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

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#451

Post by MisterBastahrd » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:25 PM UTC

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.

In emergencies, people tend to head to the exits they're aware of.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#452

Post by thehappypm » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:25 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…

2 entrances != 2 exits.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#453

Post by dragonwriter » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:27 PM UTC

MisterBastahrd wrote: post #451

giarc wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

In emergencies, people tend to head to the exits they're aware of.

> In emergencies, people tend to head to the exits they're aware of.

Signage, lighting, and periodic drill requirements exist (among other reasons) so that people will be aware of emergency exits.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#454

Post by jedberg » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:29 PM UTC

It's like getting an inside room on a cruise ship. The difference of course is that on a cruise ship you're on vacation and usually not in your room except to sleep. But I guess that's what they want to college kids to do...

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#455

Post by mikeg8 » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:30 PM UTC

jtlienwis wrote: post #392

I haven't trusted Charlie Munger at all since reading a paper he wrote about how wonderful an investment in Coca-Cola stock is. He told all about their great growth rate, cash flow etc but never once mentioned if drinking caffeinated sugar water on a regular basis is good for you (its not, its very unhealthy).

He was giving investment advise, not nutritional advice. Just because you don’t agree with the morality does not mean he was incorrect or dishonest.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#456

Post by thehappypm » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:30 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #6

That seems spectacularly awful--although there's probably been an overall trend in US college dorms (not that I've made a real study of it) towards small single rooms with common areas in general.

At my college, people fought tooth-and-nail to live in this environment rather than continue with double occupancy dorm rooms. At my school, groups of people claimed a suite (with "points" assigned weighted towards older students). So seniors and some juniors had their choice and they 100% (literally all of them) preferred suites to dorms. It was a fun place to hang out during the day and at night, and you actually have a private space to sleep. No listening to your roommate snore or getting sex-iled when their SO comes over.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#457

Post by baud147258 » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:31 PM UTC

lbriner wrote: post #292

fasteddie wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A new small apartment in San Francisco cannot be built for less than $800k these days, so coming in a $333k per resident is not too surprising to me in a similar high-cost city with a building with a ton of amenities.

An apartment for $800K is understandable. A small bedroom @ $333K is not. If they already own the building, it is only construction costs whereas buying an apartment is possibly extortionate land or property prices from the current owner, which is purely demand-driven.

well, it's not just a small bedroom @ 333k, it's the small bedroom plus all the shared spaces.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#458

Post by ClumsyPilot » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:31 PM UTC

jl6 wrote: post #256

nescioquid wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Former firefighter cautions we should be skeptical of the safety of this plan, and your rebuttal is "surely building codes mandate..."? A zero-evidence rebuttal concerning the safety of 4500 students.

I don’t find it unreasonable to assume that the building will comply with government fire safety regulations and that those regulations are at least somewhat adequate.

You know who was violating fire regulations for decades? Nuclear Power plants! You would things that's the one place where safety would be taken seriously, right?

https://www.wiseinternational.org/nuclear-monitor/601/fire-p...

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#459

Post by Grakel » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:32 PM UTC

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…

Basically forcing people to live in common areas is horrible. Many people find public spaces distracting at best and uncomfortable or worse. Thank God I had my dorm room to escape to where my roommate and I only had to ignore each other to get some peace.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#460

Post by dirtyid » Fri, Oct 29, 2021, 5:32 PM UTC

>Munger, who donated $200 million toward the project with the condition that his blueprints be followed exactly.

Blueprints translate to reality exactly zero times in any large scale building projects. Plenty of billionaires richer than Munger learned this lesson, including crown/royalty that literally rule countries. That said, I am facinated by what Munger's house is like if he's this obessed with socially engineering others via architecture.