by Lynne Deninger and Marisa Nemcik
While there may be great variability in the future of higher education, colleges and universities can bank on the reality that students of today and tomorrow are seeking dynamic housing facilities where they can find respite, feel safe, connect with friends, study, cook, exercise, play, unwind, and more. That said, there are multiple paths to creating wonderful, dynamic student housing facilities. Colleges and universities shouldn’t assume they just need to build anew. In fact, most campuses are rife with aging mid-century modern residential buildings that can be renovated to create state-of-the-art facilities. And rejuvenating these facilities will help institutions save significant capital and extend the building life by decades.
Many higher education institutions across the country are taking this renovation approach, and with great success. The University of Georgia (UGA) has reshaped multiple existing buildings to recharge their student housing program and have done so with strong student acclaim. First, UGA renovated Russell Hall, a building originally opened in 1967, benefiting from a collaboration between a CannonDesign team and Menefee Architecture. Together, they worked to modernize all student rooms to create highly flexible living environments, enhancing privacy and inclusivity and replacing all building systems. The building’s core and rotunda can be quickly modified to accommodate a variety of student programming or cohort sizes and can also be balanced with quiet study and phone areas tucked away at the periphery. Student privacy is amplified on the residential floors through the rerouting of access to bathrooms out of the shared community space and the inclusion of unitized toilets and showers within the bathroom areas.
The renovation made Russell Hall the most popular building for incoming first-year students. In fact, the building was in such high demand that during the process for first-year students to select housing in the fall of 2018, students claimed 100% of the building’s 1,000 spaces on the first day of signups. UGA then went on to renovate Brumby Hall, a building originally constructed in 1966, that can now house 940 first-year students. The building is already receiving similar results and praise from the student body. “Students have really loved our renovated communities,” explains Linda Kasper, executive director of housing at UGA. “We have all been in a 1960s high-rise residence hall and know what they look like, but when you look at these renovated buildings now – either looking at a community bathroom, lobby, student room – you would be impressed with the tech, modern touches, and up-to-date features.” In addition to the large-scale improvements, there were some well-appreciated small ones. As Kasper explains, “We’ve certainly discovered that ‘newest’ and ‘best’ are subjective terms through this process, and we’re continuing to learn as we go. For example, we added phone rooms in our first renovation – enclosed single spaces with a chair, next to an elevator bank. Students love these spaces, and we put more in our next renovation. They’ve become Zoom rooms during the pandemic and allowed students to more easily adapt to virtual learning.”
UGA isn’t alone in its decision to enhance mid-century modern residence halls. Elsewhere, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has renovated its Illinois Street Residence (ISR) Halls and dining center. The project involves more than 315,000 square feet in renovation and new construction that will ensure a vibrant experience for students, parents, and guests who visit campus. Student living spaces have been upgraded with new interiors, new furniture, new electrical systems, climate updates, individual-use bathrooms, and more.
The larger new build includes expanded dining capacity and a “Main Street” interior walkway with garage doors that can open to engage community spaces such as a tea bar, multipurpose spaces, fitness center, meditation room, University Counseling satellite offices, and other resources and amenities. “Enhancing this space has been a target project for years at UIUC,” explains Alma Sealine, executive director of university housing for the institution. “COVID has limited our ability to fully realize the value of this space, but students are excited. They’re virtually touring the space, they are commenting on how much more attractive and energetic it feels, and our Honors Living-Learning Community is moving into one of the residence halls this fall semester. We’ve taken an aging building and turned it into a dynamic hub for student vitality on our campus moving forward.”
At first glance, the efforts at UGA and UIUC can make the renovation of an aging student residence hall appear to be an easy recipe: Find a mid-century modern space in need of love, renovate it with the help of a design team, and voilà! – happy students, millions saved, and enhanced student recruitment. While these housing home runs are possible on many campuses across the country, there is no guaranteed path to follow. These projects require careful evaluation of existing resources, strategic planning, extensive campus community engagement, and more. And, sometimes, all of this may lead to a determination that building new is the right direction.
Ultimately, in managing residence halls, renovation can often be an alternative to rebuilding. However, in making this choice, there are a number of steps campus leaders should take to evaluate any aging building’s potential to be renovated for brighter futures. One of the first is to evaluate existing building stock. Doing this to determine their future student housing potential truly demands a careful eye. It’s always smart to execute a facility assessment to determine the building’s current state and strategic short- and long-term capital investments to ensure that it’s worth renovating.
“We had a facility assessment done,” says Sealine about the UIUC project. “We were having a lot of trouble with water leaks in our riser system. As the assessment team was examining the piping, pieces of the pipe came off when the insulation was removed. As we were looking into that, I remember we reached in and a pipe just broke. I used that pipe in meetings with university leadership to demonstrate the need for this renovation.” And the effort was worthwhile. “I think about that broken pipe and the hub we’ve now created on campus with ISR Hall. They feel so far apart, and it did take a lot of time, but in truth, it’s all part of the same plan,” Sealine notes. “It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved for our community.” Kasper explains UGA’s process of determining the feasibility of renovation. “At UGA, we conducted a feasibility study and we realized it was more cost effective to renovate. Our buildings had ‘good bones,’ so 70% of the project budget went to mechanical, engineering, and plumbing system upgrades or replacements, extending the life of a 60-year building by an additional 40 years.”
