This week we take a look at another important space that if properly designed can be extremely beneficial for students. The study room.
While in a student accommodation the study room might seem like an obvious amenity to include, data from Bonard’s 2021 report show that it is not necessarily the case. On average, in fact, from a popularity standpoint, it comes after TV & cinema room, communal kitchen, bike storage, multifunctional room, laundry room, and terrace/outdoor area.
However, right now PBSA’s amenities are becoming ever more varied, and facilities like a study room are expected by the students. Also, the same research points out how this space can be absent more often in lower-tier accommodations, while it is present most of the time in premium ones.
In general, there seems to be more demand for higher variety, and students clearly do not want to spend all their time in their rooms, especially if they are quite small (and it should not be encouraged anyway, to protect their mental and physical wellbeing). Promoting collaborative spirit, interaction, and community building have to be the main objectives of any property manager and play a relevant role in their ESG Strategy, and to quote Daniel Smith from our interview published last week:
ESG factors are becoming increasingly important to investors, employees, customers, and the general public. Every company now needs an ESG strategy no matter how big or small and it's particularly important for the real estate and finance sectors.
Also when it comes to studying and working spaces, the more variety is offered the better. First of all, because after the pandemic, health and safety have become more important than ever, and even in communal areas is important to provide options such as private meeting rooms or similar spots that can offer a bit more privacy when needed. Second, as it happens in the co-working space that we investigated a while back, the keyword nowadays is hybrid. Offerings that provide a variety of solutions are always the preferred ones.
So, now let’s proceed and see which factors we should always keep in mind to design the ideal study room in a PBSA.
The main objective here is to provide a suitable space for long and comfortable study sessions. So, a few “must” to get started are: task chairs on casters and with adjustable height, proper desks with integrated plugs to power any device, task lighting, acoustic panels to avoid noise reverberation, and whenever possible, lots of natural light to start implementing elements of biophilic design.
The second factor that designers and developers need to remember is flexibility. Even study rooms, despite being dedicated mostly to the same activity, should suit different needs. So, one properly designed room cannot just be a space with a few large tables and chairs to fit as many people as possible. In our experience, even the smallest study room can be organised with efficient and interesting solutions to offer the right variety to the residents, whether they are studying in groups, alone, doing some light reading, or focusing on an important assignment.
These needs introduced in the previous section, correspond to a range of priorities when it comes to furniture pieces. So, let’s go with order.
To recap, a study room does not necessarily have to include every single one of these options. But depending on the size and functions, each one can be a welcome addition that makes for a more welcoming and flexible space. The most important aspect, however, is that the study room is completely separated from the lounge areas. The risk otherwise is to involuntarily turn it into an informal study area that seamlessly integrates with the lounge itself, thus losing its primary function.
We hope this is a useful overview with some good and actionable tips that can serve as a guideline when developing a study room for a PBSA interior.
There will be more coming soon!
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