HUB 01: Study Anywhere and Anytime

Housing for students is perhaps the most common topic of discussion in the European architectural field. I guess it’s hard to believe, but according to the results of sociological surveys, the quality of housing provided by the university nowadays directly influences the choice of the university itself.

Many students notice that the reason for getting higher education for them is not only the knowledge desire, but also to have a good time, to meet new people. Architectural resources today provide all the tools to satisfy such aspirations without any effort and all contemporary dormitory spaces normally consider some areas for socialization: large kitchen, rooms with high-speed Internet access, lounges and so on.

An important aspect of student’s accommodation design is its mobility. It is getting more and more interesting to have a possibility to assemble and disassemble it quickly and easily, without losing much time and cost to transport it to any place.

It is assumed that this kind of property should not be expensive, but at the same time, do not lose in quality, while remaining comfortable and visually attractive. It is also necessary to mention one of the most important requirements for this type of architecture in Europe – its environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. The last mentioned is caused by not even because of concern about the environment (although, of course, this is important), but also by “educational purposes”, as students – from the very beginning should be aware of such relationships importance and to increase their understanding of how to use resources given by nature properly without destroying it.

When we hear the word “mobility” in relation to architecture of dormitories – involuntarily some of the projects examples done from containers come to our mind. Of course, their use in construction is cheap – they are easy to transport and to install. Even in their initial form, they have certain aesthetic and moreover considering great achievements in containers finishing and decoration their tremendous popularity is not a big surprise.

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Text: Elizaveta Klepanova
Illustrative materials provided by dmvA Architecten + A3 Architects