Student Wellness Research

Understanding How Campus Planning and Facility Design Support Student Wellbeing

Recent research reveals a troubling decline in student wellbeing, with rising levels of depression and anxiety exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With university counselling services struggling to meet the rising demand, this complex crisis raises an intriguing question: can university planners, designers and administrators design environments that improve student wellbeing? To examine the trends in wellbeing and better understand the role of the built environment in contributing to or mitigating them, HDR led a rigorous, multi-institutional research study in partnership with leaders in student affairs and academia across four universities in North America.

In collaboration with universities in Canada and the United States, we examined the impact of campus environments on student wellness. Unlike previous studies that focused on specific buildings, our research took a holistic approach, analysing students’ daily activities and experiences. By connecting campus spaces with various aspects of student wellbeing, we aimed to uncover valuable insights for those who design and support educational environments.

Together, we explored this research question:

How can universities and their partners create holistic physical campus environments that more effectively promote wellbeing in their student populations?

About the Study

Students studying on the active stair at the University of Maryland Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering

Study Name + Sites

The study, Higher Education Campus Affordances for Student Well-Being, was conducted across four institutions: Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), Macalester College (St. Paul, Minnesota, United States), Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States), and Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska, United States).

Students lounging in the University of Maryland Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering

Research Method

A mixed-methods design was employed. First, focus groups with students (n = 99) were conducted at three campuses (Dalhousie University, Macalester College, and Thomas Jefferson University) to examine perceptions of the relationship between campus environments and wellbeing. Findings from the focus groups, in combination with existing literature, informed the development of a cross-sectional survey. The survey was subsequently administered across all four campuses (n = 1,584) to test relationships between campus environmental affordances and student wellbeing.

An outdoor space on a university campus with students sitting in a semi-circle on the grass

Research Constructs

Campus affordances were conceptualized based on Gibson’s Affordance Theory (Gibson, 1977). Student wellbeing was defined as flourishing and measured using VanderWeele’s Flourishing Index (VanderWeele, 2017) a validated multidimensional measure capturing (a) happiness and life satisfaction, (b) mental and physical health, (c) meaning and purpose, (d) character and virtue, and (e) close social relationships.

Students sitting in a common space with a kitchen and living room furniture

Direct Association Between Student Wellbeing and Emotional Atmosphere

The emotional atmosphere — a place’s capacity to evoke positive emotional or psychological response — was directly associated with student wellbeing. Focus group findings complement these results by providing insight into how students may experience emotional atmosphere in real life. Participants frequently described wellbeing as dependent on balancing social interaction and solitude, productivity and rest, and academic and personal priorities. They also expressed a preference for home-like and restorative environments, highlighting the importance of spaces that feel comfortable, personal, and supportive of rest and emotional recovery.

Indirect Associations Between Student Wellbeing and Several Environmental Affordances

Emotional atmosphere and four additional qualities of the built environment (i.e., environmental affordance domains) — food and physical activity, personal space, nature and aesthetics, navigation and accessibility — were indirectly associated with student flourishing through several mediating factors including perceptions of belonging, safety, and place attachment, as well as healthy lifestyle behaviour. Focus group results reiterated themes related to navigation and accessibility. Participants described how overcrowded environments contribute to stress, limit access to space, and increase cognitive load. Additionally, they emphasized that both physical and social accessibility are essential, noting that chronic mundane barriers like difficulty finding parking can erode their overall wellbeing over time.

An outdoor seating area for students with a section of grass and benches

Students lined up at ballet bars in a dance studio

Other Key Findings

The three wellbeing mediator domains — sense of belonging, place attachment and safety; health-promoting lifestyle behaviours; and student wellbeing processes — were each statistically significantly associated with student flourishing, underscoring their central role in shaping overall wellbeing. In contrast, two built environment domains — Social-Relaxation (availability of spaces for socialisation, group activities, and relaxation) and Study-Learning (provision of areas that support academic learning and study) — were not associated with flourishing or any intermediary variable.

Key Takeaways for Higher Education Institutions

Students in a collaboration space in a college classroom with timber interiors and natural daylight

Across all institutions, one message is clear: the built environment plays a meaningful role in student well-being. Students’ access to restorative, navigable, identity‑affirming, and balanced spaces is closely associated with their ability to thrive. Designing spaces that feel welcoming, home-like, inclusive, and adaptable can enhance belonging and reduce stress, strengthening students’ connection to their university and enriching campus life.

Expanding access to quiet areas, integrating nature, ensuring equitable accessibility, and providing students with opportunities to shape their environments are not merely aesthetic decisions; they are investments in well-being.

As institutions work to support today’s students, reimagining the physical campus as an active contributor to well-being will be essential. Approaching campus environments through a lens of thoughtful, holistic design can help restore balance, foster connection, and create academic spaces where students feel seen, supported, and able to flourish.

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Research Leads

Leila Kamal, Education Director

Leading the education practice for HDR, Leila collaborates with colleagues around the globe to provide leadership through innovative design and planning, client service and thought leadership. She has led multiple successful firmwide research, design and sustainability programs for multi-office firms that resulted in improved project outcomes and advancements in learning and student-centered design. Seeing a need from higher education clients to address the impact the built environment can have on student wellness, Leila served as the driving force for the study’s execution as well as the study’s executive champion.

Francesqca Jimenez, Senior Social Scientist

As a senior social scientist, Francesqca is a passionate advocate for designing environments that promote health and personal development. She believes research is crucial to better understanding how individuals interact with the built environment, leveraging her commitment and knowledge to work with institutional and corporate partners to conduct validated and thoughtful studies to aid in that understanding. For this study, Francesqca served as the research lead, developing the research framework, instruments, processes, and protocols with support from HDR colleagues.