Talking Stick - September/October 2012 - 50

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Building in a Sense of Security

feeling ownership over their space. At the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG), Associate Director of Operations Ed Keller and his staff have discovered that designing living spaces in such a way that they are easily subdivided helps students to clearly define and personalize their territory from day one. In double rooms, closets are on opposite sides of the room, and furniture is easily divided. In newer residences, they’ve moved towards suite- and apartment-style floor plans, have built larger rooms, and have limited bathroom sharing to the smallest number of students. “We try to make them feel as much at home as possible,” he says. “It’s never going to be their private home, but we try to make it as close as we can. Yet we also have security features like auto-locking doors and physically locking bedroom and bathroom doors within the suite.”

space and the people more readily. When students know the faces of their fellow residents, typical security concerns such as holding doors open are diminished because students recognize the people coming in behind them. It’s not just the human scale that enhances security. There’s also the visual orientation of seeing into and out of a smaller space and being able to connect with your surroundings. A building layout that uses shorter corridors, obviously placed stairwells, and patterned floor plans can create a sense of mental ease as well as allowing students to easily move themselves to a safer location during an emergency. When walking into a building, if you can see to the outdoors and quickly identify the exits, you know exactly where you are in space and where on campus you will be when you exit the building. For example, at UNCG, one V-shaped residence has been designed for easy navigation. Centrally located lounge areas are stacked on top of each other, and study rooms are in the same place on every floor. Resident assistants’ rooms are visible and easily accessed from the residence corridors. “We try to help students orient themselves within the building: ‘Where is the street? Where is the parking lot? If I look down the corridor, can I see my way out of the building? In an emergency situation, I will know where to go and I’m not confused in trying to get myself out of the building,’” Keller explains. “We use a lot of ‘see-and-be-seen’ design methodology for this reason. Students don’t feel insecure and confused, because they are always oriented to the space.” Even in larger buildings, it’s possible to create a sense of scale that echoes the feel of a smaller residence. By intentionally dividing spaces within the building, larger halls can become smaller communities that allow students to connect with one

another, share more intimate living experiences, and navigate more intuitively through the building.

the human factor
In spite of the significant role that building design plays in creating more secure – and secure feeling – residences, people remain critically important in safeguarding the dayto-day environment, whether from unwanted visitors, vandalism, and crime or in emergency situations. That’s why the front desk has been making a comeback in many residence hall lobbies. Whether it’s staffed full time or part time and whether by students, housing staff, or security officers, that visible checkpoint provides a clear welcome as well as a sense that someone is watching and that, if needed, help is nearby. “We don’t want to create a prison environment,” says Robertson. “We don’t want to put cameras in hallways, for example. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” The biggest challenge, according to Robertson and others, is that college students are still developing their ability to take responsibility for their own space and safety. The reality is that students sometimes leave doors unlocked, let others tailgate into buildings behind them, or decline to report what may seem suspicious to them. Even the most well-designed building is at its most effective when complemented by education, programming, and appropriate staffing. tS
Nadia Zhiri, AIA, and Joseph Stramberg, AIA,
are principals in Treanor Architects Student Life studio in Lawrence, Kansas. They can be reached at www. treanorstudentlife.com.

siZe matters
In part because they facilitate students’ ability to claim their space as their own and to get to know their fellow students, smaller residence halls often feel more secure. Sociologists have shown that this proclivity to feel safer in a familiar space is how we are socialized. When people are able to easily create cultural reference groups, they’re better able to identify who belongs and more likely to notice and draw attention to outsiders. Developing a personal reference group is also a critical factor in the development of college students’ personal identity as well as a marker of their ties to the larger community. At UNCG, the rule of thumb is to keep the population in new residences to fewer than 400 students. Likewise, at Texas Tech, the 12-floor tower has become a thing of the past as they focus on smaller, three- to five-story residences. Small buildings allow students to know and identify the
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Talking Stick - September/October 2012

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