Architecture and Design

Lori-Ann-Dinkins

When it comes to student housing properties, creating a strong brand identity and implementing captivating interior design go hand in hand. These two elements work together seamlessly to provide a consistent and memorable experience for residents. But is branding and interior design a relevant conversation in this economic climate? The convenient answer is — yes. Students need a place to live at all times during the economic cycle, no matter what their financial circumstances. For most students who are going to stay in their general area, the price of rent …

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Amanda Bowen Custom Furniture Experience Case Studies

Properly scheduling job site deliveries and services can prevent days of delay and added costs that arise when pivotal events in a project overlap. Even experienced student housing developers can forget this, not to mention new entrants to the industry, who may have only vague notions of the time and resources required to complete the many construction and vendor tasks that lead up to student move-ins. Just ask Amanda Bowen, director of business relations at Dickson Furniture Manufacturers. This summer, her team arrived on the appointed day to install furnishings …

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Marissa-Kasdan

As the great philosophers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards once said, “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need.” For the last few decades, student housing developments have seemingly grown bigger and bigger — a shift aligning with what many college students say that they want. The appeal is understandable; apartment-style units with large, private bedrooms and bathrooms and luxurious, resort-like amenities have gained prominence in contemporary student housing design. Student housing plays an important role in …

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Interior Designer Talks Student Housing Trends

Interior design can be vital to success in student housing. Marketing can be a joy when a property’s layout, hues and textures consistently wow potential residents during walkthroughs, and when thoughtfully planned and engaging, amenities help close the deal on lease after lease. Equally important is how well the selection of materials, fixtures, furnishings and appliances stand up to daily use and abuse by a student resident population, which can strain everything from exercise machines and outdoor equipment to study room furniture and electronics. To learn what owners and developers …

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Josh-Kassing

Chicago — Mary Cook Associates has promoted Josh Kassing to senior vice president. Kassing previously held the position of vice president of design development. In his new role, Kassing will focus on leading the Chicago-based design firm’s growth alongside Founder and President Mary Cook. “Josh’s talent, passion and enthusiasm has been invaluable in our growth as a fully integrated interior architecture, procurement and installation firm tackling increasingly complex projects nationally across commercial, multifamily and hospitality sectors,” says Cook. “His ability to build relationships and connect with people, whether colleagues or …

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  The March 28 webinar “Student Housing Case Study — Partnering with a Custom Furniture Fabricator Brings a Vision to Life,” hosted by Student Housing Business and sponsored by Morgan Li, covered important questions in the world of student spaces. This hour-long presentation focused on case studies in the industry and what can go right when partnerships take on design goals, modular approaches, production issues and more — as a team. Learn more about these topics and more: The benefits of modularity and why it’s becoming so popular. What design trends are students excited about? Design …

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The Dickson Furniture Manufacturing plant

Selecting a vendor for off-campus student housing furniture means considering many moving parts to keep a complicated process moving forward. To talk timing, process and practical considerations for furniture, Student Housing Business sat down with Kris Benson, director of sales at Dickson Furniture Manufacturers, a U.S. company that specializes in designing, engineering, building and coordinating the delivery and installation of student housing goods. When considering purchasing furniture for a student housing property, Benson recommends the following checklist of important questions to streamline the process: What is your timeline? Who are you …

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Doug Mueller Student Housing Furniture Design quote

Just as modern student housing suites are rendering the utilitarian college dorm rooms of past generations obsolete, more stylish furniture options in today’s units have replaced yesterday’s purely functional and no-frills standard. Considering the habits of the average college renter are evolving much more slowly, however, student housing owners continue to demand durability. Ultimately, this characteristic directly affects the value of properties, suggests Doug Mueller, CEO of Dickson Furniture Manufacturers, a Houston-based company that primarily caters to the student housing and hotel industries. That’s especially true when considering furniture typically …

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Architecture-3Credit-Chris-Luker

Anyone who has ever worked with teenagers and young adults can attest that these populations are sometimes hard to please. Many are still finding their voice, remain uncertain of their priorities, or don’t see the difference between what they want and what they need.  But architects do. Design professionals have become experts at accommodating both the desires and necessities of today’s residential student population. Throw in COVID-19, however, and priorities have shifted a bit. Some students prefer in-person classes, while others are comfortable working from their rooms. Some are willing …

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On-campus

Two years after COVID-19 lockdowns shuttered universities and sparked momentary doubt over the future of student housing, both enrollment and housing occupancies have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as schools have largely returned to some sense of normalcy. Most universities have either rolled back or continue to relax mask mandates, gathering restrictions and other safety measures that have affected college life and housing for the past 24 months. “We are continuing to see colleges and universities adjust policies back toward pre-COVID ‘norms’ across campuses, including in housing,” reports Gregory Dandrea, a …

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