Cubicle?!
Where I work we have two "rooms" (there's a wall between them, but no waal/doors to the corridors, one of them even being on both sides of the corridor), each with about 15 people working. My boss would have had his own room, but he decided he we didn't need the wall to his room. Not that he needed the free view to watch us work, he isn't there most of the time, and when he is, he's too busy anyway
1/3rd usually isn't there (meetings, experimenting/testing (not possible at the desks), holiday etc.), of those that are there about 1/3rd are in a constant discussion with eachother. It can get quite noisy sometimes - especially at those times when almost everyone is discussing (the noise is usually augmented by those that join the chat via handsfree telephone conference (more than one using the telephone at the same time)). Most times the noise level isn't that extreme though.
When they hired me, they told me that would be an american style office. Now you post pictures of cubicles. I'm confused.
