The Rewired Generation - How are Gen Z socialising and how can we design interiors that align with their needs?

Since the dawn of the human age, each generation has the innate quality to alter and be aligned and equipped to navigate this earth (maybe we should be called chameleons!). The generational labels that often pop up in our time are Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers and the silent generation, but what about the up-and-coming Gen Z, who account for 30% of the population? How are these individuals’ unique growing up experiences different to previous generations?

The transformative generation who turned gaming and influencing into a career they aspire to do - they of course range in height and body type, have an array of different distinguishing features and can be found on Tik Tok and not on the dance floor. But who are these curiously clever, sometimes misunderstood beings that don’t party as much, are a lot more money minded and vocal about mental health from a much younger age?

Think back to your formative years, how did you socialise? Remember long summers of playing out in fields or catching the bus to town, meeting your friends, clubbing etc? Now imagine how many Gen Z’s would spend their free time, staying indoors (in part to Covid), with less human connection, being glued to a device. This tiny device , I need not describe any further, has single handedly changed the face of the world as we know it (this may sound drastic, but it’s true).

Podcast Room Concept - Design @nelsonandlong

There may be a lot of differences between millennials and older generations, but one common thread that unites us was not having a device so monumental that we kept it on us 24/7 and that could easily distract us from our daily tasks. I can attest as being one of the younger millennials, just a couple of years from being classed as a Gen Z, that technology really didn’t affect my childhood. I had phones, but they were purely a means of communication and the odd game (or ten) of Snake. Having these devices has taken away a sense of freedom, identity, and innocence because of the sheer exposure our Gen Z counterparts encounter every day, hence why they communicate and socialise very differently to previous generations. So, we are going to explore how considered interior design can help support this new social phenomenon in the student sector and ultimately help them better shape their future.

Theatre Kitchen - Design @nelsonandlong

Community Minded Spaces

Community minded spaces are key to instilling a positive and effective social dynamic. They help with life skills development that some Gen Z students may lack.

Theatre kitchens, co-working areas, wellness rooms and spaces that can further facilitate learning and bonding activities such as book, art, sports and music clubs are a great way to enable students to form attachments with peers who have similar interests to them.

Students can often feel alone in this transitional time in their life, especially the first few weeks. So, having welcoming, well designed spaces with a programme of guest speakers who can relate/ guide them and tell them they are not alone is a good idea. Also, hosting cooking classes using the site facilities is a great way to further develop their skillset and allows for bond building and socialising.

Green spaces can also be very beneficial to mental health as we all know how we feel in nature, compared to being couped up inside all day. It’s not always easy to incorporate nature internally, so early on in the design stage think about window placement and neuroception, because even just looking at nature can do the trick!

I read an article the other day about Bump Spaces, which I found really interesting. Bump Spaces are areas that encourage socialisation, interaction and closeness, for example a small corridor with an art installation; this area will certainly draw a few people in at once. Such an ingenious idea will get people talking and tease them out of their comfort zone in a compact space.

Gen Z value living with people who they like over the specification of their accommodation, but if the accommodation specification is below par and they are lacking those key areas to connect, support and facilitate growth, then friendships simply aren’t formed. 

Amenity Space - Design @nelsonandlong

Designing with the senses in mind

Designing with the senses in mind is a sure-fire way to attract students to a space to engage. The power of colour, smell, sound and tactile touches can really draw someone out of their shell. Spaces should be vibrant, interesting and layered to achieve a truly holistic and nurturing environment.

Try mimicking nature, play soothing sounds throughout the day, omit homely smells or have coffee in the communal areas. Then on the weekend play upbeat songs to elevate mood and reaffirm that it’s the weekend. Lighting needs to be adjustable and varied to suit different tasks and mirror the external environment, allowing the students’ minds to adjust according to the time of day. Lighting is so important and can affect mood and hunger, and can be a stressor. Just minimal, but subtle considerations can make all the difference and encourage students to be social and inhabit these spaces. The power of the senses should never be undermined - it’s all about experience. 

Designing spaces that consider the senses creates experiential, homely spaces that can aid mental health, encourage socialising and enable personal development.

Cinema Room - Design @nelsonandlong

Zones – To tech or not to tech?

They are a tech generation for sure, but by transporting them to simpler times, maybe the addition of so much tech might not be required? The hope is to provide interiors that can distract from that, interiors that comfort and encourage a different way of interaction - a more innate, simplistic and effective way of communicating. This is a great way to develop those life and interpersonal skills. Think private dining rooms, collaborative spaces, workshop areas, learn a skill etc. The possibilities really are endless, it just depends on how innovative you and your design team want to be.

