I had the opposite experience. Every single time I had to spend time in an open office environment.
There is just one person you need to tell to be quiet in a small 2 person office. There are countless people you want to tell to shut up in an open office. This is also the reason so many people work with their headphones on. For some time I had those massive over ear headphones with me while I traveled through our offices. I didn't even listen to anything. Just put them on so I didn't have to listen to the environment. It's hell...
I see where you're coming from. We don't have open office, but I still deal with noise pollution; however I don't see the big issue with using headphones. There's health concerns (which can be mitigated), but I don't see any other big problems. And come on, there can always be too much drama. Anyway, I apologise for my tone, I just think it's worth considering.
There is just one person you need to tell to be quiet in a small 2 person office. There are countless people you want to tell to shut up in an open office. This is also the reason so many people work with their headphones on. For some time I had those massive over ear headphones with me while I traveled through our offices. I didn't even listen to anything. Just put them on so I didn't have to listen to the environment. It's hell...