A Case For Student Housing: A holistic approach to student housing in the modern University learning environments

Learning and teaching methods in universities globally and in New Zealand are rapidly changing and adapting to technological advancements and virtual methods of information communication. As new research begins to shed a greater understanding of how we learn education providers are beginning to recognise that learning is a combination of active and passive events that occur both inside and outside the classroom. The idea that academic learning and personal development need to reinforce each other is changing the landscape of education. This brings to the forefront the question: what type of built environments can support and facilitate a more holistic learning suited to the evolving understanding of education and the needs of the future student?  To understand this problem I have developed three sub-questions tackling unique aspects of student housing:  1) What should the relationship between the university learning environment and student housing be?  2) What built elements are suitable for modern student housing?  3) How can the social campus life be enhanced through a more integrated environment?  These questions intend to establish a design outcome that caters to both the social needs of the student body, while also increasing the academic presence in students homes. This will be done through the examination of the importance of purpose-built student housing and the impact it has on their learning experiences. Furthermore, trends in modern student housing will be sampled in order to understand how the changing learning environment is altering the use of student living spaces. This will be important in the understanding of the rise of learning communities and their application to Wellington’s tertiary education sector.