For some people, leaving home for the first time can be a challenging thing. It means starting a new life and stepping into a whole new world, especially upon entering college. Students go through a transition during those years of school. Without parents, students have to everything on their own and become more independent. This includes shopping, food, and finding balance between the schoolwork and relaxing. The transition can be less challenging with the correct environment within their school, more especially their housing. Student housing is considered to be one of the most important aspects of a university or college. It is where the student spends most of their time and is where they work, sleep, shower, relax, and sometimes eat. So, having a quality residence hall that satisfies the needs and comforts of students is essential. While this statement could mean something different to each student in regards to their satisfaction, there is no denying that there are common needs and wants for students in general.

The aim for this study is to find out what exactly are the needs and comforts students require and how it can be provided through architectural design. The way this will be done is through three methods: literary review, precedent study, and survey. Since the topic of what makes a good residential hall isn’t new, there are plenty of previous experiments and surveys that have been done on that works as well as student preferences, and their own psychological behavior. These will be analyzed for a literary study. For the precedent study, while a few exceptional dormitories will be looked at, it will primarily be on the colleges within Buffalo. Each campus that offers housing has its own different room styles and amenities. Lastly, a survey will be issued to students of the University at Buffalo asking them of their opinions of their on-campus housing and what can be changed. There is no better source of information than from the people who use these facilities.

All this material will result in the design of a university residence hall within the location of Buffalo, since that is where most of the approach is. The design will feature different styles of rooms and apartments for students of diverse demographics and personalities. This includes their own definition of privacy, community, and convenience. Additionally, the design will also have amenities that will help and benefit students and make their already busy lives a little easier. There are a couple questions that will be answered throughout this process: Basing on a variety of different students, what are the common needs and comforts that deem satisfaction within a university dormitory? What amenities are essential to have in the dormitory itself in regards to food, technology, community etc. as opposed to elsewhere on the campus?