First year college students have tons of colleges and universities to decide between. How do they choose which college is right for them? Many students look not just at academics, but also at the overall design of the campus facilities. The interior can say a lot about the college’s values and culture.
The students of today desire innovative college design features throughout campus – from enticing residence and dining halls, to inspirational classroom environments, and dynamic recreation facilities. They want tech-friendly environments to help them succeed academically, comfortable student study areas, and lounges filled with amenities.
To attract these students, college administrators must partner with an architectural firm that can deliver the design features they demand.
Highly Inclusive Design
To attract a wide range of students, your designs must be inclusive – taking into consideration that students come from different backgrounds and have different abilities. To address the differing wants and needs of students, architects design spaces that accommodate a variety of services and activity options, and utilize intuitive wayfinding systems. The goal isn’t to design spaces that are perfect for every student, as that’s impossible to achieve; rather, the objective of the architect is to ensure that no learning roadblocks exist as a result of design.
Attracting Students with Residence
Beautifully designed residence halls can be a powerful tool for attracting students to campus. These buildings can act as magnets if they contain spaces in which students can work, socialize, and relax.
Your residence halls should be dynamic, featuring amenities such as modular lounge furniture, game areas, and mobile device charging stations that encourage students to stay longer. There should also be more secluded areas that students can utilize to study alone, collaborate with others, and complete group project work.
Creating these welcoming spaces in residence halls as part of your building design promotes higher levels of socialization and can be very attractive to prospective students!
Design for Wellness on Campus
Active campus design is used to foster a healthy combination of physical activity, support good mental health, and encourage students to socialize. While subtle, here are a few strategies to use to improve the overall well-being of students:
- Intentionally place commonly-used areas where students must walk a bit to reach them.
- Don't forget about your outdoor spaces. Organize fun areas outside! This will encourage students to get more fresh air and natural light.
- Design big lounge areas to offer chances for both planned and spontaneous social interactions with other students.
Applying These Design Strategies
At CMBA Architects, we employ strategies that have a meaningful impact on students and faculty. To understand a facility's purpose, we fully consider what students need and want, then strategize to create designs that address every challenge. Each facility is approached differently, and that allows us to find innovative solutions to very unique and specific problems.
Interested in learning more about what CMBA can do for you? Get in touch with us today!
