Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm • Hacker News Board

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#531

Post by Aerroon » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:18 PM UTC

wpietri wrote: post #231

graeme wrote: post #3

Interesting collision of the idea with the covid era. During an outbreak you’d want students to have a private airspace to go to and the possibility of ventilation. Update: from another comment, Munger designed a similar building in Michigan. It has great reviews! But, one of the top ones was “great until pandemic”. Adding this to clarify that, contra other comments, I don’t necessarily think Munger was mistaken. But…

Wow, some of the quotes here: "Good luck surviving seasonal depression or maintaining your slowly failing eyesight, especially during a pandemic and you should not be spending long periods in common spaces, when 95% of the rooms in Munger have NO WINDOW" "It can be a huge problem for people to live in because normally people would feel very uncomfortable living in a room without windows, and you don't even have a saf…

>Having building controlled heat/cooling is definitely not ideal

This is going to be a bigger issue than you might think at first. No windows means that if you're too hot you can't open the window to let in cool and fresh air. You're stuck with whatever the building decides on.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#532

Post by mola » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:19 PM UTC

pseudolus wrote: post #48

How did this pass any sort of litmus test? Putting 4500 stressed out kids, for whom many this dorm will represent their first extended away from home experience, in small windowless cells? Modern building codes were created, in part, precisely to avoid this type of design.

It passed the test of "being a billionaire with a vision in the US"

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#533

Post by paganel » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:19 PM UTC

raldi wrote: post #305

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…

In addition to the two entrances, there are ten emergency exit stairwells on every floor: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FC1jlGjVEAIvAG8?format=jpg

This Munger guy shouldn't design buildings, he should have sticked with making money out of bull-riding the stock-market.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#534

Post by dredmorbius » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:19 PM UTC

avisser wrote: post #340

praptak wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's basically le Corbusier, if not in the details, then in the totalitarian urge to organize people's lives.

They should make the outside more brutalist to be honest about the intentions.

That would be in accordance with much the rest of UCSB's architectural motif. Something of a Mission-Brutalist aesthetic: oppressive concrete blocks topped with Spanish tile.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#535

Post by slownews45 » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:20 PM UTC

em-bee wrote: post #382

raldi wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are tons of windows and natural light in the common areas; the design is meant to encourage congregation there. The bedrooms are just for sleeping, dressing, and sex.

i don't like to sleep in a room without windows. i like to see the night sky or signs of life outside my room, and most importantly i hate waking up in the dark. i would switch universities or sue if forced to accept a windowless room.

Do you understand how how housing selection works ?

There is zero requirement to live in their housing. So what the hell are you going to sue them over?

There is a shortage of on-campus housing - do you understand that? That is what this project is trying to solve for in part.

If you live off campus - go for it! In fact, even if you WANT to live on campus you'll have to enter a lottery after year 1, they only usually can prioritize first year students. So trust me, if you don't like this housing, no one is going to make you pay for it, and they'll be happy to have you out.

This type of housing really works for folks who like working with others, getting along with others, making friends. And as someone who didn't get a single until senior year, being able to get it on without having folks walking through or in room will be seen as a MAJOR positive by students.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#536

Post by slownews45 » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:23 PM UTC

sojournerc wrote: post #14

krembanan wrote: post #5

Are there no laws against this in the U.S? In Norway there are building codes that prohibits bedrooms without a real window.

It varies from place to place but, typically for a room in a single-family home to be considered a bedroom, it needs 2 egress points, the second usually being a window. I imagine similar codes are in place for multi-unit buildings. This proposed building has 2 entrances for 4000 people. I cannot imagine it will pass fire code, or could effectively be evacuated in an emergency. Astounding that someone thought it was a…

Multi unit buildings are REGULARLY build with ZERO window exits.

This idea that a 60 floor skyscraper is going to do opening window "exits" over 300 foot drops is insanity and disgusting.

Please look up condominium skyscrapers before talking about window exists being required from a housing code standpoint.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#537

Post by AlbertCory » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:24 PM UTC

vincnetas wrote: post #525

Regarding windowless rooms, this could be helping a bit : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ4TJ4-kkDw Artificial skylight

You're joking, right?

I stayed in a hotel room in Hong Kong with no windows. It sucked, but being a tourist I was never in there. It's different for a student dorm.

There's a lot of blather about "human rights" but I think "access to the outdoors and natural light" might well BE a human right.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#538

Post by Aerroon » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:26 PM UTC

slownews45 wrote: post #528

motioncuty wrote: post #513

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say that, as someone holding a B.S. in Fire Protection Engineering, I am extremely uncomfortable with no windows in a bedroom.

I'm curious - reading this makes me depressed at how stupid HN and reactionary HN seems to have become. Do people not realize that in California we build residential buildings that are MANY MANY stories tall. The LACK of operable windows in a bedroom is generally a REQUIREMENT on a skyscraper / residential condo tower for safety reasons. They worry about kids falling out etc. The safety plans involve other measures -…

>The LACK of operable windows in a bedroom is generally a REQUIREMENT on a skyscraper / residential condo tower for safety reasons. They worry about kids falling out etc.

Can you explain more on this point? Because tall buildings not having windows that open because children might fall out of them sounds completely ridiculous to me. Some of the Soviet commie blocks were 16 storeys tall and obviously the windows can be opened.

What are the other reasons why this restriction would be in place? I'm genuinely curious.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#539

Post by slownews45 » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:27 PM UTC

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #27

krembanan wrote: post #5

Are there no laws against this in the U.S? In Norway there are building codes that prohibits bedrooms without a real window.

This design isn't even in the same field as American fire codes. I don't know any jurisdiction in the country in which this could get permitted, certainly not California. The usual expectation is total time for a fire to cause an alarm, all occupants of a building to respond to an alarm, and make their way to a fire rated area, usually a stairwell, is 2.5 minutes.

This building is being built in an area with some of the STRICTEST fire codes in America - just in case folks reading get the wrong idea. In fact, condo skyscrappers are in my view much more risky (the time to exit a 50 foot skyscrapper can be very long).

Compounding this, historic building in CA was sometimes very poor by modern standards (all wood tinder boxes). So this may very well be a major upgrade in safety over existing housing stock.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#540

Post by kodah » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 7:29 PM UTC

toast0 wrote: post #361

raldi wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Every student will have a single when the thing opens, and then later they'll put in the bunk beds.

Spot on. The barracks this happened in was built in 1945, and was single Marine occupancy. Now up to three Marines share the same room, depending on rank.