Search Reslife.net
		Designing Campus Housing Facilities with Past, Present, and Future Students By Jim Banning Professor in the School of Education Colorado State University Campus housing is again experiencing an upswing in the building of new residence halls and renovating of old ones. As institutional goals, architectural designs, financing plans, and market analyses come to the planning table to give shape and structure to the new facilities, one group too often remains uninvited to the table - the students. Too often we continue to use old language and express our objective as "We are building new housing for our students" rather than "We are building new housing with our students." The purpose of this article is to suggest ways that students can participate in the new designs and renovations of their "spaces" on campus. To fully involve and to fully reap the expertise and experience of students, strategies will be described that include students of the past, present students, and the students of the future. Past Students How do you include in the planning of new buildings and the renovation of old ones the experience and input of past residence hall students? The following three strategies are suggested. One, survey your previous residents regarding their experience in living in campus housing focusing on the positive and negatives aspects of the physical space. Two, conduct focus groups with your previous residents. And three, review the historical literature that has been accumulated regarding student satisfaction with resident hall living. For example, during the past forty years there have been consistent themes in student satisfaction with the physical environment of the resident hall. Beginning in the early 60s and continuing in recent surveys, the following are the most frequently voiced student concerns: Crowded - Lack of space in room and building too large Lack of privacy-not enough singles Inability to control heating, air conditioning and ventilation Long and narrow corridors Lack of privacy in bathrooms and lavatories Too much noise Too many high-rises Not enough freedom or options for personalization Poor elevators Security issues Need for study spaces, activity spaces, and kitchen amenities Limited technology access (from phones to full technology hook-ups) By implementing the above three strategies, institutional planning committees will develop not only background information regarding the experience of former residents with the physical spaces of campus housing, but critical questions can be formulated and presented to challenge the new designs as they begin to appear at the planning table. Present Students Students currently living in campus residence halls have a critical role to play in the design of new housing and planned renovations. They are the "resident" experts. They study, play, eat, and sleep in the physical facilities and spaces. Their experience must not be ignored, but assertively sought out so that the new and renovated spaces will reflect their "expertise" and not repeat facility design mistakes of the past. The following is a list of strategies on how include current students in the planning and designing of new facilities: Student surveys - can be web based Student interviews and focus groups-can be web based Presence of students as full members on committees associated with the planning and designing of new facilities Behavioral post-occupancy evaluations - how are current students using the facilities, for example, if beds are placed on concrete blocks then attention should be give to providing greater storage in the new design Post early architectural drawings of the new spaces for student mark-up Key personnel in the design process should be on campus and available for student contact Of the three student groups (past, present, and future), the students currently present on campus are not only the most accessible they also have the most current knowledge and experience with the existing facilities. They also are the students who are perhaps most like those coming after them - the future students. Future Students College and university housing facilities are built to last beyond one generation of students; in fact, they typically remain for many generations of students. New housing and renovated housing must attempt to gather information about the students in the housing pipeline so in as far as possible the new designs may be a reasonable fit for several generations of students. For example, given how students from kindergarten and high school are currently using the Internet, it would be extremely shortsighted if the new and renovated facilities were unequipped to handle the increased usage of the Internet. What makes a housing design attractive to prospective students? Given that nearly all future students make their first visit to campus facilities on the web, how do current facilities and how will future facilities look on a 17-inch monitor? How do we gain input from the prospective students? The following list suggest strategies of how to include this important group: Web strategies for input - the implementation of surveys, interviews, and focus groups can now be conducted via the web - therefore making contact with this group relatively easy and inexpensive. Use the on-campus strategies of surveys, interviews, and focus groups with students who are making physical visits to the campus. Trade lunch in the residence hall for the opportunity to visit about what they are looking for and expecting from university housing. Keep up with the changing demographics, trends, and young people by developing a formal "environmental scanning program." (See author's article in the Journal of College and University Student Housing, Vol. 25(5) pp. 30-34, titled Environmental scanning: Application to college and university housing). Invite students attending local K-12 schools to participant with design and planning committees as well as review the architectural drawings. The above activities will provide the housing facilities committees with a "bit of an edge" toward designing facilities that will have the potential to meet future student needs. Student learning: The additive benefit to designing with rather than for students. When students bring their experience and expertise to the planning and designing tables the probability of obtaining a good design for new housing is increased; however, there is an additional benefit in student participation. The student learns. Students learn and experience new skills ranging from specific skills such as reading blueprints and understanding financial and marketing issues, to broad communications skills such as group participation and committee skills including how to listen, speak, negotiate and compromise, etc. Arriving at a good design for new facilities is much greater from the perspective of designing with students than for students and the opportunity for new learning is a special and unique benefit for students - and hopefully for housing personnel as well. About the Author Jim Banning is professor in the School of Education at Colorado State University and has been one of the pioneers in looking at college campuses from an ecological point of view that emphasizes the role of the physical environment. He frequently writes about student environments (http://isu.indstate.edu/wbaratt/dragon/ce/home.htm) and recently co-authored with Professor Carney Strange of Bowling Green University a Jossey-Bass book titled: Educating by Design: Creating Campus Environments that Work.