By Ben Kasdan��

Student housing design leads the industry in wellness and sustainable design strategies because the current generation of college students, primarily members of Gen Z, expect their communities to address those issues. This cohort exhibits more self-awareness of their own mental and physical wellness, expresses less stigma about mental illness and has demonstrated more interest in the greater good at a younger age than previous generations. As the current generation of student residents graduate and enter the workforce in the next few years, they will expect market rate housing to do a better job of addressing wellness and sustainability too.��

Encouragingly, the University of Michigan’s latest Annual Healthy Minds Study from 2023-2024, which surveyed 100,000+ college students from 200+ universities across the country, reports positive trends in mental health outcomes for American students:�� “..there are decreases in symptoms of anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide, and increases in receiving mental health care and support.” Specifically, they found a decrease in severe depressive symptoms from 23% in 2022 and 20% in 2023 to 19% in 2024, more students (61%) are using mental health therapy or counseling compared to 59% in 2023, and more students reported taking psychiatric medication (31% in 2024 vs. 29% in 2022 and 2023). This and other studies do show an increase in the diagnosis of mental illness among college students, though this may be attributable to greater awareness and increased diagnoses, not increased prevalence.��

Remember that the Gen Z students entering college now were in middle and high school during the height of the pandemic, and they bring that visceral experience of isolation and missing milestones with them. The potential impact of health-related events deeply affected their collective perspective on the world and their individual roles within it. To them, health and wellness is associated with personal safety and their ability to thrive, so they bring that expectation to their first experience living away from home. These factors and preferences lead designers to make student housing communities that effectively employ wellness and sustainable strategies to resonate with the current generation of student residents.��

The KTGY Research and Development Studio created “Thrive Hall,” a student housing concept for mental health and wellness that proposes seven evidence-based design objectives to improve and support the mental health of student residents: creating community “pods” of 50 or fewer people, reinforcing community using current co-housing principles, connection to nature in both natural light and outdoor spaces, intentional study spaces separate from sleeping rooms, prioritizing quality rest, encouraging an active lifestyle, and providing easy access to mental health support. Building on the research foundation of Thrive Hall, KTGY designs student housing communities, like The 87 near the University of Notre Dame and Pique near UC Berkeley, which employ these design principles.��

The 87 in South Bend, Ind. creates community pods by subdividing the site into multiple buildings and a variety of types of units, both stacked-flats and multi-story units. The visual and physical connection to nature is emphasized by a series of amenity courtyards linking the buildings and creating a hierarchy and mix of outdoor open spaces. A large central study space located adjacent to the other main amenity spaces (leasing, lounge and fitness areas) and satellite study spaces are dispersed throughout the other buildings, as well. The 87 opened in the fall of 2024 and the initial reviews indicate early successes in building a welcoming sense of community, with positive comments about the multiple study rooms, common amenity spaces and resident services programming.��

Pique in Berkeley, Calif., leans into co-living by proposing macro-units that can house up to 14 students — a strategy to reinforce a sense of community while also increasing housing attainability by creating a unique path to non-subsidized affordability in an extremely high-cost housing market. Pique only parks bicycles on-site, which reinforces its aggressive sustainability goals while also encouraging physical activity and enhancing the walkability of its infill urban context.��

The lack of parking for automobiles at Pique also responds to Gen Z’s decreased interest in private car ownership as both a cost-saving strategy and, perhaps more altruistically, to reduce their personal carbon footprint and preferring public transportation, cycling and ridesharing over solo-driving. McKinsey published a report in 2022, citing data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, that noted the stark decrease in the percentage of teenage drivers: in 1997, 43% of 16-year-olds and 62% of 17-year-olds (aka the “elder Millennials”) had driver licenses; but by 2020, only 25% of 16-year-olds and 45% of 17-year-olds had drivers licenses.��

Student housing design is often on the forefront of trends, and it represents the next era of housing designed to support human wellness and sustainability. Today’s student residents are tomorrow’s market-rate apartment dwellers. These current student residents’ values are successfully influencing the design and programming of their communities at universities across the country and will continue to do so as they emerge into the greater housing market in the next several years.��

Ben Kasdan is a Principal with national architecture and design firm KTGY.��

��

The post Student Housing Leads the Industry in Wellness and Sustainable Design by Addressing Student Values appeared first on �鶹������.

