Munger Hall First Set Sights on USC and CalTech

By the edhat staff

The massive and mostly windowless controversial dormitory proposed for UC Santa Barbara dubbed “Dormzilla” was first proposed to the University of Southern California (USC) and the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), according to a new report by The Daily Nexus.

Billionaire Charles Munger agreed to donate $200 million in seed money for the construction of “Munger Hall” at UCSB’s northwest edge of campus. It was originally planned as an 11-story structure housing 4,536 undergraduate students and has since been reduced to 9 stories for 3,500 students amid criticism.

The Daily Nexus states both USC and CalTech are interested in the dorm project and hope to convince Munger to choose their campuses instead as UCSB plans have stalled waiting for design updates.

Late last year, a report deemed the building a “safety threat” if changes were not made. The independent review stated a “robust redesign” with more windows, ventilation, and bedroom space was needed or else it posed a potential health and safety risk to residents.

In December, the Munger Hall project team issued a statement ensuring they are actively working with architects to add more windows, additional ventilation shafts, and greater airflow. The team also highlighted the demand for housing in the Santa Barbara area and stated they will continue to work together with the community to increase access to affordable on-campus housing.

Prior to a deal with UCSB, talks with USC to design a similar dormitory failed to move past preliminary discussions before shifting to CalTech where ultimately a fire marshal found the design unacceptable. Munger refused to make changes and the project ended, according to reports.

Read the full story at dailynexus.com

July 16, 2022: Dormzilla Descends on UCSB