Talking Stick - September/October 2018 - 58

 31  CONTINUED

STUDY WISELY

CONDUCTING
COMPREHENSIVE
POST-OCCUPANCY
RESEARCH PROVIDED
HARD DATA ABOUT
WHAT WAS DRAWING
STUDENTS AND HOW
THEY WERE USING
(AND NOT USING)
THE SPACE.
the same time planning and building
residences that are efficient to maintain and operate. "We're now taking
this data to other halls to see what we
can do better," says Mizer. "We see
what we like, what we don't like, what
was successful. It has given us the
vocabulary for future projects." These
findings have been used not only to
improve Hullabaloo and modify its operation and maintenance, but also as
a guide for remodeling four residence
halls based on the study's recommendations. For example, 16 computers in
the learning center were not expected
to be widely used because there is a
24/7 computer lab on campus and students have their own devices. However, the convenient location and access
to specialized software and printers
have drawn students, so another
living-learning hall will offer twice that
number. "We don't have enough nooks
and crannies," adds Rydl. "We used
all the spaces we had, and they are all
well used." The same goes for outlets
and bike racks. Programming at the
ground floor's fireplace hearth has
seen attendance higher than the capacity of the space. Another surprise was
the popularity of the building's music
rooms, which are used continuously,
58

TALKING STICK

promoting both study and personal
well-being, says Binzer.
The hall's plentiful, functional, and
modern furnishings, technology, and
electrical outlets are all in constant use
- a lesson that has been carried forward
to subsequent facilities. Legacy items,
including student-made furnishings,
art, and an iconic t-shirt quilt that has
become a starting point for tours, add
warmth and personality, making the
space special to students. "It bespeaks
hall involvement, community, and
leadership opportunities," says Rydl.
"Attention to these finishing touches
has been a lesson that we have carried
to the Commons, and now the White
Creek Commons."
While this study focused specifically
on how to create an effective residential
living-learning environment, the data

translates to other student residences,
and findings on study area utilization
can be deployed in educational buildings, student unions, and libraries.
It has also produced a peer-reviewed
student satisfaction survey (see the link
in the resource box) that can be used to
assess the fixed and non-fixed features
within the physical building, its social
environment, and utilization of space.
As this research is built upon, it is giving campuses and designers the tools to
accurately define student requirements
and use their resources most effectively
by improving the design, management,
and operation of student residences
going forward. 
Nadia Zhiri is principal and leader of the
Student Life Design Studio at TreanorHL.

 nzhiri@treanorhl.com

 RESOURCE
Sharmin Kader, "Development of Student Satisfaction Survey Tool to
Evaluate Living-Learning Residence Hall," Architecture of Complexity
(June 14, 2017), https://www.brikbase.org/sites/default/files/
ARCC2017_Session3B_Kader.pdf.

https://www.brikbase.org/sites/default/files/ARCC2017_Session3B_Kader.pdf https://www.brikbase.org/sites/default/files/ARCC2017_Session3B_Kader.pdf

Talking Stick - September/October 2018

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