Mixed Reviews of UCSB’s Munger Hall Mockup

This summer, UC Santa Barbara began offering guided tours of the Munger Hall Mockup, a full-scale model of one “house” within the proposed dormitory that has generated a considerable amount of commentary and controversy over its unique design. While the 11-story structure conceptualized by billionaire-philanthropist Charles Munger and intended for 4,500 undergraduates would feature spacious common areas and a host of amenities, the majority of its 10-foot-by-7-foot single-occupancy bedrooms would not include windows.

The walkthroughs are currently only available to students, faculty, and staff, said university spokesperson Kiki Reyes, and so far “several hundred individuals” have participated. “We have received beneficial feedback, including helpful constructive criticism from our students,” she said, most of which focused on parking, dining options, and the LED panels planned for the rooms without windows.

Not everyone who takes the tour fills out a survey provided at the end, Reyes said, but among those that do, “nearly eight out of 10” leave with a “favorable or neutral impression” of the space. Many students expressed enthusiasm over the privacy the single rooms would offer, Reyes said, as well as a promise from the university that Munger Hall housing costs would remain 20-30 percent below the market rate of nearby Isla Vista.