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BACK TO SCHOOL:
DORMITORY LIFE
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Can you recall that anxious and excited feeling when you pulled up in front of your dorm for the first time? That moment as you climbed the stairs, arms full of boxes, ready to see the place you’d spend so much of the next year? As fall approaches, it’s never far from our minds. Especially when there are new dorm projects complete, we get to see the students begin to love buildings we’ve been putting our hearts into for years. So if you’re visiting a dorm this fall, keep an eye out for some key elements:
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PRIVATE SPACES
The first place you go – because we all sometimes need a place to retreat for a quiet moment alone, is your room. The best dorms are often aboslutely simple – a place that at student can make their own with just what they can fit in the trunk of a hatchback. They should be comfortable, bright and welcoming, but just as important, durable: a stone window sill shrugs off that open window on a rainy afternon, or the over-watered pothos plant; and linoleum floors hardly notice snowy boots and sweaty gym clothes.
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COMMUNITY SPACES
These common spaces follow the same rules as we apply to student centers: accessed on the natural flow of movement, accommodating different types of uses, and recognizing varying sizes of groups – all to make the space feel safe, appealing and useful. And what’s better for community than a kitchen? At Arden-Diman dorm, the kitchenette leads directly to a well appointed lounge, but also provides a quick place to touch down where you might have a snack by yourself while unwinding with your latest Netflix binge.
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BATHROOMS
Changing gender norms have led to significant changes in dorm thinking around bathroom design. Single bathrooms and Ensuite address the issues on a surface level, but dramatically increase space and cost requirements for dorms and some aspects of communal restrooms (the crowd around the mirror in the last minutes before the dance, for example) are significant to school culture. While balance between inclusivity, privacy, and efficiency could be it’s own book, here are two ways you can support an inclusive and safe feeling restroom environment.
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Shared sinks with private toilets and showers, as we did at Middlebury, can provide a gender-neutral bathroom experience that still maintains a high level of privacy.
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In single-gender environments, like at St. George’s School, many of the showers are double-depth, allowing a self-conscious student to dress inside the shower rather than making a long towel-bound trek back to their room.
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If you know a student heading off to school for the first time this fall, take a moment to remember that first time you headed out into the world on your own, then give your loved one a big hug – and wishes for the new adventures they’ll have, the new friends they’ll make, and the new places they’ll grow to love!
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