Digging Deeper into Dormzilla
UC Office of President Denies Release of UCSB-Munger Agreement
The Munger Residence Hall would stand 159 feet tall, just below the height of UCSB's Storke Tower. | Credit: Courtesy
Munger Hall’s controversial design elements ― mainly its windowless bedrooms and hyper-dense floorplan ― have thus far dominated discussions and debate around the project. But a closer look at scoping documents related to the UCSB proposal provides a more complete picture of the building, which, at 1.68 million square feet, would qualify as the largest dormitory in the world. They also offer insight into the challenges the project will likely face when it goes before the UC Regents and California Coastal Commission for approval. We look at many of those details here.
Energy:
“Electricity to serve the Project would be provided by Southern California Edison and from existing photovoltaic arrays located on the Main Campus,” states Munger Hall’s Notice of Preparation, or NOP, which UCSB submitted to county planners this summer. “It is estimated that 6,000 MWh/year of electricity would be used by the project that is generated on the UCSB campus.” (As a point of comparison, the average American home uses 11.7 MWh/year.) Natural gas for the dorm, which would primarily be used for clothes dryers and some food preparation, would come from the Southern California Gas Company through an existing line along Mesa Road.
Water:
While the NOP doesn’t provide any specific figures related to anticipated water usage, it notes Munger Hall would draw its supplies from the Goleta Water District. The Goleta Sanitary District would handle its wastewater. The NOP suggests the dormitory, which is expected to house a small town population of 4,500 undergraduates, “may result in an increased water supply demand [and] increased wastewater generation.” A 10,700-square-foot Central Utility Plant at the site would provide chilled water. The plans also call for a 5.5-acre “infiltration pond” that would be located just south of Munger Hall. Stormwater from the property and other parts of campus would flow there and be treated by a newly planted wetland system “that removes pollutants through physical, biological, and chemical processes.”
