Brian Button has discovered that background noise isn't that big a deal in the long run.

I'd take a single meeting room dedicated for the whole team over cubicles or private offices any day. Interestingly, I've never really suffered from the background noise although I've heard of a lot of whining about such a thing. Maybe if the guy next to me was listening to Britney Spears on speakers all day...

Hal Macomber posted a nice little story about project management in the construction industry.