Students at PBSH will find more flexible amenity spaces that encourage individual ways to study, stay healthy, socialize and care for pets brought along. But there’s no single way to meet each student’s goals as differences abound based on their major, budget, university culture and area climate.
Since the pandemic, the overall footprints of purpose-built student housing (PBSH) may be bigger in part due to a greater number of beds per building and in each unit—four, five or even six rather than the old standard mix of one, two, three and four bedroom units, says KrisAnn Kizer, Vice President of Marketing and Leasing at San Diego, Calif.-based Pierce Education Properties, which has 7,558 beds in seven states. “It’s easier for developers to pencil in an investment when there are more units rather than a boutique-style property with fewer,” she says.
But amenities also are a major expense as their number per building continues to ramp up for developers to gain a competitive edge to woo students who have come to expect a smorgasbord of features.
Many have also enjoyed more amenities in on-campus buildings that had added them and which they lived in prior to switching to off-campus housing. New trends keep emerging while older ones may be right-sized to best fit residents’ needs, says Scott Orphan, Senior Vice President of Student Housing at Houston-based Asset Living, which has 285,000-plus units in more than 40 states.
To gain a handle on what appeals, Alison Mills, Vice President of Design and Development at Chicago-based CRG, which has developed or delivered over 3,300 beds at its student housing projects in five states, says she and colleagues spend time watching how students use existing spaces throughout a campus. “If they’re using them in ways we didn’t imagine, we’ll adapt the spaces and amenities for the next iteration,” she says. “We’ve noticed that students often gather on and near staircases, particularly in common areas where they study or socialize,” she says. “In a pipeline project in the Midwest, CRG is reimagining staircases to enhance this social interaction. By increasing the width of the steps, adding pillows and backrests for comfortable seating, and infusing the space with more natural light, we’re aiming to transform a functional staircase into a vibrant and inviting environment for students.”
At the end of the day, what matters most are a trifecta of spaces that help improve students’ ability to socialize, study and stay well mentally and physically, says Kelly Naylor, Vice President of Interior Design at Minneapolis-based BKV Group, which has provided architecture and design services for 30 million square feet of student housing and completed projects in 16 states.
Josh Kassing, Senior Vice President at Chicago-based Mary Cook Associates, says his firm’s role and that of developers is to help students feel supported from social, financial and mental health pressures and a tumultuous job market. “The name or type of the amenity only matters if it reinforces the spirit of the community. Vegetable gardens may sound nice as an amenity, but few 19-year-olds are likely to give up a Friday night to harvest heirloom tomatoes. However, an amenity that makes them feel safe and belong just might, even if they aren’t conscious of it.” he says.
The following 10 are at the top.
Incubation Labs
New buildings have rooms to help entrepreneurial-minded students get a leg-up on future work. As an example, the 600-bed UnionWest Student Living building in Orlando, Fla., was designed by Orlando-based Baker Barrios Architects in a public-private partnership with 10 floors of purpose-built student housing atop a five-story podium of classrooms, all located within the Creative Village at the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) downtown campus in a joint development between the university and Valencia College. This serves as the cornerstone development for the Creative Village which brings a learn, live, work lifestyle to the area merging academic spaces, student life and tech driven industries with retail/food and beverage.
“This creates a great opportunity for the students at UCF’s digital media programs, who are living at UnionWest to take advantage of classes and incubation spaces to learn and refine necessary skills,” says Grayson Silver, AIA, Managing Partner and Student Housing Director, Baker Barrios.
Each floor offers space for students to test and show their gaming and software development projects, with the necessary media infrastructure and flexible workspace to present to their peers and potential collaborators or investors. Silver anticipates this feature will appeal widely at other buildings with a large cohort interested in professional start-up incubation spaces.
Fitness Mix
Space to work out remains critical to student health but developers now do so in more varied ways to offer flexibility as trends and needs change. Silver has heard more requests of late for sensory spaces with adjustable lighting, sound/music options and tactile surfaces/furnishings. Miles Orth, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Philadelphia-
based Campus Apartments, with nearly 20,000 beds in 14 states, sees continued interest in virtual reality options as part of fitness centers including golf, tennis, basketball, soccer and hockey played in a VR room, he says. Orphan sees a move toward calmer social interactions. And at many properties, niche options that were rarely used such as rock-climbing walls and golf simulators are eliminated or not added to new properties.
