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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

#411

Post by colinmhayes »

ghaff wrote: post #396
colinmhayes wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don't understand is how this shithole costs so much? 1.5 billion for 4,500 residents comes out to 333,333 per resident. It feels like they could probably build normal dorms for that price.

It does sound like a lot of money but that is also a huge dorm. I couldn't find numbers on a more recent dorm project but MIT's Simmons Hall was completed in 2002. (Which also has sort of a weird window thing going on.) It "only" cost $78 million--so presumably something in excess of $100 million today. But that's for a dorm only housing 350 or so students vs. 4500. But, still you're looking at about 2x the cost per…

But the thing is Simmons Hall is practically a work of art. If you asked students if they wanted to live there or in this place pretty sure every single one would say Simmons.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#412

Post by mattmcknight »

p_j_w wrote: post #328
joachim4 wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not having natural light is one of the best way to attack your mental health. This building is just a bad design, and human are not made to live without natural lights.

I wish architects showed the same level of concern for office workers! Kidding aside... given the size of the bedrooms, I get the impression that the students aren't meant to spend much time there aside from whatever amount of sleep college students are getting these days. The rest of their time would probably be spent in common areas that actually do have sunlight. Recalling my personal experience in college, where…

> This particular dorm design also seems to allow for more privacy than a traditional dorm does.

Yes, having shared bedrooms was particularly bad for my sleep. Not sure it's a good trade for a window though.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#413

Post by wlesieutre »

p_j_w wrote: post #328
joachim4 wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not having natural light is one of the best way to attack your mental health. This building is just a bad design, and human are not made to live without natural lights.

I wish architects showed the same level of concern for office workers! Kidding aside... given the size of the bedrooms, I get the impression that the students aren't meant to spend much time there aside from whatever amount of sleep college students are getting these days. The rest of their time would probably be spent in common areas that actually do have sunlight. Recalling my personal experience in college, where…

Modern office buildings have flipped the private offices from the perimeter to the core precisely so that the open office has all the windows. You might not have any privacy or quiet but they do design for natural light now.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#416

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#417

Post by celtain »

lbriner wrote: post #285
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…

Which is great except 50% of people are introverts and need space to recharge. How many people live like this in real life? That speaks to the choice of hanging out followed by "leave me alone". It sounds like an experiment but it could probably have been done slightly further "away from home" if it was about collaboration. Just have places to encourage people to hang out if they want to and not if they don't. Forcin…

>Which is great except 50% of people are introverts and need space to recharge. How many people live like this in real life?

The vast majority of students? I don't think I knew a single person who lived without roommates when I was a university student. Freshman year nearly everybody shared a room with 1-2 other people, this new dorm would provide far more privacy than that.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#418

Post by _ea1k »

mindcrime wrote: post #385
op00to wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you? In the northeast, sprinklers have been required in institutional buildings for as long as California.

North Carolina for me.

Wow, I had no idea that there were still states that wouldn't require them.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#419

Post by clintonb »

goodcanadian wrote: post #377
yashap wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Using your wealth to forcefully prop up your fledgling(?) career seems like an asshole move. Donating funds with some strings (e.g., put your name on the building/school)? Fine. Donating and forcing your amateur designs be used? Asshole move. At that point you're not really trying to benefit anyone but yourself.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#420

Post by quickthrowman »

JohnHaugeland wrote: post #376
dragonwriter wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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

What makes a firefighter an expert on building egress requirements? The building must meet NFPA code (or whichever fire code the AHJ has selected) or it can’t be built, period. Whoever their insurance company is will not insure the building if it doesn’t meet life safety requirements.

Dismissing someone who isn’t a fire code expert who is making claims about fire safety is just fine to me.

If we were discussing how to safely fight fires, then by all means defer to the firefighter.

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