We at Chronic have seen the future of student dorms, and it’s nicer than where we live.

The Association of College and University Housing Officers International, a think tank for colleges to work out new ways to squeeze housing cash out of students, has just announced the winners of its 21st Century Project competition. The competition, sponsored in part by Texas A&M, dreams of a Jetsons-esque phütür, where students will live in modular accommodations with movable walls, plasma-screen homework, and flat-packed lecturers. Unfortunately for this utopian vision, the winning design, the JLA “flexDorm,” features a “a one-piece sink and toilet.”

Now, not to put too crude a spin on it, but when did any drunken frat-boy need encouraging to pee in the sink? And more importantly, will these idealized rooms with “smart-media walls” be more than an overpriced, socially exclusive way to piss money up the wall?

This article appears in January 26 • 2007.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.