Tech free nights, using concepts like tech free friend speed dating, are a great opportunity to meet people (residential life staff would need to facilitate this). Cinemas are great for this too, as they encourage students to focus for a few hours on something without looking at their phones and can also start to break down those social walls if they wish, in a more relaxed setting because of the lack of conversation, but they can feel a sense of closeness to their peers which can minimise loneliness. The power of just being close to someone even without speaking can lift spirits.

Zoning and space division is also key to providing an array of spaces to vary the landscape of a student accommodation, so students can support one another and gravitate to the space that best suits their needs.

Co-working space - Design @nelsonandlong

Attractive Spaces

More, now than ever, we have the opportunity to connect, but we are becoming more insular and hiding behind our screens. Our surroundings are just backdrops, so how do we disrupt and distract to bring a student’s attention to the people around them and their environments?  

In terms of design, more simplistic, inclusive, community minded spaces are needed to entice the students to develop that social skillset.

Here at Nelson and Long, we love a nostalgic nod and like to think outside the box with scale and colour to captivate and engage students.  

We don’t really follow trends, that way our are designs don’t date, but we do love a nod to nostalgia and think that makes spaces feel really attractive, homely, and students are more likely to relax and socialise in them.

Fashion and interiors are closely linked for us, so we look to fashion to inspire our designs. Have you noticed the 90s trends being repeated at the moment? Well, I think the reason behind that is because those 90s babies are the people likely to be key decision makers now, so this inspiration is coming through from their intrinsic link - people stick to what they know.

To make interiors more comforting and appealing for Gen Z, let’s look at the late nineties and early noughties for interior inspiration and start to reimagine these ideas to replicate that home away from home aesthetic with a contemporary twist. This should start igniting these conversations between themselves and attract them to interact in these amenity spaces because they feel familiar and comforting.

Attractive surroundings can make you feel more comfortable and allow for easier socialisation – fact!

Studio - Design @nelsonandlong

Collaboration

Collaboration and constructive feedback are the key to get the best use out of a space.

It’s so important to listen to Gen Z and understand what they want, but it’s also imperative to draw on sector experience and lessons learnt to provide the most innovative, creative and considerate design solutions, to better the student experience.

From collaborative feedback, we’ve heard the word on the street is that students like smaller clusters (up to 4), so it’s important to get a designer on board early to design these spaces that maximise efficiency, happiness and encourage positive socialising. It makes sense really; people don’t want to be overwhelmed and Gen Z are no different in this sense. This sometimes socially awkward generation would benefit from having the added pressure off from having to communicate or try and forge friends with a larger number of flatmates, during this already tumultuous time of their lives.

Reaching out to students prior to starting their course and getting them to answer questionnaires is a great way to make sure that they are paired with complimentary personalities, lessening tension and making for happier homes and easier socialisation.

By collaborating and trying to step into a Gen Z mind its evident to us that they are heavily influenced by what they see on their devices. They follow people who inspire them, or they aspire to be, so in terms of design, why don’t we start to replicate some of these aspirational spaces and mirror this cool aesthetic in the hope that it will attract them to use the space to socialise and interact, and encourage them to put down their phones because they are so captivated by their environment.

Another great way to collaborate is with different design partners that understand and care about the student experience – with varied and valued expertise a design can be elevated and the social dynamics of a space enhanced. 

Bedroom - Design @nelsonandlong

Personalisation – Choice

Designing areas that allow people to personalise is imperative to an effective design. Giving people choices gives them freedom and puts them unknowingly more at ease and allows for easier socialisation.

In the amenity spaces, you must be a lot more creative to allow for personalisation, but having spaces the students can easily reconfigure helps, as it can be empowering and reminds them of home. Having a degree of flexibility can help infiltrate internal social barriers because the students don’t feel the spaces are so institutionalised and they start to feel more comfortable in them. Choice and a freedom to express oneself is important!

Some people like shared bedroom spaces, but a lot of people like their own space to retreat to and have nostalgic homely comforts that can distract from other stressors in their life. These personal spaces are important and allow them to express themselves - that’s why its key to design these spaces with personalisation in mind. The addition of pinboards and ample shelving to display personal treasures are fundamental to a good bedroom design and a simplistic, carefully curated colour palette can be the perfect backdrop to further aid creative freedom. 

The more comfortable and at home the student feels, the more likely they are to socialise. People may overlook the importance of a good design, or design at all, but this can be detrimental to the success of the scheme and most importantly the students within. Taking the time to consider what the students need to develop and have a unique and successful student experience is key to designing inclusive, community minded spaces that help them to socialise and create lasting bonds. We believe in creating happy spaces that inspire community building here at N+L – which I’m sure you already know!

N+LX