The desks were close together, but they were of more American size and scale. There were tall partitions between them, which were opaque for about a foot and a half and then glass above that. This satisfied the needs of both the Japanese and Americans. From the Japanese perspective, people were seated close together, and the glass provided the ability for visual contact. From the American perspective, the opaque portion of the partition provided a degree of privacy, and the glass portion served to reduce noise.