A billionaire donor's design for a mega dorm that would pack UC Santa Barbara students into largely windowless rooms has drawn widespread criticism and prompted the resignation of a consulting architect.
The proposed building, dubbed Munger Hall after donor Charlie Munger, would house 4,500 students in a 1.68 million-square foot complex with only two entrances. The project is expected to cost $1.5 billion.
Living spaces in the building would be split into apartments of eight single occupancy bedrooms, 94 percent of which would not have windows. Munger told the UC Board of Regents in 2016 that in lieu of windows, dorm rooms would have artificial "window" monitors like the portholes on Disney cruise ships, where "starfish come in and wink at your children."
The plan ultimately led architect Dennis McFadden to resign from UC Santa Barbara's design review committee, where he has served for nearly 15 years.
Despite the backlash, UC Santa Barbara intends to move forward with the planned building, with University spokesperson Andrea Estrada describing it as "transformational co-living student housing."
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