New Dorms for UC Santa Barbra With No Windows Being Called ‘Social and Psychological Experiment’
UC Santa Barbra is facing some heat after proposing a new project that will impact a majority of its students. The $1.5-billion project is being funded by billionaire Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, 97, who donated $200 million towards the project in 2016
The building dubbed Munger Hall after the donor Charlie Munger would house 4,500 students in a 1.68 million-square-foot complex at the University of Santa Barbara.
The project has drawn some criticism because of its layout and the lack of real windows. The building would only have two entrances, and the living spaces would be split into apartments of eight single bedrooms.
The design of the building led architect Dennis McFadden to resign from the UC Santa Barbara design review committee, where he served for nearly 15 years.
In McFadden’s leaked resignation letter, he described the project as a “social and psychological experiment with an unknown impact on the lives and personal development” of the students.
“The basic concept of Munger Hall as a place for students to live is unsupportable from my perspective as an architect, a parent, and a human being,” McFadden wrote in the leaked letter.
In his letter, McFadden states that access to natural light and nature helps improve a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Munger told the UC Board of Regents in 2016 that the building would have artificial “window” monitors that would allow the student to adjust the brightness however they’d like.
In an interview, Mr. Munger took the criticism lightly and said it was typical carping by architects.
“If you want it romantic and dim, you can make it romantic and dim,” Mr. Munger told the New York Times. “When in your life have you been able to change the sun? In this dorm, you can.”
Despite the criticism, UC Santa Barbara intends to continue with the project. UC Santa Barbara has described the plans for Munger Hall as “absolutely stunning.”
People took to social media to show their disapproval of the building; some even compared the rooms to a jail cell.
(left) A room in Munger Hall vs.
(right) A cell in a Norwegian prison pic.twitter.com/eHoNIw5WBX— Casey Ho (@CaseyHo) October 29, 2021
Students and faculty who do not approve of the building decided to do a protest on Nov. 5
Happening now: Students and faculty gather to protest the proposed Munger Hall pic.twitter.com/QLeHL7iYUK— Mark (@MarkAlfred__) November 5, 2021
The design of the building is similar to the dorms at the University of Michigan, the units do not have windows, and the students have their own rooms.
Munger Hall is expected to open in 2025