When assessments indicate that renovation is a possible path forward, it should always be considered. Beyond the myriad benefits discussed, relying on an existing building rather than an entirely new build is the most sustainable route.
Another step is to engage with the community to better understand the role of the building. Modern student residences do more than just provide beds for students. They have truly evolved into destinations for learning, student wellness, community, entertainment, socialization, and more. It’s almost a guarantee that student residences designed decades ago weren’t intended for such diverse purposes and possibilities. Part of what has made the projects at UGA and UIUC successful is how much the team engaged its campus community. UGA’s Russell Hall has a first floor full of high-tech classrooms and quiet study spaces within the new Russell Academic Center. UIUC’s Illinois Street Residence Halls have extensive campus dining options, a space for its campus counseling department, and intentional spaces for current and future living-learning communities.
It may sound overly simple, but current students are a great resource in helping institutions understand how to create residence halls for future students. “We had students involved every step of the way,” Sealine says of the ISR project. “They were double-checking choices we made about design, furniture, colors, etc. They were an incredible asset.” Student engagement has also been critical to UGA’s success. As Kasper notes, “Students help us think about projects differently. Engaging them is so critical so they can surface new ideas, provide feedback, and be part of the successful design process.”
Thinking back to her recent renovation projects, Kasper adds, “Partnerships can fuel the rejuvenation of your student residence project. By infusing other departments and resources in your hall, you're truly amplifying the positive student experience. Not to mention it’s economical to create spaces for other departments to flourish in your residence hall. We’ve taken that approach with both Russell and Brumby, and I’d tell anyone embarking on similar projects to engage their peers and colleagues as much as possible.” Student success spaces specifically designed to foster partnerships in the new halls include student advisement areas, a makerspace, and residence life support zones.
It also is important to not sell short the potential impact of what can be done with a renovation project. In fact, early feedback suggests that these renovated spaces are wowing students. UGA’s Russell Hall was booked in full the first day of student signups when it opened. Sealine and her team at UIUC saw the same level of demand when ISR opened for first-year student housing selection in June 2021. “One of the myths it’s important to dispel from day one is that renovation isn’t a lesser option than a new build. It’s cost-effective because there’s already a structure standing to build upon, not because it means you can’t achieve great results.” ISR Hall remains the first stop for students when they tour UIUC in person, and it's a visual icon for the campus and a face to the community. “Look at the renderings, look at the building,” Sealine continues. “We’ve created something dynamic and exciting. Don’t think a renovation can’t be dynamic and exciting.”Building on the idea of engagement, it’s important for recharged residence halls to provide a means for making student wellness a priority. Technology is empowering students to track their health data like never before, and today’s students are more attuned to mental wellness and nutrition than were their predecessors. It’s key to make sure student wellness is in the DNA of any residence hall project. “One of the exciting shifts in higher education is we’re seeing student wellness move beyond the recreation center, or the health center nobody wants to visit, and become part of more and more spaces on campus,” explains Colleen McKenna, director of CannonDesign’s sports, recreation and wellness practice. “Today’s residence halls can be home to counseling, meditation, yoga, demonstration kitchens, vibrant living spaces, and much more.” The UGA student residence bring this focus on wellness forward thanks to the inclusion of a kitchen for healthy meal prep, study areas, classrooms, a rotunda, and a student success center. At UIUC, similar elements help shape the building, in addition to makerspaces and launch space.
Residence halls are also becoming more inclusive by design. They are more focused on offering spaces and experience for people of all gender identities, abilities, and more. Sealine explains that UIUC’s ISR renovation and addition was designed for inclusivity on multiple fronts. “We’ve infused 100% accessible and single-occupancy bathrooms that any student can use. One bathroom in each residence hall includes a SureHands unit to allow any students with physical disabilities who require assistance in the performance of daily life activities to live autonomously on the same floor as their peers. We also repositioned triples to accessible doubles that allow students in wheelchairs to have shared roommate experiences.”
Not every student housing building is optimal for renovation, but there are scores of mid-century modern buildings across the country capable of the rejuvenation achieved at UGA and UIUC. When executed successfully, these projects can be major assets when it comes to financial performance, student recruitment and retention, increased student engagement, historic preservation, student wellness, and building a dynamic campus culture. It’s important for every student housing official considering how to move forward with their existing building stock to consider renovation a viable path forward. There’s no reason that buildings of yesterday can’t help students flourish for many more tomorrows.
Lynne Deninger and Marisa Nemcik are key leaders for CannonDesign, a global living-centered design firm with special focus on student housing and student life. With offices located in New York, Massachusetts, and California, they have helped colleges and universities across the country create dynamic, future-focused student environments.
