The University Design Forum hosted a panel discussion at AUDE conference in Liverpool this week. The panel were asked to respond to the statement ‘the vast majority of purpose built student residences are the same’, following first stage of research carried out by the forum on the topic.The panel discussed the importance of social spaces within student accommodation and how both function and appearance can be important, examples were used of the importance of outdoor spaces to students and how biodiversity can aid wellbeing.The panel also touched on how the pandemic had changed ways of living, learning and working and that these need to be considered in the design of purpose built student accommodation.University Design Forum will be publishing a report summarising the research and themes of the panel discussion.

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