Posts

Isolation Rooms in Residence Halls: Will They Be the New Norm?

Is now the time to introduce isolation rooms in campus residence halls? A single room with an en suite bathroom for students who require heightened privacy has become a programming “must” for new and renovated residence halls. Often referred to as “medical rooms,” they provide a private room and bathroom for students with medical needs.  This includes conditions like Crohn’s Disease, diabetes, or other immunodeficiency disorders.  More recently these rooms have been available at some institutions for students who are transitioning or exploring their identity development.

Following the onset of COVID-19, our architectural team has been discussing if higher education institutions need to consider a similarly designed room for residence halls—an isolation room. This type of specialized space is commonly found in medical facility design, but isolation rooms are not typically included on college and university campuses.  Could isolation rooms be one of the long-term changes we see? Continue reading