Research Analysis

I have created a questionnaire to gather information about how students have found living away from home in student accommodations. I want to also understand how different cultural groups may have settled in a new environment. Lastly, understanding how the pandemic may have affected students’ living experience and how I can improve my design to cater for their needs.

1

What do you study?

2

Do you live in a student accommodation?

3

Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

4

What are some advantages of living?

5

What are some disadvantages of living away?

6

What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment? MY QUESTIONS:

Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study? 7

What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations? 8

Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how? 9

How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic? 10

Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer. 11

Name: Wiktoria Glowczewska

Studying: BA Interior Design & Architecture

Currently living: Hamcam student living, Hamstead, Birmingham Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

Shared flat with 3 others

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

Independence and time away from home and usual home routines.

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

Very time consuming due to independent tasks like laundry, cooking, cleaning and food shopping.

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

Try to make the space my own by adding sentimental things that resonate with ‘home’ as well as calling up family members to feel as though I wasn’t alone.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

I’d say spatial configuration doesn’t fully support what we study.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

Creating a more at home interior rather that a standardised commercial looking setting for all students.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

The lack of mixing with other flats and groups of friends limits socialisation.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

Allow certain blocks to mix together

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Living away is an experience like no other it tests your independence and maturity. Breaking free from household rules and routines.

Name: Andrej Mesoncukov

Studying: BA Architecture (Final year)

Currently living: Hamcam student living, Hamstead, Birmingham Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

The flat in Hamstead campus is a 5 room flat with a shared kitchen.

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

The most prominent advantage for me is the freedom you get when you are not living with family.

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

This will probably be the same for many, the home cooking and not having to worry as much about the financial part of life.

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

One of the things I did was organizing my room to make it feel more cosy. Other stuff was mostly just walking around and just getting a feel for my surroundings.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

Honestly not at all, mostly because they can’t really make the rooms course/ person specific, that is not logical from their point of view.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

It would be nice if there were different room configurations that were available for the same price as they are now.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

It has, but not that significantly, two things is probably jobs and the other is just the freedom of going places, such as shopping centres, cafés, bars, etc.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

I found that even though we cannot meet in person with our friends, going on facetime or video call is a very helpful thing. I think creating basic call groups for students where people could just hangout would be great.

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

There are as many pros as there is cons when doing so, but I would still recommend it. I think for me I really enjoyed my own space and the freedom. On the other hand the financial aspect is a big burden you have to carry, which I did not realise until second year of university.

Name: Gertruda Blazaityte

Studying: BA Interior Design & Architecture

Currently living: House Share (not student accommodation) Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

Yes (I am not in UK at the moment but I do normally live in shared flat).

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

Getting to live your own way and having more privacy. Gaining more experience, broadening your mind and making more connections, becoming more independent.

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

Being apart from your family and friends.

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

Living in a student accommodation in the first year of university helped a lot – I tried to engage and interact with other students as much as possible – this helped me to feel more comfortable and more involved. Apart from that, I would say that getting a job early also helped me settle more easily as I felt more financially secure and independent.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

Not really – I feel like most of the student accommodations do not have that creative space that many of us need.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

To be less ordinary and generic involving actual students when designing the space and layout. It would be nice to see accommodations being designed with a focus on users and their experience. Also, creating more welcoming and comfortable communal spaces that would help students to socialize more and feel like a community.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

Yes it has. A LOT. From a shared flat in the middle of constantly buzzing city with university a few minutes away I had to moved back home. I feel less stressed and more comfortable now but I do miss interacting with other students which used to make me feel more involved and supported.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

I do feel like pandemic has already changed and affected the way we think and design so I do believe that students living experience will definitely be one of the key areas to improve and adapt to changing future.

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

Definitely yes. I think it is one of the best real life experiences that student can get. Apart from becoming independent and building new connections, it can also be seen as a journey where you really get to know yourself and understand where you belong and what sort of life you want to built for yourself.

Name: Will Blackadder

Studying: BA Architecture

Currently living: House Share (not student accommodation) Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

Yes, but it is not halls.

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

Personal freedoms such as what time I wake up and eat and just generally autonomy

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

Can’t see my dog :( but honestly I can’t think of many other than having to do your own cooking cleaning and other chore like tasks.

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

Moved my stuff in and replaced some items with better ones from home I also rearranged the room to fit better for how I live.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

In general yes, they provide personal space for work and play, and a social space to spend time with house mates.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

It would be cool to see course specific accommodations like for me studying architecture it would have been nice to see accommodation with a larger space that could be a shared studio perhaps.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

I’m unable to go to studio for uni which has effected my mood and desire to work quite heavily. I’m also unable to go bouldering which was a great way for me to relax and stay healthy too. Also, nights out are missed it’s not quite the same calling your mates over zoom or teams to hang out.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

I think the conversation or development of accommodations for specific courses would be good. It doesn’t have to be building a studio it can just be turning a 4 bed property into a 3 bed with a dedicated shared work space for example.

