Student accommodation. Just add personality and a sense of place.

University campuses should be designed to attract their target market, that's students in case you wondered, but in many cases we see design solutions that are dull, corporate office style interiors, lacking any personality or sense of place.  No fun or narrative.  They miss the point that their target market are all young people with sophisticated tastes and a well developed sense of design and brand.

Universities administrators have recognised that environment is important as a differentiator and are trying to improve with new buildings and facilities.  The key challenges is to create spaces within their buildings that respond to the activities (social and learning) that students do and to connect both visually and emotionally.

Social spaces should reflect the environments that students like to inhabit when they venture out into non university world.  Outside of university they are going to bars, coffee shops etc that have well designed interiors aimed at them as consumers.  University spaces should similarly reflect this with interiors that are similar to the environments that students inhabit.

Award winning Trof bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter, designed by Forster Inc,  is a favourite haunt of students and young creatives alike, a provides a example for student developments.

Student accommodation is an obvious area for universities to invest in as it ticks the key drivers of the student decision making process of 'safety' and 'security' particularly for overseas students.  It's also a strong and dependable revenue source for universities.  Naomi Cleaver's design for IQ Shoreditch developed by Quintain celebrates the creative vibrancy of it's location and creates an individual and exciting space to live and study.

The design puts the student experience at the centre of the project and has become a selling feature that encourages sales to prospective students.

With student expectations being raised on the back on increasing fees good interior design can be a powerful tools for Universities to differentiate themselves and complete for business.

86% of students asked stated that the quality of the common rooms was the
deciding factor in booking IQ Shoreditch against all other alternatives.

Naomi Cleaver's designs add personality and a sense of fun.