Full-time enrollment is outpacing student housing inventory in the top university markets with 1.34 students for every bed, according to a report released earlier this year by Walker & Dunlop. With high demand near top colleges and universities – and less available, buildable land than in previous years – it makes sense that developers are looking to activate underutilized lots to create much-needed new student housing communities.
Yet many sites are only available because they are challenging to build on for a variety of reasons, from size and shape to community concerns. This is especially true at urban campuses, which are some of the most active markets for student housing investment. Fortunately, thoughtful architecture and design has the potential to address these hurdles and help activate urban infill sites, adding housing and helping to drive down overall costs by expanding the number of units available in the market. And, if done right, it can also benefit the surrounding community.
One example of a challenging urban infill student housing development undertaken by Lamar Johnson Collaborative is Chapter Madison, a 10-story, 534-bed student housing project located adjacent to the University of Wisconsin, Madison campus. Fully pre-leased before opening in August 2024, the building has been successful not only for developer CRG, but also as an addition to the historic Greenbush neighborhood where it is located.
The challenge was not only in designing a structure that would gain approval from the community, but that would also work with the jagged-edged, wedge-shaped lot that required building right up to the lot lines. These parameters required a creative approach, and the following highlights some of the ways we were able to meet the needs of the university, the developer and the community.
Turn NIMBYs into YIMBYs by considering the past
Addressing community concerns starts with understanding the history of the parcel. As is the case when developers add density to a neighborhood, the community wants to make sure newly built structures are in sync with the character of the surroundings. After all, building the number of units needed often requires stitching together six to eight smaller parcels and replacing the single-family homes and two- and three-story buildings that stood there with a massive structure that threatens to change the neighborhood’s character.
In the case of Chapter Madison, past attempts at designing to meet the needs of both the community and the developer on this site had not succeeded — the former demonstrating the high standards that exist among the neighborhood zoning ordinance and community groups involved in the review of the design. Designing a straightforward tower that took up the entire lot would have been the simplest solution from a financial perspective, but the resulting building would lurk over the sidewalk unpleasantly, making that approach a non-starter with community stakeholders. Our design needed to balance the tightrope of financial success and community sensitivity, while also acknowledging and honoring the Greenbush neighborhood.
In addition to creating a building that felt more in sync with its surroundings (more on that below), we wanted to add some elements that directly tied into the neighborhood’s history. Artist and Wisconsin native Amy Zaremba created a mural portraying the people and events that have shaped the neighborhood along the building’s streetscape, including the Italian Workman’s Club, one of the oldest active Italian clubs in the United States. We also included a cultural exhibit along the first-floor corridor that chronicles the history of the block and other historic milestones.
Eschew the ‘go-to’ and look beyond the obvious
Often when faced with the need to make a hulking structure seem smaller to fit into the character of a neighborhood, the approach is to make the larger building seem like multiple smaller ones. The risk here is creating something that looks inauthentic, like a caricature of the neighborhood’s aesthetic. We chose to approach this challenge of perceived size with scale, adding setbacks at the fifth and eighth levels. This more human scale was enhanced by widening the sidewalk and adding new landscaping and illumination to enhance walkability and street level engagement. Covered entries were added at the two corners, each as bookends to the full block.
These setbacks were then influential in how we designed the floor plates and the floor plans. The upper floors — which offer beautiful views of the cityscape — include a penthouse-level amenity space accessible to all residents alongside smaller units that appeal to those living on their own or with a single roommate who want and can afford an apartment with elevated views. Suitable for larger roommate groups and more cost-effective for many students, larger units, including some with three-, four- and five-bedrooms are located on the lower floors with the deeper floor plates. Adding these larger units into the larger lower floors helped the project to pencil out for the developer while addressing the specific student needs.
Seek to do more with less
Another benefit to our focus on scale was avoiding the faux ornamentation that is often used to mimic ‘classic’ details and create the illusion of a cluster of buildings with multiple facades, each with their own material palettes.
Rather than creating an inauthentic pastiche, we set out to design an architecturally significant addition that stands on its own while speaking in the same vernacular as the surrounding buildings. In breaking down the scale using setbacks, we relied on fewer materials with two colors of brick accented by two colors of metal. While the aesthetic is simpler, every detail needed to be executed at a high level as less could be hidden, which translated to a more intentional design and higher-quality materials.
This resulted in a less costly project overall. Fewer materials meant fewer interfaces, which necessitates fewer building trades on the job. We did as much as we could with less complexity, and that simplicity showed our design confidence. It’s hard to do ‘less’ well, but doing so can lead to a superior result.
The result: win-win-win
By engaging with the community early, being creative with scale and keeping construction elements simple yet striking, Chapter Madison demonstrates how — even in less-than-ideal sites — student housing can be both interesting and innovative in a way that’s harmonious with its surroundings.
The end result was a building that was fully leased prior to opening and that quickly pre-leased 80 percent of its beds for the next year. As demand continues to outpace supply in top tier markets, resolving site challenges through thoughtful planning and design will enable developers to match market demand with financially successful projects that also enhance the urban fabric.
—Alan Barker is a principal with Lamar Johnson Collaborative