I come cross this interesting article, which talks about the trend of moving away from the "open-plan" living.
The architect-community believes the so-called "broken-plan" living already becoming the main-stream, as family-member desires to spend more time with IT and have greater independence.
In one case, a London architect from an affordable housing scheme offers the residents a choice between an open-plan living space, or inserting a wall between their living and dining rooms. All 26 residents have chosen the wall-inserted.
The preference of wall-inserted may seem logical, but I have reservation of what it could bring to the table. I prefer an open-plan spacing that is designed for independence openly, kind of like working in an open-office. I like how it would facilitate a greater proximity among family-member, while achieving independent comfort.