What will a student residence need to offer in 2030 or 2035?
Most certainly, a bed near campus will no longer be enough-neither will the familiar checklist of a pool, gym and study lounge.
The next generation of student housing will have to work harder. It must keep young residents safe while giving them room to become independent. It must support how they study and socialize, but also make space for interests in sports, arts, wellness and culture. And for parents and investors putting money into these developments, it must continue to make financial sense years after the first student moves in.
All these insights emerged at the INQTalks forum, with the theme ‘Student Living Redefined,’ hosted by Inquirer Property and Vista Residences.
Vista Residences Group head Engr. Mike Palisoc welcomed guests to the forum, while Inquirer Property Editor Theresa S. Samaniego moderated a discussion with PDP Architects principal architect Cathy Saldaña, Spectrum Investments president Carl Dy, Human8 senior director Michelle Perez and Human8 director Kris Cabaltera.
Across architecture, consumer behavior and real estate investment, the discussion pointed to a useful way of looking at future student residences: Get both the hardware and the software right.
Get the basics right first
For Saldaña, the conversation still begins with the building itself.
Engineering, durability and safety cannot be overtaken by aesthetics, particularly in a country exposed to earthquakes, flooding and typhoons. That responsibility becomes even greater in student residences, where many occupants are living without their parents or guardians.
‘Especially for university residences, because you’re talking about the youth living there, and in most cases, they don’t have their parents and their guardians with them when they reside in such a facility,’ Saldaña said. ‘So that facility, in and of itself, should be the living example and its property management on how to guide them, on how to nurture, and how to keep them safe.’
Inside the unit, Saldaña said the basics still determine whether a student residence works: Reliable water, proper furniture, study areas and strong connectivity.
Accessibility matters just as much. Rather than prioritizing parking, student-centric developments should more importantly consider how students will actually get to school.
Hardware meets software
For Dy, the ideal student residence needs a healthy mix of ‘a good hardware and a good software.’ The hardware is the building itself, while the software refers to the community and opportunities that can give life to it.
‘For me, as a parent, I look for a place where it encourages the kids to grow,’ Dy said, adding that he also sees room for student residences to host seminars, learning sessions and engagements with companies looking to hire.
Perez also urged developers to move beyond the standard amenity checklist, creating spaces for late-night study, creative work or smaller social interactions. Cabaltera pointed out that this is especially relevant for the Gen Z, who may value independence but still seek connection.
‘There’s still this yearning for connection. We have to understand (what) connection means for them right now,’ she added.
For Gen Alpha, developers may need to look further ahead as children today, Cabaltera noted, are growing up with sports and arts already built into their routines.
‘If we are to resonate with Gen Alpha as teenagers, it has to resonate with the kind of lifestyle that they are actually building now, which is actually a lot around sports and the arts,’ she said. The point, she added, is not to predict every preference in 2035, but to create flexible spaces that can evolve with them.
Technology will also play a larger role, although Saldaña stressed that smart does not have to mean expensive. Buildings should be smart-enabled.
A market that renews itself
Student housing also presents a clear investment case.
Dy stressed that it has a ready market that refreshes every four or five years. An end-user may first buy for a child, then turn the unit into a rental asset. But the resident and buyer are often two different people.
‘This is a student accommodation, but our target client is not the students. It’s the mommy and daddy,’ Dy said.
That may be the central challenge. Parents want safety and reassurance, while the students want independence and spaces that fit how they live.
The student residence of today and of the future will therefore need both: Solid hardware and strong software, with enough flexibility to stay relevant as the next generation moves in.