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

I would recommend living away for university. It’s a good chance to experience living on you own and it’s a great way to learn how to budget money, social time and, work whilst you have the safety net of being in university. Plus it’s a great chance to meet new people and develop new interests and hobbies some of which might become life long interests or careers.

Name: Pooja Halai

Studying: BA Interior Design & Architecture

Currently living: IQ Accommodations (Uni residents) Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

I lived in a shared kitchen only student accommodation.

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

A chance to be independent and fend for yourself. You can get out of your comfort zone and interact with completely new face. You get the chance to learn about so many different peoples lives and where they are from what they do and don’t like doing etc.

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

Being away from home is tough when you have a close-knit family, having to consider what holidays, events etc. you will be able to attend. During the beginning of the pandemic, it was scary and worrying not being able to go home or even get necessities (pandemic related only).

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

Joined FB group chats for my uni course and a group for my first-year flat mates. I made sure I had small elements of home with me such as photographs of family and friends. Also adding small touches to my room that made it feel homely, like pillows extra bedding stuff, incense sticks or candles, fairy lights etc.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

No, it really definitely did not. To begin with, the desks in student rooms are small and narrow with only a set amount of drawer space for stationary. Due to the amount or art materials required for my course there was not enough storage space for all my uni stuff and my clothes etc. Also, there were apparently printers but they were located in the basement (first student accommodation) but they didn’t work half the time. During my second student halls there was no printers, but it was nice having a study area that was large and on the ground floor.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

Better spatial arrangements of the rooms, making sure the room has all the basic needs necessary, such as full-length mirrors, enough lighting, study space, something as simple as door hangers as well. (This is something that lacked where I was staying). Also having more communal spaces to meet and interact with friends, most communal spaces are always in the basement of lower ground floors, it would be good if it was scattered between floors maybe.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

Yes and no, the pandemic affected my experience because I didn’t get to have those last few celebrations with flat mates and friends before final year ended.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

Making sure that everything they require on a basic level is included, such as maybe more study spaces, access to computers and printers. As well as maybe incorporating a small tuck shop sort of thing. It might also be nice to add fitness areas, such as a gym but also spaces for yoga or anything else to benefit their mental well-being.

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

Yes, definitely, it provides young student with a great experience of being independent and growing as an adult. It will give them the opportunity to be confident and be out of their comfort zone, making friends and connections they can keep for life.

Name: Byron Gregory

Studying: BA Architecture

Currently living: House Share (not student accommodation) Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

Shared house.

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

Independence and living in a new place.

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

Not seeing family.

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

Living with friends and putting personal items in your room.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

For model making I do not think it does, but for computer work which is the majority, it does.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

To make rooms more spacious, which will then allow for more movement.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

It has not affected my living experience.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

There is nothing that could improve it if you have a decent spacious room. A room with the right facilities for a design student.

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

Yes, I would but I recommend a house over flats that is close to city centre.

Name: Gergana Ivanova

Studying: BA Interior Design & Architecture

Currently living: House Share (not student accommodation) Q3: Do you live in a shared flat/house or alone?

Yes.

Q4: What are some advantages of living away?

Taking more responsibility but also having certain amount of freedom.

Q5: What are some disadvantages of living away?

Missing my family , the said responsibility that comes with living alone , relying a lot more on yourself.

Q6: What are some processes you took to help you settle in a new environment?

I made sure to contact my flatmates before moving in (those who I didn’t know at the time), to make it a bit easier upon meeting each other for the first time, socialised a lot, going out with new people, to make to whole process a bit easier.

Q7: Do you feel like the spatial configuration of student accommodations fit what you study?

Unfortunately no, the rooms are not specific to the individual or to their course and in many cases they do not provide more space such as study rooms, printers etc.

Q8: What are some improvements you would suggest for student accommodations?

Making sure to check in with the student before they arrive - I know that there are pictures online and some places offer for the students to see their room before moving in, but its not that easy for international students to travel just to see the room. Maybe a virtual tour or the option to change rooms if the student is not happy once they’ve arrived.

Q9: Has the pandemic affected your living experience? If so, how?

I had to move back home, but in terms of my accommodation I have not received any help from the staff on many occasions – not being given information, having to deal with everything on your own even though it’s difficult in a situation like this one.

Q10: How do you think we can improve students living experience moving forward, knowing that there is still a pandemic?

Giving more flexibility on both ends, for students to not be held by a seemingly unbreakable contract, more communication, provide more services – be prepared to changing rooms, deliveries etc. , Maintaining the environment (in my case it was up to the students to take care of everything) VENTILATION AND LIGHT.

Q11: Overall, would you recommend living away? Please explain your answer.

Yes I would, during those 3 years I have made so many new friends and memories, I tried so many new things but also found my self in a way, realised that I can depend on my self and that I am capable of being more independent and that is not scary.