Student housing plays a significant role in creating strong and engaged intellectual communities on college and university campuses. On most campuses, the housing inventory has evolved over decades. When looking to the future of campus life, institutions must be keenly aware of how to continue creating connections amid a changing ecosystem.
Ayers Saint Gross designs for vibrant student life communities. Different campuses, resources, and cohorts all call for different approaches. We work with institutions to create the right mix of spaces to build community and create a memorable sense of place at all scales and for all stages.
First Year
Mixed Cohort Graduate
As students embark on their higher education journey, campus housing is a crucial support system to guide them on their way. Though commonalities exist in experiences, the incredibly diverse landscape of campus ecosystems presents different ways to support students as they progress.
First Year
The first year is a distinct experience and an important time for shaping social networks and creating a lasting sense of belonging on campus. Key to accomplishing this goal is designing spaces that encourage interaction and make students feel included.
Creating Neighborhoods
Establishing a Residential Experience
Renovations
Gathering Places
Establishing a Residential Experience
The strategic use of glass and well-positioned social spaces create a welcoming and intuitive residential experience. First-year students easily know where to go when leaving their units and can choose when and how to interact.
Quinnipiac
Gathering Places
Multi-function, livinglearning spaces bring community and gathering spaces to residence halls. These places foster identity and belonging for new students, while encouraging stewardship within the larger campus ecosystem.
Renovations
Renovations can take shape in multiple ways to increase community space and to meet the expectations of current students. Legacy halls can be renewed to respect the past and bring new energy through comprehensive renovation and additions. In some situations, a surgical approach can target key highimpact areas.
Georgia Tech - Smith and Howell Renovation
With SSOE
Creating Neighborhoods
Housing and dining work together to create residential neighborhoods that enhance the vibrancy of the student experience. More than simply cafeterias available at set mealtimes, modern dining halls function as campus hubs that afford students flexibility.
University of Maryland College Park - Yahentamitsi Dining Hall With Holder Construction
University of Maryland College Park - Johnson-Whittle and Pyon-Chen Residence Hall
With Holder Construction
Mixed Cohort
As students continue their higher education journey, their experiences are influenced by more developed social networks and clearer academic goals. There is a higher variety of unittypes appropriate to support growing independence, and the nature and location of communal space take on different forms.
Wellness
Amenities Where Needed
Connections to Campus
Academic Connections
Recruit and Retain
Move-up Options
Recruit and Retain
Creating a sense of place is important for campuses to retain students, particularly where living off-campus may be a more established tradition. For urban campuses, this may include accommodating ground floor retail space and other amenities expected in that environment. For more traditional campuses, this means creating spaces that fit in a cohesive experience.
Lynn University - Banyan Residence Hall
With Michaels Student Living
Lynn University - Banyan Residence Hall With Michaels Student Living
Amenities Where Needed
Creating new housing to meet the demand of returning students living oncampus can sometimes lead to distance between the new housing and existing campus amenities. Designing dining and campus services into residence halls helps distribute those spaces and keeps returning students plugged into the campus environment.
Virginia Commonwealth University - Grace and Laurel Residence Center With Glavé & Holmes
Wellness
Wellness is an important consideration for any student life space. Bringing visible and accessible fitness, dining, and retail food spaces together near housing creates campus hubs that support the whole student.
Clemson University - Douthit Hills Housing Development
With Boudreaux Group and Clark Nexsen
Clemson University - Douthit Hills Housing Development
With Boudreaux Group and Clark Nexsen
Connections to Campus
Spaces that blur the line between indoors and outdoors create tangible connections between students and the campus and reinforce a sense of home for returning students.
Denison University - Silverstein Hall
Denison University - Silverstein Hall
Move-up
Options
As students mature and progress through their higher education journey, expectations for living accommodations change as well. Move-up options enhance the retention of students and enliven the on-campus experience.
Academic Connections
As students progress in their academic careers and their studies become more focused and intense, close proximity to academic buildings becomes important in both supporting their success and helping to stitch the campus together.
Graduate
Graduate student housing offered by the institution is a growing area, as schools are sensitive to housing market changes, growing academic programs, and a competitive landscape. Many institutions are seeing graduate student housing as an advantage for recruiting top students to their programs.
Edge of Campus
Graduate housing benefits greatly from being located in innovation and mixed-use districts where the activity can aid in recruitment, and the pedestrian focus encourages interaction between students and businesses.
