The Best in Class Awards were established in 2016 in order to recognize, highlight, and promote companies and initiatives at the forefront of student and shared living, working, and learning. In a young and learning industry, we find it important to honour thought leadership and encourage the exchange of bright ideas. We’re excited to share with you the top of the class – our industry-voted MVPs.
With impressive COVID-19 measures in place, specifically focused on health, wellbeing, and community engagement, Student Roost more than earned this accolade. The jury also commended the financial flexibility offered to residents throughout the pandemic, truly paving the way for the increasingly popular flexible rental agreements.
When speaking of blended living, this property sets the standard as they impeccably incorporated placemaking into their design and operations. In doing so, they have managed to blend varying household typologies and fully embrace the local community and environment. Additionally, the jury commended the vast amenities available to the residents and surrounding community.
Each finalist more than proved their ambition to make resident wellbeing one of their top priorities, especially during the pandemic which hit students hard. NIDO Student rose above with their holistic approach to improving and addressing the wellbeing of their residents by creating cohesive communities through ambassador programmes and virtual events which were highly popular. Similarly, to other operators, NIDO Student also offered rental payment flexibility and financial support to their residents.
Besides it’s unique design and features, BaseCamp’s Lyngby location managed to incorporate sustainability throughout each phase of planning, construction, and operation. Their willingness to share knowledge with fellow operators is also commendable, as they stated, "When it comes to sustainability we do not see other student housing businesses as competitors. As such, we share our ideas to help achieve the common goal of more sustainable properties and communities.
WeWash offers a very niche tool but its overall impact is significant as it’s a very practical solution to a long-standing problem. What was previously considered to be a supporting service can now lead operators to re-think the way they use their spaces. Instead of only thinking of laundry rooms as laundry rooms, WeWash manages to turn them into meeting places.
Having joined the PBSA sector in 2017, Tom has managed to grow quickly, broaden his scope significantly, and positively impact Greystar’s operational efforts. He clearly showcases a strong understanding of the bigger picture and the impact his role has on it. Tom not only excels personally, as he also has a strong ambition to lead his team to success.
In response to this year’s disruption in teaching, Imperial College Business School (ICBS) created HyFlex classrooms with the ability to deliver high-quality teaching in a multi-modal scenario. David Lefevre, Director of the Business School’s Edtech Lab, said: “HyFlex classroom was developed as a pragmatic solution to an unfortunate situation. Recognising that the present disruption is likely to be sustained, we wanted to give students the choice to attend their classes either on-campus or online throughout the academic year. However, it seems clear now that such flexibility is likely to be appreciated by students (and staff) in the longer term too.
The 15-minute city embodies the departure from past to present day urban planning as the pandemic and global warming have set the precedence to adopt a slower way of living. One where commuting time and carbon output is significantly reduced. Globally this concept is paving the way for planners and politicians to adapt to the new way of living in cities.
