A window in every bedroom would require more exterior wall area, which would mean less floor space in the building for a given size piece of land that it can be built on.
Really, this is what it comes down to – being able to house more students on the given size piece of land at the cost of losing the bedroom windows. It would be much less controversial without the bedroom window issue.
I’d say there would zero controversy. It would be a regular dorm/apartment building.
At the minimum there should be full disclosure to students and parents and the option to opt out as a dorm choice.
You’ll have to explain that one to me. First, more exterior wall doesn’t necessarily mean less floor space, unless they’re light plane issues, which this building wouldn’t have.
And more exterior wall is still WAY cheaper than the cost of a double-paned window plus framing-in a double paned window and then weatherproofing around it. Both interior and exterior.
See post 11 of this thread.
Another poster upthread suggested leaving a donut hole with an interior courtyard to add exterior wall for windows. But that means losing the interior space to the donut hole.
$1,000/month? Holy cr@p, is that for real? Guess I shouldn’t complain about DC’s $425/month including utilities, furnished private bedroom and private bath with walk-in closet and amenities 
I’m getting claustrophobia just thinking about living like that for months on end
On our first visit there we saw a guy carrying a keg on a skateboard, so where there’s a will there’s a way.
One of the students in the article said she pays around $1000 a month for her room at Michigan. I can only imagine that the price for a California dorm will be in the same vicinity. It makes me claustrophobic too!
An empty keg is 11 lbs. A full keg is 55 lbs.
In either case, I’d like to see the mass of surfers either walking and carrying a surfboard one mile to the beach in a wetsuit. Or all of them taking a bus. Doesn’t matter. Every surfer that I see at the beach, and I see them all the time, will drive to the beach and park.
You’ve got a bargain. Many universities charge $10k+ for room alone (for 9 months during a school year). The charge is typically based on the cost of room rental nearby, so a room in a nearby apartment would cost about the same. I expect a room near UCSB would cost at least 50% more.
With a mandatory meal plan, figure more like $2k/month for the 9 month school year.
As of about 2 years ago, university-owned apartments at UCSB were a pretty good deal, around $700/month. I looked and it’s now $704-$778/month depending on whether there are 2 or 3 per bedroom. For a 9 month lease, it’s pretty reasonable. Our cost went down about $6k per year in the apartment, and that’s including food costs. Dorm costs range from $15k to over $20k depending on number of roommates and meal plan.
Oh it’s a lot more to live on campus, but most everyone moves off campus sophomore year. The apartments can run upwards of $1,200 for the luxury apartments across the street from campus. The further you go and/or the fewer the amenities, the cheaper the rent. If they want to walk across the street and have lazy rivers, large fire pits, 3D printing lounges and organized gatherings, they pay a premium. Thankfully, DD’s pretty low maintenance.
Right. The fact that students will not be allowed to opt out of this housing tells you that even the school knows it’s less desirable than a place with more windows. That may change if it gets good reviews after a few years, but it seems clear they know people are going to be very skeptical at first.
Current UCSB dorm and campus apartment prices are here: Rates | Campus Housing
My objection to the two entrances isn’t entirely fire safety. It’s also because that’s a lot of people to send in and out through only two entrances. No matter how large they are. That’s a lot of concentrated movement.
Okay, just read the plans. While I like the communal space, that many rooms with so few entrances (the fire exits still seem inadequate for that volume of students) doesn’t seem to have been well planned. I also don’t think the houses have enough space on those crammed floors. Reading the plans (yes, everything) didn’t change my mind on the fact that those residential floors are way too packed in.
Can’t understand all of those picking on fire escapes/exits, unless you are an Architect (or stayed at a Holiday Inn last night). There is zero chance that any new public building in CA will not meet current fire code. Now, if you have an issue with state/federal building codes, that deserves its own thread.
Coverage of this building keeps talking about the lack of windows in the bedrooms. Yes, that matters, but I’m much more concerned that most of the suites have no windows at all, including in the common area.
Contrast that with this cool dorm at the College of Wooster, where the bedrooms do not have exterior windows, but they all have frosted glass and transom windows onto a suite common space with natural light. I’d live there happily:
That Gault dorm at Wooster looks more analogous to the Munger Graduate Residences at Michigan, where windowless bedrooms are attached to a suite living room with windows.
It does look like the Gault dorm at Wooster was constrained by the existing building and its existing windows, so that either the bedrooms or the suite living rooms could have windows, but not both unless they added new windows. A new building of the same footprint could be built with more windows to give bedrooms and suite living rooms windows. But note that this is a much smaller building than the proposed Munger Hall at UCSB.
Answers by the university in response to many of the questions raised: