20 Crazy Luxury Student Housing Properties
With the rise of luxury student housing, undergrads get to experience a level of comfort and luxury that outclass some New York high-rises. With everything from pools to putting greens, these 20 buildings are a far cry from what we had in college. (Kids today, huh?)
Architect: Antunovich Associates
From Core Campus comes the Hub at Tucson, the gold standard when it comes to luxury student housing. Each room has a private bed and bath, a fully equipped kitchen, a walk-in closet, and a washer and dryer. The building itself is more comparable to a hotel than a dorm, with gaming rooms, a fitness center, executive meeting rooms and a spa (complete with sauna, steam room and tanning beds, of course). The rooftop alone has a sun deck (with patio chairs and tables, loungers, pool table and foosball table), an Infinity pool, a 22-foot LED TV, a grilling gazebo, hammocks and a sand volleyball court with stadium seating.
Architect: Antunovich Associates
Another Core Campus venture, each furnished apartment at the Hub at Campus-Madison, features a 50” HD Smart Screen TV, a full-size washer and dryer, a private bed and bath, stainless steel appliances, a private balcony, individually keyed rooms, and storage for your bike in-unit. Some of the more impressive units feature dry bars, private hot tubs and wireless sound systems. There’s also a spa, a rooftop sundeck with a pool, two more hot tubs and cabanas, a 20-foot LED outdoor TV screen, a sand volleyball court, a seasonal ice rink, a fitness center, an indoor golf simulator, yoga, music, media, gaming, and executive meeting rooms, and a climate and access controlled garage.
Architect: Haskell
Opened in 2009, the LEED-certified Osprey Fountains boasts a fitness center, a video game room, a convenience store, and a private library, as well as a putting green, a lighted running track, a lazy river, and tennis, volleyball and basketball courts. As for the rooms themselves, the dorm works in a suite fashion, with singles and doubles making up four- or six-bed suites with two personal bathrooms.
Architect: STG Design
Developed, owned and managed by American Campus Communities, the Callaway House has a balance of work and play, with six study areas and lounges, three iPad Stations nestled next to a 2.4k SF fitness center and a 4.6k SF rec lounge (complete with a video game console, arcade machines, billiards, foosball and poker tables, and a theater room with four 60” TVs and a projection screen). Each room is furnished with leather sofas, a dining set, and a living room with entertainment center and coffee table. Most rooms have private beds and baths, but it also provides privacy walls in shared suites. Each kitchenette is complete with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. And with housekeeping and 24-hour courtesy desk, you really get that hotel feel.
Architect: Trimark Properties
A female-only residence, the Ivy House features large luxury suites with upscale bathrooms, a common area with maid service, and a gourmet kitchen and café with granite countertops, quiet study spaces, and a living room with a fireplace and a big-screen TV. Residents can also enjoy private jetted Jacuzzis and a sun deck.
Architect: Kirksey Architecture
All of Calhoun’s one- and two-bedroom lofts have 10-foot ceilings, fully equipped kitchens and can either be furnished or unfurnished. In an interesting bit of tech, each unit's thermostat can be changed via a web interface. Residents also have access to a private courtyard, meeting rooms, roof terraces, sky lounges, an exercise room, a theater room, and a connected 10.5k SF retail center with a courtyard and market alongside a Barnes & Noble and restaurants.
Architect: Forest City
Impressive inside and out, the Metropolitan is in the heart of LA and directly across the street from the Institute, making it the most convenient housing on the campus. Each apartment has a private balcony, a fully equipped kitchen with GE appliances, a large living space and large windows. In addition, the building’s roof boasts a putting green, a heated pool, a sun deck, a covered spa and a courtyard with everything you need for a cookout. It also has a private theater (this is LA, after all) and a community lounge with a billiard table and gaming room, and drawing and design rooms students to get their work done. And to top it all off, the Met's lobby features cookies and coffee every morning.
Architect: Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects
Each of the colorful, eco-friendly, apartment-style dorms have their own kitchen and bath areas and can be individually heated and cooled by adjusting the floor-to-ceiling windows’ opacity to keep out light. Of course, the dorm features study lounges, rec rooms and a rooftop lounge
Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Not only does Simmons—otherwise known as “The Sponge” due to its unique design—have plenty of your usual amenities, such as lounges (with 42” LCD TVs, Rokus and PS3s), its own dining hall (with vegan options!), an impressively equipped gym and private bathrooms for suites, but it also has a ball pit and an awarding-winning smoothie booth!
Architect: HADP Architecture
Residents of the Village, which is set on an 80-acre lake—it’s not just a name—have access to a pool and the Gulf Coast, which is only 15 minutes away. But if you’re not interested in swimming, you can also enjoy grilling patios, tennis courts, recreation fields with picnic areas, and computer and study centers. The luxurious dorms have either one or two bathrooms—depending on layout—as well as private kitchens and living rooms.
