Transforming the experience for KITP Visitors
Lars, Glen, and Charlie at the Mitchel Foyer dedication.
I had the distinct privilege of working closely with Glen Mitchel and Charlie Munger to design and build the Charles T. Munger Physics Residence. Now accommodating over 800 visiting physicists to the KITP every year, this facility provides tremendous value to the international physics community. With both their passing this year, I felt it was time to share some of the stories about how we accomplished this project and the impact it has had.
The Need
The institute has been operating at UC Santa Barbara since 1979, bringing physicists and their families for long stays that lead to interactions and new collaborations that push back at the frontiers of physics. We accommodated these visitors using a network of housing providers carefully curated by KITP staff member, Monica Curry. Not only was it a challenge, but it also meant that after a day in Kohn Hall they would scatter and stop interacting. This was a far from optimal arrangement and motivated us to build a facility aimed at our specific need. Chancellor Henry Yang allocated a piece of property for our project, and the prior Director David Gross and I started preliminary planning and design in early 2012 to build the first purpose-built facility aimed at housing visiting physicists. The key project goals were to: (1) alleviate the stress and uncertainty for KITP visitors as they worked with us to find housing, (2) provide a great solution for those visiting with families, and (3) provide a new venue for science and social interactions to continue beyond the workday at Kohn Hall.
The Introduction
As part of KITP’s mission, we ask our visiting physicists to give lectures to the Santa Barbara public. It is through those events that I came to know Glen Mitchel. He would regularly come to our talks with a number of his close friends and, always eager to know more, would speak with me before and after. Right before I became Director in summer 2012, Glen approached me and asked, “So, what are you going to do when you become Director?” I explained our ambition for housing. Glen was excited to hear about it, thought it worthwhile, and encouraged me to give him all the materials I had available. He was about to go on a fishing trip with a friend who he thought might be interested in helping us achieve our goals. . .
After returning from the fishing trip, Glen called to let me know that his good friend Charlie Munger wanted to meet with me to better understand the project. The meeting was set: 8 AM on July 4, 2012. Charlie was joined by his son, Charles Munger, Jr., his grandson, also named Charles, and Glen. I had only been Director for 3 days!
The breakfast meeting went almost to lunch. Charlie had many questions about our plans and I did my best to answer them all. Thanks to Glen, he clearly understood KITP’s mission of achieving science by bringing people together and giving them time and space to interact. All that remained now was sorting out the details of design and construction, as Charlie was clearly committed to making it happen, and Glen was ready to fully engage and bring his expertise to bear.
Charlie, Glen and Lars meeting with Towbes Group and UCSB administration before construction.
The Design
What ensued were two years of design meetings with Charlie and our KITP team, working with our architect, Murray Duncan. Charlie had many wonderful ideas that did not need any adjustment. For example, he already knew how to best build a structure and walls to avoid hearing your neighbors. Charlie felt strongly about having generously dimensioned spaces, both in the rooms and common areas. He knew very well that those spaces would lead to spontaneous beneficial interactions that he called “Elephant Bumping.”
Not only did Charlie know about construction and design, he also cared deeply about the furniture and the interior design of the facility. This led to the design of a new type of armoire, as well as a club chair the vendor for our project still carries in their production line. Charlie was also the source of an endless stream of on-target and humorous quotes. He was adamant about having a basement in the building, which has proven to be one of the most beloved common areas. However, it added a fair amount of extra construction, to which Charlie commented: “I welcome concrete, it’s one of the few things the Romans got right!”
Early stages of construction in 2015.
Glen and Lars signing the documents to donate the completed Residence to UCSB.
The Construction
Charlie had chosen Michael Towbes and his team for the construction, and they did an excellent job. Towbes Group and their head of construction, Derek Hansen, were well experienced and ready to collaborate with us in a unique approach of engagement through design and up to the bidding. Then ensued countless meeting with Charlie, Glen, me and our project manager Ray Aronson to sort through costs and schedules. Throughout that whole process, a clear directive from Charlie was that quality would never be spared.
At this point, Glen’s role transitioned. He became famous for his inspections on the job site. He would lace up his boots, drive over and just show up--surprise! This would cause a shock wave on the job site, as Glen had such an eagle-eye for seeing what was happening and, in a very gentlemanly way, pointing it out. Over time, all members of the construction team came to embrace his arrivals, rising to the occasion to proudly show him the work they had done. By graciously sharing his passion for an excellent product that would last for the ages, he inspired all workers on site to do better, as they knew that their work would be recognized and appreciated by Glen. Charlie would also visit the site to assess progress, and even continued to do some last-minute design changes that we were able to accommodate. We opened the Residence for operations in January 2017. When I called the Chancellor to give him the news of completion on time and under budget, he responded, “I’ve never heard that before!”
The Impact
All of our goals were met, and after seven years, the scientific impact of the Residence is evident. With over 13,000 nights a year, and the opportunity afforded for spontaneous and planned interactions, its existence is actively accelerating science. We have accumulated 100,000 nights of stays, and I’m confident the building will last to hit a million nights after many of us are gone. We are ensuring the longevity of the Munger Residence through a robust preventative maintenance program led by our Residence Manager Carlos Gutierrez and the team of custodial workers led by Arlene Contreras.
Every year we survey our visitors and ask a simple question: ‘’What were the scientific benefits of staying at the Munger Residence?” Here are some answers: “I engaged in social activities with physicists I didn’t know from before,” “The residence offered fantastic facilities to entertain the children while having scientific discussions,” and “With excellent accommodations, conditions were ideal to focus on science, and being housed together with other participants facilitated discussions as well as informal exchanges.”
Design matters, as attested here: “The residence has a perfect combination of comfort, solitude and networking,” “Overall, this is one of the best places I have ever stayed for a workshop or conference. I very much look forward to my next visit!” and “It’s an incredible facility - better than any similar residence for scientific visitors that I have stayed in anywhere in the world.”
And, the elephant bumping did occur, as this quote attests: “I ended up having interesting scientific conversations with people staying in the same suite as I was that I wouldn’t necessarily have spoken to at the KITP itself.”
(Left to right) Lars Bildsten, Charlie Munger and Chancellor Yang at the Residence inauguration.
In Closing
At the Residence inauguration in summer 2017, Charlie was awarded the Santa Barbara Medal by Chancellor Yang. In response, Charlie said: “Thank you very much. That’s what I need is a medal. Really, the real pleasure here is not getting the medals, it’s working with good people. It is absolutely one of the main privileges of life to work together with good people, and you bond in a way that won’t occur in ordinary social life. If you want a great life, you’ve got to collaborate on something difficult with other good people. It’s a simple rule. When you get an opportunity to do it, it’s not a minor opportunity; it’s what life is all about.”
by Lars Bildsten, KITP Director