The state of California’s housing shortage, decades in the making, has grown to include student housing.

This crisis, combined with factors like rising tuition costs and disruptions due to wildfires and the pandemic, make it difficult for academic institutions to retain students on campus.

Sacramento-based architectural firm Lionakis has been working closely with community colleges to find solutions that will encourage students to stay on campus, Lionakis Associate Principal Sam Wolfgram said.

“Since the pandemic, every client I've spoken to has come to Lionakis with the same problem: getting students back to and staying on campus,” he said. “We’re collaborating with different institutions to design more engaging learning and social environments so that students will want that in-person experience again.”

Wolfgram will discuss ways to enhance the student experience when he participates in a panel at Bisnow’s Northern California Student Housing and Higher Education summit on May 13 at Grand Hyatt San Francisco. Register here.

Bisnow spoke with Wolfgram about the trends he's seeing with community colleges, projects Lionakis is working on and what’s on the horizon for the next generation of student housing.

Bisnow: What trends are you seeing in Northern California?

Wolfgram: Since the pandemic, there’s been more of a focus on hybrid or remote education, which has led to fewer students staying on campus. This has also affected the student and teacher dynamic because no longer are students going to their professors to clear up questions about the course material after class, but rather trying to track them behind a virtual wall.

When it comes to designing, we’re creating inviting spaces for students to learn and socialize. We want students to better interact and get a full in-person experience, whether it’s for community engagement or studying.

Bisnow: What topics do you think will be discussed at Bisnow’s event?

Wolfgram: In addition to creating quality amenities for students, I think wellness will be another topic of discussion. Not only is it important to have resources for students to excel in their academic work, there needs to be more focus on their well-being. Mental health is a priority and students may become stressed with the demands that come with higher education.

I think having the right environment that allows students to grow academically while also catering to their well-being will help them better balance their post-secondary experience.

Bisnow: What are some projects Lionakis is working on? 

Wolfgram: We just completed construction on the Fresno City College Science Building and the Sierra College Athletic Complex.

The Fresno City College Science Center provides modern laboratory and instructional spaces for chemistry, biology, physics and engineering programs while serving design students from Fresno Unified School District. Our design team collaborated with the school and laboratory planners to ensure the building provides a safe space while incorporating learning technology and collaborative spaces.

At the Sierra College Athletic Complex, we've got this beautiful, multi-functional lobby, but it's also an event space that's interconnected to both the inside and outside where students can hang out, connect to nature and be in walking distance to educational spaces. This was very important to Sierra because there are a lot of student-athletes there. Areas include weight and cardio rooms, team rooms and a gymnasium.

With both Fresno City College and Sierra College, we’re seeing students take more pride in their schools and our ultimate goal is to keep them on campus. Also, this has a positive impact on the community, especially with Sierra College because more people are attending games with the new gymnasium and showing support to the athletic department.

Bisnow: What do you see for the next generation of students in Northern California?

Wolfgram: In the community college space, we’re seeing a lot of big trends moving toward career and technical education. Community colleges provide more opportunities for not just the student that wants to get an affordable two-year degree and then transfer to a four-year university, but also for people who want to have some skills before entering the workforce.

We’re seeing a focus on technical education opportunities that are community-focused. An example is Folsom Lake College’s collaboration with health delivery system Sutter Health. We’re doing a career technical education program in support of its certified nursing assistant program.

Students can go to community college and get a nursing assistant certificate and in two years be prepared for the workforce.  I’m seeing a trend for community colleges to be engaged with students and provide services that help communities grow.

Lionakis has been around for more than 116 years and our core markets are education, healthcare and civic work. We will continue to stay passionate about our work to help local communities stay more resilient.

Register here for Bisnow's event on May 13.

This article was produced in collaboration between Lionakis and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.