Community Connection
Graduate housing located near the edge of campus has more interaction with the host community. Graduate housing is an opportunity to further break down barriers and more closely bring everyone together.
Emory University - The Ridge With American Campus Communities and Moody Nolan
Emory University - The Ridge With American Campus Communities and Moody Nolan
Affordability
As off-campus housing becomes more expensive, particularly in high-demand cities around campuses, institution-provided graduate housing is all the more important in creating affordable housing, which in turn can keep the best and the brightest enrolled.
University of California Berkeley - xučyun ruwway Graduate Student Housing
With American Campus Communities and Kevin Daly Architects
University of California Berkeley - xučyun ruwway Graduate Student Housing
With American Campus Communities and Kevin Daly Architects
Data
Ayers Saint Gross understands the importance of research and believes that sharing our data contributes to creating better student life experiences.
Ayers Saint Gross student housing projects by bed count
First Year
Mixed Cohort Graduate
The Ridge xučyun ruwway Graduate Student Housing
Emory University
Apartments
The Grove Student Housing
University of California, Berkeley Quinnipiac University
Apartments
BEDS
With American Campus Communities and Moody Nolan
With American Campus Communities and Kevin Daly Architects
Traditional
BEDS
With Amenta Emma Architects
East Neighborhood Commons Smith and Howell Renovation Silverstein Hall
Elon University Georgia Tech Denison University
Traditional Traditional Apartments
99 BEDS
408 BEDS 162 BEDS
With SSOE
Johnson-Whittle and Pyon-Chen Halls
Grace and Laurel Residence Center
Douthit Hills Residential Development
University of Maryland, College Park Virginia Commonwealth University Clemson University
Traditional
Semi-suite doubles and singles, and apartments
Traditional and apartments
With Holder Construction
With The Boudreaux Group and Clark Nexsen
With Glavé & Holmes
Student Housing Puishys Residence Complex Banyan Residence Hall
University of Utah Bryant University Lynn University
Traditional doubles, singles, and semi-suites Apartments
1,449 BEDS
BEDS
Double and single bedroom suites
BEDS
With MHTN Architects and American Campus Communities With Amenta Emma Architects With Michaels Student Living
Student Housing Services
Planning
• Programming
• Renovation
• Design of new halls and villages • Public–private partnerships • Landscape architecture • Graphic design • Furniture fixtures & equipment (FF&E)
Ayers Saint Gross is an interdisciplinary design firm of architects, planners, landscape architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and space analysts.
Over the past 25 years, we have collaborated with our clients to program, plan, and design more than 200,000 beds around the world. Our innovative designs balance the demands of function, budget, construction, and maintenance.
Student Housing Clients
American Campus Communities • American University • Arizona State University • Boise State University • Bowling Green State University • Bryant University • Carnegie Mellon University • California State University, Los Angeles • Case Western Reserve
University • The Catholic University of America • Clemson University • Colby College • Concord Eastridge • Dartmouth College • Delaware State University • Denison University
• Eckerd College • Elon University • Greystar • Emory University • Gallaudet University
• Georgetown University • The George Washington University • Georgia Institute of Technology • Gettysburg College • Goucher College • Hamilton College • Holder
Properties • Hood College • James Madison University • Johns Hopkins University
• Kansas City Art Institute • Kansas State University • Kent State University • Lynn
University • Maryland Institute College of Art • Michaels Student Living • Minnesota State University, Mankato • Mount St. Mary’s University • North Carolina State University • Northwest Missouri State University • The Ohio State University • Ohio University • Peak
Campus Development • Penn State Behrend • Purdue University • Quinnipiac University
• Ringling College of Art and Design • Salisbury University • Swarthmore College •
Towson University • University of Arizona • University of California, Berkeley • University of Delaware • University of Kentucky • University of Maryland • University of Miami • University of North Carolina at Charlotte • University of North Carolina at Greensboro • University of Oklahoma • University of the Pacific • University of Pittsburgh • University of Rochester • University of South Carolina • University of Southern California • University of Tennessee, Knoxville • University of Utah • University of Virginia • Virginia Commonwealth University • Wake Forest University • Washington College • Washington and Lee
University • Wesleyan University • West Texas A&M University • West Virginia University
• Western Washington University • Westminster Theological Seminary • University of Colorado Boulder • University of North Carolina School of the Arts
