> While offices for everyone sound good on paper, moving everyone out of cubicles destroyed a culture of tight-knit interaction and communication.

Please, no, do not fall for this misconception. I've worked in several "tight-knit" environments. Invariably, everyone starts wearing headphones to tune out the distraction and also starts communicating via IRC/messaging so as not to cause distraction. Completely negating any potential for the mythical spontaneous communication.