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Potential Consequences of UCSB’s Psychological Experiment: Munger Hall
In the past weeks, there has been a surge of headlines about new plans for Munger Hall at UC Santa Barbara, which, if built, would be the largest dormitory in the United States with 11 stories and capacity for over 4,500 students. The dorm’s main benefactor, billionaire Charlie Munger, is best known for being Warren Buffet’s business partner and the vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Munger’s design of the building, consisting of 4,536 bedrooms, 94% without windows, organized in suites around common areas, led the project’s consulting architect to resign, writing, “the building is a social and psychological experiment with an unknown impact on the lives and personal development of the undergraduates the University serves.”
The design has received a deluge of criticism for its tiny rooms, limited entrances/exits, and population density comparable to the most tightly packed cities in the world. However, I believe that the paramount concern is the windowless rooms and the detrimental psychological and neurological impact that the lack of sunlight can have on a person. When questioned on the topic, Munger joked that each room would have artificial windows like Disney cruise ships, meant to draw students out of their rooms into common areas with natural light. Real sunlight, especially in the environments where we sleep, is…
