Student accommodation design can help 'to combat loneliness'

More social areas within student accommodation blocks could help to combat the growing number of mental health issues experienced by freshers and older students, it is claimed.It is claimed that that as studies show about 44 per cent of students struggle with isolation, and 15,000 plus first year students reported mental health conditions in a decade, facilities such as lounges, nightclubs and cinemas within their accommodation could aid the mental health of studentsAlmost five in 10 students reported that isolation makes university more difficult, in a 'Student Experience' survey.And according to a report by the IPPR think-tank, as many as 15,395 first year students in a decade reported a mental health condition due to academic pressures.CEO Collegiate, Heriberto Cuanalo, said: "The increase in mental health conditions is alarming and it raises the importance of student residences being equipped to meet the wellbeing needs of young people."The facilities available within student accommodation can make a huge difference, enabling students to feel safe, secure and part of a community."Students often rely on facilities within the university environment, with free chill-out areas being the most important area for 54 per cent, campus bar and nightclub a priority for 46 per cent and a gym facility for 32 per cent, according to the Student Experience survey. Residents' wellbeing is a priority for student accommodation provider Collegiate and developer Fusion Students, who deliver social spaces for students across all of their UK sites, creating communities and combatting loneliness. Pennine House in Leeds offers apartments in the heart of Leeds with their own cinema, gym, and club lounge among its facilities.Students at a brand new site in Sheffield, Collegiate Crown House, can enjoy an on-site gym (with on demand exercise classes available), outdoor and indoor cinema room, outdoor recreational space (with a courtyard space for BBQ) and even a private dinner room. For more information, visit www.fusionstudents.co.uk, Collegiate on +44 1235 250 140 or visit www.collegiate-ac.com.

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