Posted on 10/29/2021 8:08:59 PM PDT by blueplum
Billionaire Charlie Munger is bankrolling the design of a massive dormitory at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The $1.5 billion project comes with a major catch — 94% of the dorm's single occupancy rooms have no windows. A consulting architect on the university's Design Review Committee quit in protest of the project, in a resignation letter obtained by CNN Business and reported by the Santa Barbara Independent...
...In addition to being Warren Buffett's right-hand man, Munger is an amateur architect. He has no formal education in the field.... the 97-year-old vice chairman of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, donated $200 million to UCSB to fund the dorms, with the caveat that his designs are followed. He wanted the dorm rooms to be tiny and windowless to encourage residents to spend more time outside...
...There are only two points of entry and exit.... "The project is essentially the student life portion of a mid-sized university campus in a box," McFadden wrote. "Munger Hall is an experiment in size and density with no precedent in student housing at that scale."...
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
This passes fire code?
Munger is out of touch with what most students would want in a living space. It’s not just due to his age, but with his weatlh, he has become accustomed to immediate, unquestioned and total
obediance from any business entity he donates to.
I can’t imagine living in a place with no access to outside fresh air. Just the smell of it is invigorating.
My husband and I love the days when it’s not too hot or cold that we can forego the HVAC and open all the windows.
I grew up and lived into my ‘forties with no air conditioning, and often with radiator heat. I haven’t been as healthy since I moved into places that had central air ‘conditioning’.
I want my air fresh whenever possible - not ‘conditioned’.
You WILL live in the pod.
You WILL eat the bugs.
Sheesh, hang a screen on the wall and stream outside video. Your choice of views!
Sounds East German to me.
Whole point of having a nice dorm is to be able to study for long periods without succumbing to the temptation to leave. Having a window is um, integral to that.
Munger really is a clueless curmudgeon.
A person staying in a dorm room needs to be able to see through a window to view the out-side scenery. Is it sun shine? Raining? Snowing, windy, morning evening noon. A link to the real world. You want to know what is out there such as to properly prepare for a venture into the outdoor environment.
(Music sting)
The Porn Dorm, soon will be gracing the campus, the Porn Dorm promises cubicles for everyone, so hook up your tv and drool over fake bromance….
That what I want to know.
Curious minds wants to know?
UCSB is supposed to be a beautiful campus on the Pacific. Why on Earth would they reasonably want a design like this?
It appears to be something more similar to a prison block. I don’t think the forced social-interaction thing will work.
Personally, I’d be tempted to only go back to the suite to sleep. Also, showering and bathroom necessities must be absolute hell in that prison block.
I guess it’s an adequate style if you are into Soviet worker architecture.
It will be green because it is more energy efficient. It may be coming everywhere.
They should build in the capability to cheaply install windows and knock down walls to increase room size so the conversion can be easily made once he dies.
This is stupid. I bet he wouldn’t live this way. Somebody a long time ago should have refused his money and taught him that he can’t always buy anything, or anyone, he wants.
“When this thing goes up and becomes an extreme success, which is absolutely inevitable, I think there will end up to be more buildings like it on the UCSB campus,” Munger said.
I’ll take the other side of that bet.
I agree with his motivation to get kids off social media and video and outside at least....
Satan himself could not draw up a more diabolical blueprint.
Thanks for posting. The have a picture of the inside at the link. A room with a bed, desk, and wardrobe. It is better than what I had which was the same items lined up in a row except two people per room although we had a window. The large conference table in the middle of the eight person common area is wasted space.
The idea of fostering collaboration is a joke. Different people are taking different classes and it was better to study alone anyway.
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