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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

#371

Post by queuebert »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #137
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…

I was unable to get home owner's insurance for my home until I removed the existing burglar bars on the windows.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#372

Post by dantheman »

ripe wrote: post #131
ctdonath wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 th…

Yep, incompetent bureaucrats instead of raising prices for water decided to try and save a buck without understanding anything.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#373

Post by jefftk »

capableweb wrote: post #152
mindcrime wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Indeed. From the linked articles above: > Because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked – a common practice at the time to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft – many of the workers could not escape from the burning building and jumped from the high windows. > Various historians have also ascribed the exit doors being locked to management's wanting to keep out union organize…

"Because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked – a common practice at the time..."

Your quote is from a fire in 1911. This is no longer at all common practice, and would get the university in serious trouble during regular inspections.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#374

Post by mikeg8 »

yyy888sss wrote: post #302

For $1.5 Billion, why don't they just build 1000 luxury 5 bedroom mansions? If they had the land area, they could even build 5000 individual detached homes for that budget. They could even splurge and give each bedroom a window!

The do not have anything close to that amount of land area.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#375

Post by jefftk »

Lots of uninformed reactions hiding the important stuff in this thread:

* Munger did something similar at the University of Michigan, which residents review positively: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29038730

* The building plans include sprinklers and have multiple escape stairs their own exits: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29039893

* There are lots of windows and natural light in the per-suite common areas: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29038874

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#376

Post by JohnHaugeland »

dragonwriter wrote: post #323
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…

> From my point-of-view as a former firefighter, I would say this: > A building meant to house 4500 students, with only two entrances? I would think that, you being a former firefighter, you’d know that exits (for regular use and, even more so, emergency exits ) are not the same thing as (are generally a superset of) entrances. The plans for the building [0] show 10 escape stairs with dedicated exits (including the f…

I think probably you shouldn't be talking down to the firefighter about fire safety this way

Most of what you said was already addressed

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#377

Post by goodcanadian »

yashap wrote: post #65
gt565k wrote: post #28

Glad he had the balls to step down and call them out. The other committee members and people in charge of the project should be embarrassed as they failed to represent the best needs of the university and its students. Windowless dorms, crazy 97 year old billionaire amateur architect and a bunch of corrupt university staff and committee members who would do anything to save a few bucks. What could go wrong? Humanity…

100%. Sure, the billionaire is probably an asshole, but he’s also 97 and not an architect. The real problem here is the leadership at the university deciding to move forward with this monstrosity just to get a big donation.

I am pretty sure Charlie Munger is far from being an asshole. He is also pretty far from being an architect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Munger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Munger#Architectural_e...

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#378

Post by capableweb »

jefftk wrote: post #373
capableweb wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. From the linked articles above: > Because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked – a common practice at the time to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft – many of the workers could not escape from the burning building and jumped from the high windows. > Various historians have also ascribed the exit doors being locked to management's wanting to keep out union organize…

"Because the doors to the stairwells and exits were locked – a common practice at the time..." Your quote is from a fire in 1911 . This is no longer at all common practice, and would get the university in serious trouble during regular inspections.

Yes, the quotes are all from the linked articles, one of the event happened in 1911. It's not unheard of that schools also disconnect fire alarms and block fire escapes because students "abuse" those from time to time.

So yeah, maybe one of the quotes is less strong, but the sentiment still stands, that fire exists are not a replacement for main exists, as people tend to go back to where they came from, instead of seeking new exists.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#379

Post by throwaway75787 »

falcolas wrote: post #201
yaacov wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> just because money Money is really important, probably the single most important constraint for state universities.

His money represents less than 10% of the final cost of the dorm, while retaining 100% of the design rights. Something's happening here that's more than just the money.

No, it's just the money. It's just the perverse disconnect between the wealthy, and those just trying to get by.

It's Mr. Burns hanging a "you're here forever" sign, or Kanye West ranting about his napkin design for the iPlane in the Oval Office while dropping a few "motherfucker"s.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#380

Post by klyrs »

k8si wrote: post #177
gbronner wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The goal is to get the students out of their bedrooms. There's plenty of common space, and lots of really nice places to go study and socialize out of your bedroom. This is intended to promote real-life socialization, which is the only real reason to go to in-person college these days. Plus, everyone gets a single! My college roommates had blackout curtains on the small windows in our rooms. Not sure how this is diff…

Introvert's nightmare. Also, who can study in a common area with all the noise?

Goal: socialization.

Achievement: kids lying on their beds doomscrolling because the common space in the room is dominated by a massive table with exactly enough room for everybody to bump elbows.

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