The post Student Housing Leads the Industry in Wellness and Sustainable Design by Addressing Student Values appeared first on �鶹������.

Those were the options given to the salesman-turned-getaway driver in the opening scene of Steve McQueen’s 1968 classic, "The Thomas Crown Affair." Unfortunately, colleges and universities in a hurry to respond to enrollment pressures or worried about construction financing aren’t offered those options if they are to remain competitive in student housing. Increasingly, institutions are turning to design-build as a time saving, cost-effective way to provide housing that responds to student needs and expectations.

How to Select a Design-Build Firm

Choosing a design-build (DB) team is similar to using a request for proposal (RFP) to select design professionals for conventional projects-but with a few twists. All members of the DB team should have experience in student housing, but the design professional’s experience is critical. Student interests in university housing change over time, and a design firm that maintains a consistent presence in the market will be familiar with long-term trends. It also is critical for a firm to have experience with systems and finishes that not only provide the home-away-from-home feeling that students and parents are demanding, but also are capable of withstanding the rigors of youthful use and abuse.

Some institutions are interested in DB for the design and construction components of a project, while others may add financing and management to the services the DB team provides. The contract can be setup to create a separate organization that provides project financing via alternative sources, bypassing the limitations of traditional university funding methods.

The more information you provide in the RFP, the more control you have over the final product. For example, if your institution has a standardized door locking system, your DB team should incorporate this requirement into its proposal. Clarity in describing your expectations is very important if price is one of your selection criteria.

How to Work With a Design-Builder?

The design portion of DB is similar to a conventional plan-bid-build project, with one major exception and one significant advantage. The design-builder is usually contracted to deliver a number of beds and amenities for a guaranteed maximum price, and the design professional is typically a consultant to the design-builder. Design choices will be influenced by the design-builder’s budget limitations. Of course, the university has the opportunity to increase the budget to incorporate features.

The significant advantage of DB during design is the opportunity for real-time feedback on the cost implications of design alternatives. In a traditional project, the real cost of the design is unknown until the construction bids are opened. Over-budget bids often necessitate re-design-delaying delivery of new beds. The continuous interface between the designer and the builder in DB minimizes budget surprises, and helps to ensure timely completion.

How Long is the Design-Build Process?

Another advantage to DB is time. Project schedules can be shortened considerably to respond to projected housing enrollment spikes. To transform from a commuter to a residential campus, Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., needed to quickly add housing. In April 2001, WSU awarded a DB contract for a 370-bed residence hall with a 400-seat dining facility. To meet the timetable, construction had to begin in a mere 13 weeks-and be completed in 13 months-an enormously accelerated schedule. To meet this aggressive goal, designers at Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architecture & Engineering, P.C. and DB teammates Turner Construction and Neumann Smith & Associates, worked closely with each other, the college, and the community. The team held two-day design charettes with representatives of various university constituencies who were authorized to make quick decisions. By employing design-build, the team met the university’s deadline, and the $20-million facility was occupied in August 2002.

Will Quality Student Housing Result From a Design-Build Project?

DB student residences are built using a variety of construction methods and desgins. Some recent popular systems, such as three-story, wood framed, residential-style buildings, are typically offered when initial cost is the controlling factor. When deciding whether to select this method, a university should carefully consider the life-cycle cost of lighter weight building elements. A university that relies on this type of construction may be faced with the task of replacing, rather than renovating, its housing stock after 30-40 years.

At the other end of the spectrum, some universities are opting for more robust structures with precast concrete plank floors and masonry load-bearing walls. These institutions anticipate that initial cost premiums might be offset by reduced maintenance over the long term. An additional benefit of building durable structures is a more permanent visual strengthening of campus character, important to the university community and alumni.
Whether low initial cost or long-term value is the controlling factor, experienced design builders can deliver timely, well-planned, and cost-effective residences that respond to student housing program goals and can enrich a college or university campus.

E. Stephen Finkle, AIA, is a principal at Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architecture & Engineering, P.C. He can be reached at sfinkle@eypae.com.

The post Does Design-Build Student Housing Work for You? appeared first on �鶹������.

The post Does Design-Build Student Housing Work for You? appeared first on �鶹������.