I just think telling people that they're not allowed to speak in the office is not conducive to a pleasant atmosphere. People generally work better and will be more willing to stick out their PhDs if they're in a friendly atmosphere. Sure, people talking loudly can be a problem sometimes but it is not as if it happens for the majority of the time. I'm glad that many people found the troll faces I stuck around this office and many others to be amusing. One problem, people figured out it was me quite fast. Only I have a strange sense of humor...
The same principle is applied to running a business. If your employees are happy, they are more likely to work harder and procrastinate less.
I have been here for a year and 1 month now. I have put a few assholes in their place. Now that their behavior has been modified, people in general are happier.
Edit: The office that I reside in at the electricity utility is magnitudes noisier than this office will ever reach. Those who complain about the level of noise in the office will be horrified if they ever decide to work outside the university.