The original "action offices" by Herman Miller were a lot more similar to the "open offices" you see today. There's space to collaborate, but still enough to have your own privacy. People can engage and disengage how they see fit.
However, corp overlords took the "action office" to its logical extreme and created the oft-loathed cubicles to cram as many workers in one space, like cattle.
Then, the backlash. Open Offices! So cool! Everyone talks to each other! This, too, was taken to its logical extreme, with long tables and 0 privacy. Similarly, this was born out of short-term objectives around the bottom line instead of thinking about the employees and getting work done.
The real solution, I think, is to get out of the frame of open vs. closed vs. cubicles vs. whatever, and start thinking about not only your corporate culture, but how your company plans to get work done on a day-to-day. Great offices are really expensive, at the end of the day. If your employer makes a lot of money but still treats you like an expense, rather than an owner, then perhaps consider looking elsewhere.
Here's a video I found that's related to the afore-mentioned article that I couldn't find: