Nov 01, 2021 19:00:00

An amateur architect donated about 23 billion yen and provided a blueprint for the dormitory saying 'Build on this street', and the architect at the university resigned due to protest

Designed

by Charlie Munger , known as Warren Buffett's right-hand man, who was called the 'God of Investment' over the construction of a new dormitory at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), which is known as one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. We donated 200 million dollars (about 23 billion yen) on condition that we build a dormitory as shown in the figure. However, due to problems such as the lack of windows in 94% of the bedrooms in the blueprints provided, the architect who was on the architectural design review committee of the university for 15 years said, 'As an architect and as a parent. And I can't support it as a single person, 'he resigned in protest.

Architect Resigns in Protest over UCSB Mega-Dorm --The Santa Barbara Independent
https://www.independent.com/2021/10/28/architect-resigns-in-protest-over-ucsb-mega-dorm/

Real estate prices continue to rise in the United States, where inflation is expected to prolong, especially on the west coast, where real estate prices are rising unmanageably. Santa Barbara, located in southern California, is said to be a region where real estate prices are particularly terrible, and according to one theory, a total of 14,000 students and staff enrolled in UCSB are forced to commute to school or work from outside the city. I am .

Under these circumstances, Charlie Munger, who is known as the vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, an investment holding company chaired by Warren Buffett, will 'build a dormitory according to the design drawing' from the standpoint of an amateur architect. We donated 200 million dollars (about 23 billion yen) to UCSB on the condition that. At UCSB, the role of the dormitory is so great that about 38% of the students live in the dormitory, and President Henry Yang of the school acknowledged that 'Manger's generosity is overwhelming.' rice field.

A section of the dormitory shown in this design drawing looks like this. There are 8 private rooms and 1 kitchen / living room / toilet / shower room.

One floor consists of the above eight sections, and there are a total of nine residential floors. The entire dormitory is an 11-story building with a site area of 1.68 million square feet (about 15.8 square kilometers, 47,000 tsubo) and can accommodate 4,500 people.

However, on October 25, 2021, architect Dennis McFadden, who had been on the university's architectural design review committee for 15 years, announced that he would resign due to protest. According to McFadden, 94% of private rooms have no windows, according to this design, 'showing that an internal environment with access to natural light, air and views of nature improves the physical and mental health of residents. There is a sufficient amount of evidence, 'he said he announced his resignation this time.

The image of the private room is below. There is a 'fake window' at the top of the bed.

In the presentation of the new dormitory construction plan based on the blueprint in question, Mr. McFadden said that 'the design was explained to be 100% complete and no approval or vote was required'. He commented that he felt compelled to hit. He said the significance of the committee's existence was questioned because he was not asked for any opinions despite a large-scale project that was unprecedented in the 15 years he was on the committee. ..

A UCSB spokeswoman responded to McFadden's resignation that he was grateful for his contributions so far, but that the construction plan in question would proceed as planned. 'The project and design are on track, and we are pleased to be able to drive this transformative project.'