Didn’t realize until now that Munger died, probably explains why this story got bumped into my newsfeed
Older UC Davis housing were brutalist, terrible cinderblock and concrete dormitories that looked like vertical military barracks. Some of the newer ones were "public-private partnerships" that were essentially regular apartment buildings.
"artificial windows are better than real windows" said Munger
People, some more so than others, are essentially house plants. They need light, water, and to occasionally be shaken vigorously to encourage strong growth. This dorm seemed more akin to a Kennett Square mushroom farm than a greenhouse - better suited to fungi.
What funding shortfalls?
> inspired by Le Corbusier
Say no more . . .
I suspect the claim to inspiration from Le Corbusier was an invention by the architect-of-record to defuse criticism of the (cheap, terrifying, stylistically vacant) design by associating it with a more progressively-tinged architectural icon. The design is very unlike anything Corbusier designed; perhaps the only similarity is in the megalomania behind the concept.