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Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

independent.com

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Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#131

Post by ripe »

ctdonath wrote: post #71
praptak wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We really need a way to protect ourselves against what the rich are doing to the rest of us.

You have a way: freedom. You're free to not associate. You can choose alternatives to UCSB, Apple, Facebook, lousy jobs, high tuition, etc. Sure you won't get the benefits those offer, but nobody is compelling participation. That's why Americans (at least some of them) are so fiercely adamant about their rights, to a degree that puzzles many: the right to choose differently, however foolish it may seem to others, is…

Sorry, that's like saying that the people of Flint, MI were free to move somewhere else when their water was polluted.[1]

No, the university is responsible for providing safe housing for the students, and if they accepted this lunatic's plan, they would be breaching that trust.

When parents and students look for colleges, they assume a certain level of due diligence has been done for them, and they will be leaving their teenager in a minimally safe environment. You can't let people off the hook because of some right-wing idea of "freedom".

[1] In April 2014, during a budget crisis, Flint changed its water source from treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water (sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to the Flint River. Residents complained about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, which resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply, exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#132

Post by giarc »

VWWHFSfQ wrote: post #9

> an 11-story, 1.68-million-square-foot structure that would house up to 4,500 students, 94 percent of whom would not have windows in their small, single-occupancy bedrooms. > Munger maintains the small living quarters would coax residents out of their rooms and into larger common areas, where they could interact and collaborate. That seems unlikely.

Why not provide adequate living facilities and those that want to venture out and socialize will, and those that want to hang out in their room will do so. Seems odd to try and force them out of their room.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#133

Post by hnxs »

londons_explore wrote: post #92

I'm going to depart from the norm here... And announce I'd actually like to live in that building. I really value communal shared space, and very few types of housing provide it - usually dedicating 90%+ of space to individuals to live a gloomy existence mostly alone requiring Netflix for company. Shared space should be 'tiered' - Ie. Personal space, space shared with near neighbors, space shared with a wider neighbo…

The toilet:person ratio is 1:4

It’s like sharing a bathroom with 4 people, but worse

no thanks

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#134

Post by raldi »

kodah wrote: post #66
VWWHFSfQ wrote: post #9

> an 11-story, 1.68-million-square-foot structure that would house up to 4,500 students, 94 percent of whom would not have windows in their small, single-occupancy bedrooms. > Munger maintains the small living quarters would coax residents out of their rooms and into larger common areas, where they could interact and collaborate. That seems unlikely.

Yeah this doesn't work. The Marines stuffed me into a very small barracks room and gave me a room mate. It doesn't make you leave any more often, it just makes you fight.

But in this case, every student will have a single, on a campus where the lack of singles is one of the biggest student complaints. Especially loathed are triples, which would be eliminated campus-wide once this building opens.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#135

Post by jefftk »

adenozine wrote: post #42

Jesus FUCK that's a horrible idea. My neighbor is a maintenance guy for a sober living complex and he has talked to me about maintaining these kinds of high density environments, and this seems like a nightmare scenario just waiting to happen. Also, just emotionally, this can't possibly work. There's no way to succeed in such a high pressure environment like those college years with so little space and so little priv…

So little privacy? The first three of my four years in college I had shared rooms; only had a single my senior year. I think that's reasonably common? This is much more privacy than that.

(Lack of windows is much more of an issue from my perspective)

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#136

Post by mindcrime »

giarc wrote: post #122
mindcrime wrote: post #91

From my point-of-view as a former firefighter, I would say this: A building meant to house 4500 students, with only two entrances? There's a word for that: deathtrap. Building this is setting UCSB up to be the site of the next Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire[1], Station Nightclub fire[2], or Hamlet Chicken Processing Plant fire[3]. At a first glance, based only on the information provided in the article, I'd say tha…

As point out elsewhere, 2 entrances doesn't mean 2 egress points. There are likely lots of one way doors out of the building.

History suggests that the primary ingress/egress points are the only ones worth considering. Emergency doors have a nagging tendency to be obstructed, hidden, barricaded or even flat-out locked even when they're not allowed to be. And that's assuming people will know where they are. When they're half-drunk, half-stoned, half-asleep, and wandering around in a smoke filled corridor at 2:00 am.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#137

Post by KennyBlanken »

mindcrime wrote: post #91

From my point-of-view as a former firefighter, I would say this: A building meant to house 4500 students, with only two entrances? There's a word for that: deathtrap. Building this is setting UCSB up to be the site of the next Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire[1], Station Nightclub fire[2], or Hamlet Chicken Processing Plant fire[3]. At a first glance, based only on the information provided in the article, I'd say tha…

Those are factories, so it's a bit different, but I agree with you. In my state every room in a home that could be used as a bedroom or for regular occupancy (ie not a closet) has to have a window large enough to get a person out. For damn good reason.

How the fuck was this project compliant with local fire code?

I don't even understand how this was seriously considered in the first place. Apparently the project has a $1.5B pricetag and this old coot is tossing in a seventh of that? WTF.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#138

Post by IggleSniggle »

londons_explore wrote: post #92

I'm going to depart from the norm here... And announce I'd actually like to live in that building. I really value communal shared space, and very few types of housing provide it - usually dedicating 90%+ of space to individuals to live a gloomy existence mostly alone requiring Netflix for company. Shared space should be 'tiered' - Ie. Personal space, space shared with near neighbors, space shared with a wider neighbo…

Are you considering the scale of the building and the lack of access to outside? Imagine, the pod next to your's, deep in the interior of the building with only two entrances/exits, accidentally starts a fire. Or houses a crazy person who keeps defecating in their waste-bin. Just imagine the CO2 levels and lack of oxygen, even without the other environmental issues!

I, too, value communal shared spaces. A giant block with no natural light or fresh air, for $300k per tiny unit, is not the way to do it.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#139

Post by phatboyslim »

theroqwpeo wrote: post #75
daniel-thompson wrote: post #24

Munger also did the same thing for the University of Michigan's graduate residence building^; 95% of the rooms have no windows. ^ https://housing.umich.edu/residence-hall/munger/

Reviews of this residence: https://www.veryapt.com/ApartmentReview-a7222-munger-graduat...

I had the same initial reaction as most here when reading the article. This data has caused me to think more critically about the concept, thank you.
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