From CREATING INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITIES, Volume 1, Number 2, 2007
Gone are the days of “dormitories” and “dining halls.” Today’s colleges and universities know that innovative housing is the most effective means of building a sense of community among its students.
Creating community is a universal imperative for colleges and universities today, and most see campus housing as the key to achieving this goal. Some schools see the creation of “living/learning environments” as the most innovative and successful means of enhancing campus life for students. Still others believe that residential colleges are the way to achieve this goal.
No matter which approach is used, the following four principles encourage the creation of outstanding student housing:
Once a school has determined that a modification of its on-campus housing is needed, administrators must decide whether to build new, redevelop existing buildings, or simply renovate. This decision depends greatly on key issues, including: the number and quality of beds currently available versus the number of beds desired; design issues such as the scale, character, and location of new housing; the economics of the availability of funds, project costs, and funding options; and external factors such as the availability of off-campus housing or the ability to phase in new facilities based on anticipated enrollment.
Today’s most successful campus housing projects use valuable land resources to support the mission and culture of the school, contribute to the vibrancy of campus life, and provide quality accommodations for an increased number of students. When a residential housing project is executed with a comprehensive, thoughtful, and innovative approach, the result leads not only to increased beds, but to an enhanced student life experience. Here are four examples of how the design of these facilities can build community.
