Twin rooms, shared bathrooms and communal kitchens – Ireland’s plan for student accommodation

The Irish Cabinet, no less, has signed off on new design standards for state-backed student housing – and we’re talking twin rooms, shared bathrooms and communal kitchens.

In the UK we’ve somehow convinced ourselves that the only viable model for student housing involves luxury studio flats with ensuite bathrooms, designer kitchens and increasingly impossible rents.

We’ve somehow ended up with a system where students are paying thousands for the privilege of isolation in glossy boxes that their parents could never have imagined – let alone afforded.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, Minister James Lawless said this week:

We’re shifting away from the old model of multiple self-contained units towards a more flexible, integrated approach with shared bathrooms, more efficient use of kitchen/living areas and social spaces, as well as options for twin rooms.

Developers’ obsession with individual ensuites and premium specs is pricing out the students accommodation is supposed to serve. The Tánaiste said he’d heard from “countless students and their parents” who said they had to pay “exorbitant rents” for specially-built student accommodation which has facilities “that they never asked for in the first place”.

The new design guide emerged from a Residential Construction Cost Study published in May 2023, which found that residential construction costs in Ireland are generally higher than in peer countries. This is particularly evident in purpose-built student accommodation, where higher costs were attributed to more generous unit sizes, broader specifications, and greater scope of works.

In response, the Higher Education Authority commissioned a multi-disciplinary design team to develop new standards. The team began work in August 2024, conducting extensive stakeholder engagement and benchmarking against six countries – Canada, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Denmark and France.

The resulting framework sets out specific parameters. Single study bedrooms will have a minimum size of 8 m², while en-suite single study bedrooms require 11.5 m². Communal kitchen/living/dining areas are calculated using a 75 per cent simultaneous use assumption, acknowledging that not all residents need access to facilities at the same time.

The guide specifies preferred cluster sizes of 4 to 8 students, based on survey data indicating this range provides an optimal balance between social interaction and privacy. Room types will include single, twin, double, accessible, and rooms with shared bathrooms, allowing flexibility across different sites and student needs.

The technical specs are comprehensive. Buildings above 15 metres require sprinkler systems, those above 20 metres need firefighting shafts, and structures above 30 metres must include second staircases. The guide also encourages modern methods of construction, including modular and prefabricated elements, to improve cost, speed, and environmental impact.

It all represents the first time the Irish state has directly funded student accommodation construction. In November 2022, the government decided to get involved in the development of new student accommodation for higher education institutions, marking a departure from previous reliance on private sector provision.

Notably, it all involves cross-departmental cooperation. A steering group of representatives from the Higher Education Authority, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has overseen the development process.

The lack of student accommodation has been a persistent issue throughout Ireland’s housing crisis, particularly acute at the start of each academic year. Recent data indicates that student accommodation shortages affect most major Irish university cities.

The Irish approach represents a deliberate policy choice to prioritise bed numbers and affordability over individual unit specifications. The explicit acknowledgement that current models produce accommodation students neither want nor can afford also marks a significant shift in thinking.

The involvement of Cabinet-level ministers in detailed design discussions demonstrates political commitment to addressing student accommodation shortages. And the cross-departmental cooperation and integration with planning policy suggests a comprehensive approach rather than isolated initiatives.

Whether the design standards translate into substantial increased accommodation supply is a lingering question – construction industry capacity, planning processes, and funding availability will all influence outcomes. But at least the government is trying.