A Retrospective Review of Student Housing Environments from EDRA1 to EDRA50

Sharmin Kader (TreanorHL)

Why this is important? There are two main reasons for discussion and reflection at EDRA50. First, the topic ‘student housing environment’ has a significant impact on students’ academic learning and personal development - for today’s and tomorrow’s generation. Second, one of the pioneer and impactful literature on college student residence halls was published in EDRA2. Davis, Gerald, and Ron Roizen. "Architectural determinants of student satisfaction in college residence halls." In EDRA Two: Proceedings of the Second Annual Environmental Design Research Association Conference, pp. 28-44, 1970. Since the 1970s, the student housing design has taken several approaches and having a retrospective review would be significant for future projection.

What approach? This study would consider two approaches: a systematic literature review, and interviews with an expert panel. The author conducted an intensive literature review on student housing environment in 2015 which can work as a foundation for retrospective review (will update till 2018). The author will also interview an expert panel to get their views on the transformation of the student housing environments. The panel would consider architectural designers, academician, and housing college and university housing administrators. The panel would be selected using the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) which empowers campus housing and residence life professionals since 1949. Approximately, ten to twelve experts will be selected for interviews.

Why I am are the right person? First, the author (Ph.D. in architecture) is working as a lead researcher position in the Student-life design studio in an architectural firm. This studio is very famous for designing student housing nationally and internationally for the last 30 years and designed several award-winning projects. The author has conducted several environmental-design research for this studio. Among those research, two have received the Certification of Research Excellence (CORE) by EDRA. The author has also developed a Post-Occupancy Evaluation Tool for student-residence hall from an architectural perspective and published. To develop this tool, the author has conducted an intensive literature review on student housing environments in 2015 (as mentioned earlier). The author has been presenting research findings at the ACUHO-I conference for the last four years. Also, presented and published in ARCC and EDRA Conference, and published in some trade magazines.