> Your guess about 'forcing them outside' seems wildly off base. The article pretty clearly points out that the goal is to remove the practice of bunking freshmen with strangers.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/uc-santa-barbara-mega-dorm-mung...
Choice quotes:
> In an Oct. 24 resignation letter to the committee that leaked on the image sharing site Imgur, [former lead architect Dennis] McFadden described the project as a "social and psychological experiment with an unknown impact on the lives and personal development" of students
> McFadden, however, is doubtful of the building's effectiveness. In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, he wrote that the building "attempts to engineer social experiences" by placing communal spaces at the perimeter of the building, which would receive natural light.
> "It is meant to build community, encourage peer-to-peer interaction, promote engagement and relationship building, foster an environment of learning and support, and provide necessary resources and amenities to support a 24/7 on-campus living experience," [University spokesperson Andrea] Estrada said.
I wasn't pulling it out of thin air; it's the foundational ethos for the design. Everything else is just an added layer of PR.