Charles Munger, a "97-year-old billionaire-investor turned amateur-architect" gave $200 million to the University of California Santa Barbara on one condition: that no one could change his blueprints for a "11-story, 1.68-million-square-foot structure that would house up to 4,500 students, 94 percent of whom would not have windows in their small, single-occupancy bedrooms," reports The Independent. A prominent consulting architect named Dennis McFadden who has been on the UCSB Design Review Committee for 15 years resigned in protest, calling Munger Hall "unsupportable from my perspective as an architect, a parent, and a human being." (See previous post)
CNN interviewed Munger about his controversial dorm, and he remains adamant that it's a terrific dorm because it has fake windows instead of real ones.
I wish the interviewer had asked Munger how many of his homes have all-artificial windows.
From the interview:
CNN
So you've designed and bankrolled this $1.5 billion dorm at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Munger
I'm a donor, but I'm not bankrolling at all.
CNN
So you did donate towards it.
Munger
I'm donating enormously. I already donated a lot. And I'll donate a lot more.
CNN
The vast majority of the single occupancy rooms in this dorm are going to have no windows. Can you explain why that is?
Munger
Well, that's not quite true. Every bedroom in this dorm has an artificial window. And that artificial window delivers the exact spectrum of daylight. So when you look at that window, with that configuration, you cannot tell what is artificial by looking at it. In addition, the student in this room can twist a knob, and you can brighten up the sun or dim it down. And so if he wants it a little cheerier, he can brighten up the sun on a dark day. If he wants it romantic, he can dim it down. Imagine having a window that you can't tell is artificial by looking at it. But you can change the amount of sunlight coming through to your order if you want, it's better than on a real window.
CNN
A California architect on the project quit in protest. And I want to read to you what he said, in part. He said, "The basic concept of Munger Hall as a place for students to live is unsupportable. From my perspective, as an architect apparent, and a human being."
Munger
Well, he's a typical architect, and he's got his own opinions based on… I would say just… he's never looked at the model, he's never really thought about it. If he thought about it more, he would reach a different conclusion. When an ignorant man leaves I regard it as a plus not a minus.
CNN
What makes you say that he's an ignorant man?
Munger
Because he's wrong. He hasn't thought about it very much. And he's just plain wrong. I have built a dorm just like this at the University of Michigan with no windows, and no windows in the bedrooms at all. Everybody loves it, they fight to get in. What I'm building here is way better than what's done in Michigan. All I can say is that it's typical for people in a profession to disagree about, you know, "not invented here." They haven't thought about it very much. And I will admit the very sound of "windowless bedroom" sounds awful. But A, it isn't windowless, and B, if it were it would still be quite endurable, but it's not. It's gonna be better than a real window not worse.
CNN
Let me ask you what makes you so interested in designing campus dorms.
Munger
My wife and I had eight children. We supported them through housing and mutliple universities for decades. I thought the housing was despicably bad. I'd say it took me a year and a half to reach the obvious conclusion that every student in this dorm ought to have his own bedroom. It seems obvious in retrospect, but I was so slow-witted that it took me a year-and-a-half to finally reach the answer.
CNN
Now, your donation to UCSB is contingent on them using your design. Why attach the strings to the funds?
Munger
Well, because I want it done right instead of wrong. By, the way that's all been planned. I planned… the university staff has been on the planning, the chancellor has been on the planning – huge input from the university. This is not just something some crazy donor's done on his own.
CNN
Are you surprised by some of the criticism that these plans have received in recent days?
Munger
The only criticism I have heard is one architect who doesn't know anything about it.
