely oppressive.

I had an office with a window and door in my jobs in the US up until the open office plan boom. I assume that's what the OP was referring to. (And how I miss those tiny offices, sob)

Real offices are not that expensive in comparison to the gains to the company (increased productivity, less turnover) by having them.

What makes you think the onus is on the complainer to provide solutions?

The article has a sidebar explaining "hot-desking":

"Hot-desking - the idea that employees don't retain a fixed desk in an office - is a key part of organisations' move towards cheaper, more flexible workplaces. The more employees work from home, the more organisations can shrink their offices to accommodate only the number of people who are in every day."

In addition to the telecommuting angle, I've seen open plan offices like this that also have a limited number of closed rooms where employees can go for a while if they want some privacy, or if they need to work with a colleague for a while. That seems like a good compromise.

Team offices. Take two of those cross-shaped workspaces, plop them down in a relatively narrow room, and you have a decent office for a team of eight.