The Saga of UC-Santa Barbara's Dormzilla Continues - Part 2

It's been awhile since we have revisited UC-Santa Barbara's plans for Munger Hall, aka Dormzilla.* Campus authorities when last we looked in, were making some cosmetic modifications of the plan. We even made a little musical video about it.** The essence of the problem is that billionaire Charles Munger was willing to donate for the dorm, but only if it was done according to his design.

It now seems that the campus is following a two-track policy in which somehow it proceeds with Dormzilla but also plans an alternative which, of course, would require funding from somewhere. From the San Luis Obispo Tribune:

UC Santa Barbara says it will spend more than a half-billion dollars to construct new student dorms at the site it had set aside for Munger Hall, signaling a shift away from the contentious student dormitory that has seen extensive development delays and widespread backlash. The new housing plans were detailed in a request-for-qualifications posting by the university seeking an executive architect to help construct 3,500 new bed spaces. The description echoes a 2006 proposal to build traditional housing at the site, which was later scrapped in favor of Munger Hall.

UCSB sunk millions of dollars into the covert planning of Munger Hall, refining its unique, largely windowless design over the years with the assistance of private companies and architecture firms. The building plans included small bedrooms with artificial lights in lieu of windows, common areas, shared bathrooms and communal kitchens.

It’s unclear whether the efforts will amount to anything as UCSB apparently plans to invest as much as $750 million in the new housing endeavor...

When asked about the apparent change in housing development plans, UCSB spokeswoman Kiki Reyes said the campus will “continue to work on the planning and consultation process for Munger Hall with members of our campus community, donors and stakeholders.”

“The university is also actively moving forward simultaneously with plans to develop (the new housing),” she added.

Noozhawk reached out to 15 campus executives, vice chancellors, directors and analysts involved in the planning of Munger Hall, and none had any comment as of Tuesday...

Full story at https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/article277676858.html.

If all this seems amorphous, that's only because it is.

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*http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-saga-of-uc-santa-barbaras-dormzilla.html.

**Check out:

Or direct to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53qlO9TH8gg.