HALL

• Choice + Voice: Purposeful design and distribution of vibrant community spaces encourages activities that draw students out of their units to commingle in the ways they choose.

• Connection: An active and inviting building lounge creates a sense of arrival that turns a hall into a community of peers and belonging.

• Comfort: Natural daylight and views to the outdoors reinforce a sense of place, and vertical circulation is an opportunity to create visual connections between floors that spark chance interactions.

• Security + Well-Being: Thoughtful, inclusive design and biophilic elements can seamlessly integrate necessary security features and make a hall feel residential instead of institutional, supporting a sense of comfort and belonging.

• Signage + Direction: Environmental graphic design in highly visible areas creates a visual identity for a shared spaces and tells important and diverse stories.

Interiors and furnishings can give students agency and support different scales of interaction and tasks—whether that’s group work outside of classrooms, focused study, or impromptu socializing.

For urban residence halls in particular, the relationship between the students and the host community is vital to connection. Spaces intentionally made for interaction on the ground floor engage students in civic life, with visual connections through the building, breaking down barriers.

Our research shows that students want to meet new people and are comfortable doing so. Access to visible, bright, and wellused spaces creates opportunities to connect.

Hall lounges that feature easy access and views to the outdoors create literal connections to campus and improve student wellness.