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Assuming this is about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munger_Hall , that is incredibly debatable.
Better is apparently subjective:
"94 percent of the students would not have had windows in their bedrooms"
So maybe they lived worse before, like deep underground?
Not everybody thinks windows (aka, large holes in the wall, with just a thin piece of glass or if you're lucky two, between you and the hostile outside environment) are a must have.
I recall I opted for a room without on holiday some years ago, and they wanted to offer a free "upgrade" to a room with a window on checkin. Um, no, that's not an "upgrade" you fools, yes I came to your city to look at a variety of wonderful things, but none of those things is visible from the hotel window. So in exchange for it being slightly less secure and slightly drafty, I get to look at the carpark whenever I want? No thanks.
No, but probably the vast majority thinks so. And actual daylight has lots of health benefits. But sure, the view from my window was always very important to me personally and I simply could not live in a basement with a view to parking cars. But being able to see the sky or not, makes a BIG difference. And if it does not for you ... then maybe you forgot what you are missing. And you actually do sound a bit paranoid:
"windows (aka, large holes in the wall, with just a thin piece of glass or if you're lucky two, between you and the hostile outside environment)"
If you are not living close to the streets, which is something I also would not like - what exactly are you afraid of? That a spidermen comes into your home?
The biggest intrusion through windows that I had, was a falcon once ... and that was rather interesting (and only happened, because I left the window wide open while I was gone).
If so, I think your take on this is a little off:
> but better for the people who would live in them ... . You built a dorm just like this one 10 years ago that people love.
It caused UCSB's design review committee architect to resign:
> A consulting architect named Dennis McFadden subsequently announced his resignation from U.C.S.B.’s design-review committee. In a letter, which was later leaked, he wrote that “Charlie’s Vision” was “unsupportable from my perspective as an architect, a parent and a human being.”
> a “social and psychological experiment with an unknown impact on the lives and personal development of the undergraduates the university serves.” Having no natural light was a problem. So were stale air and tight spaces. McFadden noted that the structure had just two main exits and would qualify “as the eighth densest neighborhood in the world, falling just short of a portion of Dhaka, Bangladesh.”
> Dormzilla, as the building has been nicknamed by the local papers
> Moreno described poor ventilation and even poorer sleep. “Lots of talk of sunlamps and melatonin,” he said.
> “you had to submit, like, a waiver stating your need for a window.”
In my area, building codes require two exits for every bedroom. It's not a "nice-to-have", it's a life-saving requirement in case of a fire.
With two exits for 4,500 people, this dorm was a massacre waiting to happen. The rest of the conversation about the design is pointless, given that fact alone. It's a non-starter.
"Charlie Munger, a 97-year-old billionaire and Warren Buffett's right-hand man, gifted UCSB a casual $200 million to build the dorm under one condition: he gets to make all of the design decisions."
"Because it's Munger's way or the highway, he has decided that 94% of the bedrooms (which, by the way, are only 7x10") will not have windows. Instead, only some of the common areas will have windows, in an attempt to get students out of their bedrooms to socialize."
"In addition to the whole no windows thing, Munger's design requires eight students to share one bathroom. The entire building also only features two exits. For 4,000 people."
https://www.buzzfeed.com/madisonmcgee/billionaire-builds-win...
Ha.
Orchard Hill @ umass, 4 identical 7 story building around a circle of grass. We had windows, but they were a very small part of the back wall (they did let air/light in). I can't recall looking out, though it wasn't really scenic. I think it was 30 people per bathroom (2 bathrooms per floor). Each floor had 2 "study lounges" with tables and wall to wall windows and a balcony. To date myself, we had newly installed network access: 9600 baud to the computers on campus. There was an icecream bar vending machine in the laundry room, which was oddly cheap and memorable. It was serviceable, and being on top of a hill, your fitness improved.
Its still there (the dorm, vending machine is probably long gone..), probably almost 40 years old at this point.
Was that 30 people per bathroom with multiple toilets and showers?
For contrast, the article above makes it sound like the proposed dorm design was one toilet + shower for 8 students to share.
Okay, Foucault.