Architect: Ehrlich Architects
Soon after being built in 2011, the eco-friendly buildings won the 2013 Builder’s Choice and Custom Home Design Awards for their innovative air conditioning units that shut off when the windows are opened, daylight sensors, electrical cut-off switches, and low water use fixtures. The rooftops feature solar panels that heat the dorm’s water. The two make up the first large-scale residence property in California to earn LEED Platinum certification. Residents can choose either three- or six-bedroom suites, with each coming with a common living room and kitchens on each floor. On the rooftop, one can also find a garden patio and a movie screen.
Architect: Thomas Jefferson (No, you read that right.)
Designed and funded by our third president, the Lawn is a slice of old world charm that is still considered a privilege to live in, especially with its fireplaces (that students can use!), rocking chairs for balconies or the lawn itself, as well as more "historic living." Such old world luxury comes at the price of air conditioning, kitchens or study lounges, but these are within walking distance. Still, considering the long wait list and tough competition to get into the building, most of the UVA's students are willing to make the sacrifice.
Architect: Cannon Design
Each unit in the two-tower complex comes with fully furnished living, dining and bedrooms, as well as shared kitchens among two to six people. The buildings are equipped with laundry rooms, meeting rooms, multipurpose rooms (complete with plasma TVs), bicycle storage rooms, music practice rooms, reading rooms, a market and Dunkin' Donuts open until midnight, and the best views available to any student housing building in all of Boston. It's also quite sustainable with bamboo walls in common areas and CO2 sensors that control ventilation when necessary.
Architect: Mackey Mitchell Architects
With Tempurpedic beds in every room, a fitness center complete with a dance studio, a rooftop garden, a market, a bakery and even a kosher kitchen, the South 40 complex is all about comfort and sustainability (many of the buildings are LEED-certified). Located around a central green called the Swamp, the complex is pedestrian-friendly, and includes the Bear's Den (the largest dining hall on campus) and various student-owned businesses (such as the laundry service), and the baseball, softball and intramural fields.
Architect: Robert A.M. Stern Architects
With private, spacious apartment-style units (with private baths, naturally) these are the most coveted on campus, and for good reason. The Complex's many amenities include bike routes, a TV studio, learning communities and liunches, communal spaces, conference rooms, and a gold status, award-winning dining hall that has served everything from burger crumble tacos to shark.
Architect: Ayers Saint Gross
Like BU's Village, Shenkman Hall boasts amazing city views, but has the added bonus of being close to the White House. Residents enjoy high-speed Internet, private peds and baths, full-service kitchens (complete with fridge and microwaves) and some light furnishings. It's also located in the heart of campus—sitting just across the street from the fitness center and above a Dunkin' Donuts, Pita Pit and Potbelley's.
Architect: HADP Architecture
Available only to freshmen, these furnished, apartment-level suites (which come in one-, two- or four-bedroom suites) include a mini kitchen and built-in bar with stools. The building also boasts two in-house restaurants, a computer lab, a study room, community kitchens, lounge areas, game rooms and—interestingly—an art gallery.
Architect: Humphreys & Partners Architects
Recently featured on national TV for its splendor, The Standard's lengthy list of amenities include—check thi—-a 10.7k SF clubhouse, a fitness center (with cardio room, yoga room and strength center), a tanning room, computer and study rooms, a media lounge, a gold simulator, an Infinity-edge swimming pool, a sun deck with grill, and garage parking. But the splendor doesn't stop there: individual units come with washers and dryers, private beds and baths, hardwood floors, full-sized kitchens with staintless steel appliances, walk-in closets and balconies—for some select units, anyway. (Who really cares at this point, right? You're living like a boss). Developed by Landmark Properties and managed by American Campus Communities, the Standard has reaped a hefty profit in the last few years.
Architect: 5G Studio Collaborative
Located a quarter-mile from the University of Houston, the Vue includes a 120k SF parking garage and luxury amenities such as an outdoor aqua lounge (whatever that means), two courtyards with interactive fountains, a fitness center, a dog park, a billiards room, indoor/outdoor view deck with full kitchen and TVs, a media center (with gaming consoles to boot), a tanning bed and study rooms. And you won't need a meal plan, since you'll have a fully equipped gourmet kitchen. It's worth noting, however, that the building is not associated with the University itself, but owned and operated by Fountain Residential Partners.
Architect: Niles Bolton Associates
The LEED Gold-certified and 100% leased Landmark College park just opened with a new Target Express at the retail level, 829 beds of apartments, a private zen garden, tanning beds, a coffee lounge, a club and game room, a social lounge with a theater, an outdoor patio with grilling area, and yoga and spinning rooms.Built at the former Book Exchange site at Baltimore Ave and College Ave adjacent to Fraternity Row, the Landmark's rooms are complete with stainless steel appliances, in-units washers and dryers, modern furniture, hardwood floors, 50" flat screen TVs, electronic locking doors and quartz countertops.
