by Camille Perlman
When asked to reflect on what graduate and family housing looks like and how it was designed in the 1960s and 1970s, people use words like basic or bare. As Jordan Gatewood, principal at Mackey Mitchell Architects, puts it, “These developments typically were devoid of charm and any real amenities. Many of these family housing projects are often characterized by very basic two-story buildings with outboard walkways, little to no accessibility, few amenities, and a good deal of deferred maintenance because it has been progressively devalued.” And because of the deferred maintenance cost and continuous loss of value, many of these complexes were left as is and faded out of housing inventory in the early 2000s.
It wasn’t until the 2010s that grad housing started to make a comeback. Recognizing that graduate students are needed to further research initiatives and provide teaching resources, campuses began to build facilities that checked all the boxes for what grad students wanted in campus housing: that it be affordable, conveniently located, and well stocked with amenities. “Most campuses recognize that graduate scholars are the lifeblood of the university,” says Jennifer Nelson Martinez, senior director of graduate and family housing at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). “They are involved and often spearhead the labor behind the majority of research and teaching at the university. They are directly connected to significant amounts of grant funding that universities receive. As a result, campuses across the country have prioritized graduate education to meet these research and teaching goals.”
Many graduate students have financial constraints that determine what kind of housing they can afford. As Martinez explains, “Rental prices have increased nationwide, further contributing to many graduate students being rent-burdened and having challenges meeting basic needs. Additionally, many graduate students struggle with assistantships and stipends that may not cover the cost of attendance and have work restrictions that limit their income. Providing adequate amounts of quality housing to graduate students is key to attracting, retaining, and supporting top doctoral students.” Gatewood emphasizes the importance of accommodating non-traditional students as well, since they can make up a significant portion of the grad student population on some campuses. “As demographics shift, many institutions are also recognizing the need to support enrollment goals by accommodating increasing numbers of non-traditional students and veterans. Having this type of housing product on campus is especially appealing to international graduate and doctoral students, both with and without family, who may prefer to live near campus and not have to deal with things that come with living off campus like landlord contracts, setting up utilities, transportation, etc.”
Even though this type of housing is greatly needed, campuses, designers, and architects have had to work together to find that sweet spot between a reasonable cost to build the residential space and the need to maintain affordability for students. Gatewood explains that Texas Tech followed this formula when they built West Village B for grad students who were looking for affordable housing conveniently located on campus. “Designed to compete with off-campus properties, the building provides spacious units, including full-size beds and full kitchens to compete with those properties, as well as a prime location for law and medical students.”
In some cases, smaller units can serve to meet graduate students’ needs. “Affordability, privacy, and functional amenities are at the forefront of graduate students’ needs,” says Allison Cyrus, marketing and business development director at KSQ Design. “Floor plan efficiency in the form of micro-units has become an attractive solution for many graduate students, as the units are economical and satisfy the need for solitude. These micro-units mimic apartment-style living complete with bath, kitchen, and living space but focus on creatively reducing square footage to reach an economical price-point.”
David Damon, a principal at Perkins & Will, says he too has seen increased demand not only for micro-units or studios, but also for outdoor space. Design teams have learned that campuses can’t make such drastic cuts to square footage that the interior or exterior space neglects the design attributes that contribute to well-being. For some, the inclusion of details like natural light and open spaces, combined with privacy and amenities like in-unit laundry and kitchens, has been the biggest change in the approach to building grad housing. “The most significant change I have seen in graduate housing communities in the last 20 years has been the intentional move to create spaces that support the whole student,” says Martinez. “This change is most prevalent through the amenities provided. Previously, the goal was to provide a bed to sleep in. Today, the goal is to develop a feeling of home and belonging and increase graduate student connectedness. The amenities and common spaces help support wellness and the relational aspect of living in a community.” Martinez agrees that these kinds of amenities are not merely aesthetic; they support students’ health and well-being. “There is a direct correlation between individual health outcomes and the quality of amenities provided and the design of the built environment in which residents spend their time. New graduate housing communities today are built to support principles of wellness. One way this is done is through biophilia and connecting residents to the natural environment. Biophilic design supports cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. This concept includes intentionally incorporating natural lighting, open spaces, and airflow. Additionally, to maintain affordability, today’s construction projects balance the need for higher density with the need to provide privacy.”
