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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

#611

Post by xg15 »

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 -…

There is a difference between not having windows that can be fully opened and not having windows at all. As others have said, windows have other psychological functions, such as giving orientation, providing daylight, etc.

> The safety plans involve other measures - including much better building codes around fire control

We could all see at Grenfell Tower in London how well that worked.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#612

Post by xg15 »

slownews45 wrote: post #547
Aerroon wrote: post #538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

Sure. One issue is that for tall buildings a fair bit of thought goes into things like aerodynamics of overall building, ventilation / HVAC control, and internal pressures. A tall building has an issue with its core / utilities usually, the taller the go generally the worse the ratio of non-livable space to livable. So things that mess with for example HVAC efficiency may be seen as a negative. If everyone opens a wi…

How do you vent your room?

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#614

Post by 9935c101ab17a66 »

loeg wrote: post #283
musingsole wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gamblers fallacy. Not sure what you're contributing besides.

Please elaborate on how that's responsive to my comment. Again, not really sure a possible 2 year pandemic is especially significant in the 50 year design life of a building. Even if it sits empty for 4% of its life with 100% probability (generous), you still get 96% (48 years) of use out of it.

You can’t just apply extreme value theory to spectacular events because it supports your argument. Yes, there was a hundred years between the 1918 influenza outbreak and Covid. No, that doesn’t mean you can say that pandemics probabilistically occur once in a hundred years. The world is changing at an extraordinary pace, populations are exploding, humans and animals interact more than ever, and international travel is trivial.

Further reading: https://www.govtech.com/em/emergency-blogs/disaster-zone/cov...

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#615

Post by chubot »

pacbard wrote: post #272
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/

I had a friend living at Munger at Umich and visited a few times. The vibe of the building is similar to an hotel. As you enter, there is a foyer with elevators. The upstairs floors have windowless corridors where you enter the suites. Each suite has a long corridor with doors to the rooms (4 on each side, if I remember correctly). Each room is on the "inside" of the building, so they don't have windows, but they hav…

Hm interesting, except hotels are very dense and I’ve never been in a hotel room without a window. I believe it’s illegal. If it weren’t, then the market would show that people want windows.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#616

Post by anonuser123456 »

mikestew wrote: post #77

I'm absolutely serious when I say that the second illustration of the "suites" bares a striking resemblance to the layout of the county jail I briefly stayed in in Anderson, Indiana. There a few differences I'll note: 1. The rooms in the jail were larger, but I did have a roommate, so I'm not sure which has the larger amount of personal space. 2. In jail, at least there were windows. 3. In jail, I only had to share t…

Said jail wasn't located in Santa Barbara, situated in arguably one of the best climates in the world, and inmates aren't allowed to leave at their leisure to go enjoy said climate.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#617

Post by ctdonath »

loeg wrote: post #295
ctdonath wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem is: those "cells" cost ~$300,000 each. Assuming a break-even at 10 years, that's $2,500/month - more than my mortgage for a 2400 sq ft home on .75 acres with a small forest. At $100/mo, would take 250 years to pay off.

Is your mortgage in Santa Barbara?

Why would I live somewhere so expensive?

Many seem to not understand that real estate is not unlimited-supply like most manufactured goods. Just because you want a particular home doesn’t mean expect it will go for MSRP like common retail goods. You’re bidding on a strictly limited supply, vs others willing to bid more. At some point reconsider what you’re actually trying to get, and that better is far more affordable elsewhere.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#618

Post by ctdonath »

throwawayninja wrote: post #112
ctdonath wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your point is good, but the profane is inappropriate.

I find the profanity nicely limited and appropriate; if the comment had gone on to curse institutions in general / not share a constructive anecdote that's where I'd call it inappropriate.

You don’t even see the problem. Try using “Mohammed” in the same context.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#619

Post by ctdonath »

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…

They are. The alternative to “move” is toxic water. My area is developing its own problems, so I’m looking to get out. I certainly wouldn’t send my kids to live in an oppressive uberprison dorm.

Re: Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm

#620

Post by wolverine876 »

treis wrote: post #554
wpietri wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Reading the comments feels like everyone went to college in bizarro world. The dorms I lived in always had shared bedrooms. In one 4 people across two bunk beds. Having a room to call my own in a dorm would have been an extraordinary improvement. Wouldn't have cared in the slightest bit about a window.

> Wouldn't have cared in the slightest bit about a window.

Of course you're entitled to your preferences, but we can safely say that the vast majority want windows in their living space.

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