When designed with flexibility in mind, rooms with high ceilings, big windows and access to the outdoors can be adapted to varied purposes that change as trends do, says Eric Greenfield, an attorney and shareholder, Real Estate Division and Industry Group Chair at Kansas City, Mo.-based law firm Polsinelli. Because of the connection now between nature and healthfulness, more fitness rooms open to the lawn. Depending on location and climate, many of these outdoor areas feature a pool at ground level or atop a roof, plus cabanas, fire pits, grills and the newest addition—hammocks, all to activate a space. Besides location, pay close attention to detail in student study areas.
“Not all fitness programs are created equal, and they need to respond to the resident lifestyle. Nursing students in competitive Northeast universities tend to study hard, want to stay fit and relax during downtime versus students at, let’s say, larger public institutions who view fitness as a social activity reflecting their personal brand,” Kassing says.
Study Variety
Students are said now to want to be able to study more independently in a library-style carrel rather than the old computer-style lab, says architect Alan Barker, AIA, principal and residential market leader at Chicago-based Lamar Johnson Collaborative. Or they may want a semi-private, intimate booth, says Kassing. Here, too, the trend often reflects a student’s choice of study. “Engineering students may favor quiet, smaller spaces for example,” says Karissa Schminky, Director of New Developments at Denver-based Cardinal Group, with more than 50,000 units in 38 states.
Some residents still want to share group spaces but these, too, are changing from large tables in rooms that resembled corporate conference centers to more lounge-type areas, Barker says. To appeal to all, many developers such as Pierce Education Properties include a mix of private and group study areas. Furnishings often are lightweight so they can be rearranged. BKV Group reworked its The Marshall property near the University of Minnesota to accommodate more varied individual and group spaces with open and enclosed areas, says Naylor. And throughout many areas, Greenfield has noted greater demand for outlets because of the many devices students own. The average student brings to college seven tech devices, according to 2013 data from re:fuel. That number is now likely in the double digits as websites and media outlets promote the top 10, 11, 12 or even 100 tech gadgets for college students. More outlets are also needed outdoors for study too, depending on climate, Kizer says.
Open Spaces
Besides open areas for study, students want places to chill with friends in an area that may be outfitted with a big TV screen or multiple TVs. Yet Orth sees a movement away from TVs as more interact with their own devices. In either case, the key is to make a space flexible since student interests change over time, Mills says. For example, some open spaces now occupy former game rooms or movie theaters, which are less in demand.
At The Marshall, BKV Group transformed a cavernous lobby into a study and socializing hub with a coffee bar, large communal worktable with integrated lighting and mix of stylish upholstered furnishings, diner-style booths and glass enclosed study rooms. Yet, not every developer is doing away with game areas; some place them in prime spots such as at the top of a building with a communal kitchen, coffee bar and access to outdoors, says Greenfield. Some also see the need for more intimate areas even on each residential floor, says architect John Kirk, partner at New York City-based Cooper Robertson Architects, which has worked on PBSH buildings such as the Johns and Moss Halls at Longwood University, a collaboration with Little Diversified Consulting Architects and Franck & Lohsen Architects.
Food and Java
Food is a key requirement at building-wide events, often prepared by staff in a communal kitchen or brought in by a third-party vendor. But making food available at other times keeps evolving and reflects student food trends. Many like being able to easily choose prepared options that save them time, says Silver. For this reason, more buildings include vending machines with a variety of options, including healthy choices. Kizer says her firm is considering one company’s machine that retails fresh baked cookies and pizzas that only need heating. There are also more grab-and-go vending and coffee bars located near an entry and lobby to help activate shared areas and bring students together, Schminky says.
Some buildings with enough driveway space contract food trucks on a regular basis. At the more luxurious buildings, students are able to order room service as they might in a hotel. “It’s often cheaper for students than ordering...and can be a moneymaker for the building,” Greenfield says. Naylor of BKV Group says her firm always looks to see what’s near a building before programming what they include so the resulting amenities seamlessly pair and complement their surroundings. Many students like the enhanced convenience and lifestyle mixed-use developments bring. Students these days are looking for variety, healthy choices and places that create social hubs, Silver says.
Prime Location
Mills considers location the most important amenity. Yet, debate centers around how close students want to be to campus. Greenfield believes buildings should be one quarter to one half mile away, depending on climate. That type of pedestrian-
centric location also appeals to Orth’s Campus Apartments company. But other developers build a bit farther to pare costs as inflation pushes up prices of close-in locations, says Kizer. What can add appeal for either choice is nearby retail, says Mills.