The Verano 8 grad housing complex at UCI, which opened in August 2022, illustrates the contribution that efficient design makes to well-being and a sense of belonging. “Graduate school is intense and stressful. In addition to building design, we have also worked to provide amenities that support wellness, resiliency, connectedness, and belonging,” Martinez explains. The complex includes a variety of outdoor gathering spaces such as volleyball courts and community gardens. “We have a seed library residents can use to get their garden started and a garden council to give residents a voice on guidelines and programmatic funds to help gardeners purchase tools.” Family resource centers and wellness centers provide further support. “The Family Resource Center supports parenting students, dependents, and partners and generally strives to connect families with tools, resources, and support to facilitate belonging. Our wellness centers provide quiet places to de-stress or meditate.” In addition, the community centers offer wellness and fitness rooms, study rooms, recreation and music rooms, and lounges that residents can rent for parties, game nights, and gatherings. And the latest amenity to be added is a dog park for emotional support animals. “We want to support the increasing number of students coming to graduate school with support animals. To help these students feel welcome and reduce community living concerns around dogs off leash or dogs running around apartments due to pent-up energy, we are opening a dog park with an area for small and large dogs. The goal is to provide the animals a safe place to run and play off leash and to support residents in caring for the health of their animals.”
Even though this type of housing is greatly needed, campuses, designers, and architects have had to work together to find that sweet spot between a reasonable cost to build the residential space and the need to maintain affordability for students.
Design choices can ensure that particular features of the building are equitable, flexible, and accessible. As Martinez explains, “Research has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of inclusive environments in working to reduce isolation and support belonging. In addition to specific amenities, we also work to intentionally create inclusive, resilient communities. We have done this through design choices such as building gender-inclusive and family-friendly restrooms in public facilities. We did this by building floor-to-ceiling restroom stalls, each with its own ventilation. In addition, all public restrooms in community spaces have diaper-changing tables, and public facilities have nursing spaces for parents with infants. Continuing with public restrooms, we intentionally chose signage focusing on the function instead of the people. This ensures that everyone knows what to expect and avoids unintentionally defining what is normal or not normal, enforcing the binary. Additionally, in our new housing, which added 1,055 beds, all apartments are equipped with roll-in showers so that we can easily convert an apartment to meet ADA accommodations within a matter of days.”
Inclusive spaces both inside and outside the building provide a wide range of environments for residents to use for purposes of socialization. “We have also created a variety of inclusive spaces around the properties to develop choices for residents seeking connection through the use of adjacencies and proximity. These spaces vary by location but include barbecue grills, exterior seating, outdoor terraces, and patios, as well as lobbies or front patios with seating to provide a space to relax and gather. The idea is to create a ‘third space’ with a front porch feel and provide residents with choices and opportunities to know their neighbors,” says Martinez.
Graduate students with children struggle to find affordable childcare, a need that can also be met within the residential space. “More and more students are coming to school as caregivers to minor dependents. Access to affordable childcare is critical to success as a parenting student,” says Martinez. UCI’s grad housing offers a mix of on-site and adjacent childcare facilities. And in April 2022 they opened the Family Resource Center, which functions as both a gathering place for student-parents and children and a centralized network of campus and community partners that families can reach out to for assistance.
With all the changes in grad housing facilities outlined here, one remains at the top: “The biggest change is probably just the fact that it is making a comeback,” Gatewood notes. The need to recruit grad students is strong, and affordable housing with the right amenities can help during recruitment. As Greenwood says, “I think we’ll see future developments, especially the larger ones, that incorporate childcare facilities and graduate and family housing as well as workforce housing for young faculty and staff who face the same challenges of housing affordability and availability.”
Camille Perlman is the managing editor of Talking Stick.
