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Comment by londons_explore | Hacker News Reader

I'm going to depart from the norm here... And announce I'd actually like to live in that building.

I really value communal shared space, and very few types of housing provide it - usually dedicating 90%+ of space to individuals to live a gloomy existence mostly alone requiring Netflix for company.

Shared space should be 'tiered' - Ie. Personal space, space shared with near neighbors, space shared with a wider neighborhood, and everyone's space. And that's exactly what this development provides.

If I were the university running this place, I would make 'room swaps' super easy to enable people to move near their friends and to allow communities of like-minded people to form.

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Are you considering the scale of the building and the lack of access to outside? Imagine, the pod next to your's, deep in the interior of the building with only two entrances/exits, accidentally starts a fire. Or houses a crazy person who keeps defecating in their waste-bin. Just imagine the CO2 levels and lack of oxygen, even without the other environmental issues!

I, too, value communal shared spaces. A giant block with no natural light or fresh air, for $300k per tiny unit, is not the way to do it.

There are ten emergency stairwells on every floor: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FC1jlGjVEAIvAG8?format=jpg

As a new building I assume it will have proper air supplies to each room...

And lighting can totally be artificial if it is sufficiently bright to be akin to sunlight. If I can't get sunburn off it, it isn't a suitable sun-substitute.

These people will still have access to the outside, where there will hopefully be a large park all around.

I’m with you, but I’d go one step further. I’d like this setup for a work environment. Small, individual offices with doors, connected to a shared team room with a dedicated conference table. With such a setup, you can opt to isolate for some distraction free work, or socialize, working together around the shared conference table.

If I were UCSB, I’d build a scale dorm with the layout - (32-150) rooms, with real windows (that could be painted over initially to mirror the planned false window). Surely Munger’s donation doesn’t require the full size building to be completed in X years. Take his money, build the test - validate that it causes no psychological harm, calm the critics, and then build the full sized one.

The toilet:person ratio is 1:4

It’s like sharing a bathroom with 4 people, but worse

no thanks

You know most offices have a much worse ratio...?

Most people don't live in an office, only spend there 8-ish hours per day.

do you live in an office?

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