Students at Pierce Education Properties’ new Topaz building near San Diego State University have a grocery store nearby. A transit-oriented development (TOD) can also add appeal to cut time to get to campus and other destinations and lower a student’s carbon footprint, Greenfield says. Yet, how much the TOD acts as an incentive may depend on its location—in a large city with good public transportation, it makes great sense, Orth says. But finding land that makes projects financially feasible is getting tougher, Greenfield says. New types of locations may arise and shake up the mix. For example, Silver’s firm is designing a prototype for a 36-plus acre student village that will offer a sense of place within a development with several PBSH cottages and townhomes, walking trails, retention ponds, other bodies of water and 40,000 square feet of community-based amenities. “In these cases, the development becomes the amenity,” Silver says.
Updated Technology
Robust bandwidth for Wi-Fi throughout a property has become a given and an expectation among students, and not just for recreation but also academics, says Greenfield. “The idea is that Wi-Fi moves with the student, so they don’t have to constantly log in and out,” Mills says. And the need to keep improving it is constant, Greenfield says. More buildings also provide a managed network to maintain the best performance for everyone, Orth says.
Technology is also showing up throughout properties—in smart devices to open doors to a building or unit, in smart thermostats, light controls and in Bluetooth-enabled showerheads, which had been phased out and are again popular, says Schminky. Even pools are wired for self-cleaning, Orth says. Since more students prefer to stream, more buildings have eliminated cable, Kizer says. And in furnishing spaces, more developers opt for items with built-in charging ports so students don’t have to hunt for an outlet. Many may not need a computer lab, but they still want access to a free printer, Kizer says.
Pet Pampering
Since so many students bring a pet to campus, dog walks, parks with benches and agility equipment, and washing and drying stations are included at more sites, helping students avoid going to an area vendor. Among the newer offerings, Kizer says, are bark carts filled with toys and treats. At some buildings, pet owners are grouped on different floors but residents who need a roommate and come with a pet can pose a challenge to management making a match, Greenfield says.
Smart Package Rooms
Because Millennials and Gen Z have become accustomed to buying online, bigger package rooms with built-in security systems and CCTV cameras have become essential and more often are outfitted with open shelves designed for a wide variety of packages including oversized items like golf clubs and skis rather than traditional lockers that often overflowed, says Orth. Most properties offer an app that alerts students to deliveries and may tell them where their package is located within the room. Some buildings outsource delivery to a company so delivery can be according to student schedules, says Orphan.
In-Unit Perks
Units reflect enhanced security, concern about health, more style and greater sustainability. Security systems stem in part from parental concerns and also due to health and wellness concerns resulting from the pandemic. One result is more single and double rooms have an en suite bathroom, says Kirk. The heightened style comes from students exposed to more trends from TV shows and social media.
Many care more than prior generations about energy efficiency and greenness. Developers want choices to hold up to heavy use. How this translates are practical fabrics and surfaces since most units come furnished with Energy Star appliances in kitchens and laundry equipment, engineered wood or LVT flooring and more kitchen pantry space due to the greater number of beds per apartment. Students also want good-sized storage in a bathroom, which Pierce Education Properties offered in its College View Apartments bathrooms near San Diego State University, Kizer says. BKV Group made aesthetic adjustments at The Marshall with lighter colored cabinetry and white quartz countertops and backsplashes. One perk that some students will pay extra for is valet trash service, Greenfield says.
Clean, Sophisticated Look
What the exterior of a building looks like also matters to students. Students favor a clean, sophisticated look both inside and out, and the industry has largely moved away from overly strong ties to the university colors and brand. “What students want are Instagrammable moments,” says Schminky. Barker’s firm tries to use a simple palette of a few colors and materials with some texture. At its new Chapter at Madison community near the University of Wisconsin, it used red and gray brick at the base and metal panels at the top. Within most buildings, the same approach prevails, plus use of plants, water features and natural materials, Kirk says.
Gaggle of Friends
No matter the number of amenities in a building, one of the major essentials is having a cohort of friends as roommates or neighbors, and many students will go where their friends do. “Students want to be with friends who share similar interests. They often come to buildings because of a positive word of mouth. For this reason, social media offers a huge benefit. The fact that real people enjoy an experience matters far more than renderings and photos, which can be touched up,” says Kizer. Orth concurs that positive word of mouth is the most important source of traffic for a student housing developer, more than any traditional advertising like internet listing services (ILS).