How Interior Design Can Create a Sense of Community in Student Unions

Nicholas Froelich
San Francisco State University

While researching best interior design practices for student unions on college campuses, I noticed a motif emerge regarding how student unions aim to create a sense of community through the use of physical space. This paper analyzes what elements of design contribute to this sense of community and what implications they have for the building’s users. The fundamental role of a college’s student center is to function as a central hub for student life, beyond the classroom. Research suggests that “a sense of community positively influences overall academic success, long-term student persistence, and graduation rates” (Camputaro 2018). Although each campus’ has unique needs for its students, academic research concludes that a strong sense of community on campus is associated with better student outcomes. In particular, the student union building is the best indicator of student engagement. Studies have found that “Satisfaction with the college union was found to be the strongest predictor of satisfaction with a sense of community” (Barrett 2014). Plus, the student center can also serve as a marketing tool for the campus community, because it can showcase student life to prospective students and the public. For this paper, I am most interested in the interior design of the ground floor of a student union, because this area will be most students’ first impression of the building.

The first consideration for cultivating a sense of community within a student union is to motivate people to come to the building in the first place. Space planners should prioritize what services have the broadest reach to the general student body. The student union ought to have essential services, such as dining options and the campus bookstore, located visibly within the building. Although the presence of retail shops is necessary for student success, administrators must make sure that they do not change “the focus of the college union away from the educational role to that of a revenue-driven auxiliary” (Dahlgren et al. 2013). Each student’s first

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impression of the student union will determine whether or not the student believes his or her campus values community building. The area first visible within the building should be give students a reason to stay in the building beyond the original intent, such as visiting an essential service. The branding of the student union helps give a sense of place, and visual references to community building and school spirit can help aid the feeling of inclusion and unity on campus.

In addition to branding and space planning, the furniture layout and materials of a student union should encourage students to feel welcome and sociable. When students perceive that the administration prioritizes the quality of the student facilities, the students believe that they are more highly valued at their college. Researcher Justin Camputaro writes, “High-quality professional furnishings, fixtures, and equipment, as well as beauty throughout the physical environment, all sent the message that the students were important” (2018). In comparison, schools that let their student facilities become outdated and worn down may be communicating unintentionally that the students are just anonymous tuition payers, who don’t need to participate on campus after class. Moreover, investing in comfortable seating has been linked with customer satisfaction at coffee shops. Dr. Waxman conducted a study of cafe design and concluded that “comfortable seating [...] was the strongest variable predicting customer satisfaction” (2006). Given that the dining areas have similar atmospheres to coffee shops, where students eat and socialize, the suggestion of ensuring seat comfort seems to apply to student union seating as well. Two other conclusions she reached are helpful considerations for student unions. First, the more frequently someone visited a coffee shop, the more that person felt a sense of community. Second, study participants cited the “opportunity to linger” as one of the main reasons for a coffee shop’s social atmosphere (Waxman 2006). Overall, this means that the most important

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elements of a student union’s interior design would be comfortable, flexible seating that maximizes the amount of time that students want to spend in the building. Creating a community takes time, so designers should take note to make sure that the furniture in a student union is comfortable enough for students to linger indefinitely.

If the time spent physically present at the student union is one of the key steps for building a sense of community, space planners ought to create areas, where students can pass the time that they would otherwise spend at home alone. For example, digital devices have given students unprecedented access to information and social media, but when they’re used in solitude, students feel disconnected from those around them. However, university researcher Sara Henry has found that digital devices can enhance social bonds, if students use technology with others in person. “Time spent playing [videos games] with others also contributed to higher scores on mattering to others, perceived social support from friends, social connectedness, and social adaptation to college” (Henry 2012). The student union should create spaces for activities that students would likely do at home alone, but in a space where they can use these devices in a collaborative way.

The idea of creating a sense of belonging through the interior design of a student union appears to be a reasonable goal for campus designers. Both the physical design and its symbolic message about campus goals are equally important for establishing a sense of community at colleges. Although at first glance, investing in the design of a student center may seem like a distraction from a university’s primary educational mission; however, the research shows that creating a shared sense of community on campus improves students’ academic outcomes and overall well-being.

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References

Barrett, Leah A., "The College Union and a Sense of Community for Students in Public Higher Education: Is        there a Relationship?" (2014). Education Doctoral. Paper 176.

Camputaro, J. (2018). The Role of College Unions in Developing Students' Sense of Community: A Narrative Inquiry of Physical and Organizational Environments.

Dahlgren, M., Dougherty, K., & Goodno, A. (2013). The Role of Physical Space in Establishing Community. Journal of the Student Personnel Association at Indiana University, 62-86. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/jiuspa/article/view/5028

Henry, S.K. (2012), On social connection in university life. About Campus, 16: 18-24. doi:10.1002/abc.20083

Waxman, L. (2006), The Coffee Shop: Social and Physical factors Influencing Place Attachment. Journal of Interior Design, 31: 35-53. doi:10.1111/j.1939-1668.2006.tb00530.x