Quality Over Quantity: An insight into student wellbeing within University residential halls

First year university halls of residences accommodates large groups of students who are completing their tertiary education. However, due to the capacity of each residential hall, this can compromise the interior design in terms of room size, quality and the spaces made available to students. Therefore, the issue of “quantity over quality” is raised as accommodation living cost and student wellbeing are unbalanced. This research highlights the importance of student wellbeing for those transitioning into a new environment. This research addresses four key interior architectural aspects: light, colour, materiality, and spatial organisation to investigate the positive impacts of interior design and spatial planning for the wellbeing of first year students residing in these facilities.

This research unwraps how these four aspects influence physical and mental wellbeing through precedent studies, a review of relevant literature, surveys, and focus groups.

This research recognises a holistic approach is required to maintain the wellbeing of first year students and seeks to explore how interior architecture can influence a shift in the design of residential halls. This will aid to mitigate factors that limit study concentration, and diminish social connection and positivity for university students. The research discusses how the interior design of first year residential halls can be improved by focusing on the occupants’ needs. Rather than just the physical necessities of a built environment of a residential hall, to one that aids the transition of first year students into the university culture.

This study specifically aims to increase the potential of residential halls, to enable social connections within a new environment, using both the physical and psychological capabilities of light, colour, materiality, and spatial organisation to heighten the wellbeing of first year students.