campusreview.com.au
international education
La Trobe St student accommodation
Campbell Hall, Monash University
Holman Hall, Monash University
Homes away from home
Student accommodation
must be about more than
just creating spaces in
which to sleep and study.
By Thomas Gilbert
Photos: Dianna Snape
A
ustralia’s reputation as an education powerhouse continues
to grow at a rapid pace, attracting increasing numbers of
local and international students annually.
Education is currently Australia’s second largest export, but with
the size of the industry comes a greater need to provide supportive,
social and comfortable housing for each student.
For those young people making the move to Australia, the
pursuit of tertiary education will often mark their first time living
out of home and moving into student accommodation. This,
combined with the inevitable adjustments that come from finishing
8
school, gaining independence and moving into adulthood, means
that a living space for young people needs to be far more than just
a place to sleep.
Student accommodation needs to provide an experience
that echoes the warmth of a family home, making every inch
of communal space work hard with interwoven pastoral care
elements that add a sense of care and support for young people.
But this hasn’t always been front of mind. Before the global
financial crisis in 2008, student accommodation typically
resembled basic, low cost studios stacked one on top of the other
in an effort to respond to increasing student numbers, but without
a nod to the longevity of the design or the wellbeing of the student.
Since then, the design of student accommodation has shifted
away from anonymous studio apartments in generic buildings to,
instead, homes away from home that allow young individuals to
feel that they are a part of the community.
Contemporary student accommodation aims to support
students’ sense of belonging and social interaction, mimicking the
comfort found in the family home while allowing for independence
and freedom. We’re building on this with our new project at 42 La
Trobe Street in Melbourne, which at 150 metres high will be one of
the world’s tallest prefabricated student accommodation buildings.