Professional Services firm hired to develop new residence concept for Lambton College
SARNIA, February 24, 2022 – A new student residence is in the works for Lambton College.
College officials say they are preparing to undertake the process of researching student residence concepts that will appeal to both domestic and international students alike. Rising enrolment numbers coupled with the addition of new buildings and upgraded facilities in recent years have also unveiled the need to reevaluate the current onsite residence.
While a traditional student housing model has worked well for Lambton until now, the College recognizes the need to keep pace with increased demand for world-class facilities and modern amenities in order to remain competitive with other post-secondary providers.
“In order to ensure our College continues to be an educational destination of choice for students from around the globe, we need to create a new model of student housing that not only compliments our new buildings and renovations, but provides students with a campus living concept that fosters advanced learning and modern lifestyles,” said Rob Kardas, President & CEO, Lambton College.
In a first step to achieve this vision, the College has partnered with Ernst & Young LLP (EY Canada) to undertake a comprehensive analysis of student residence development options which will inform the College’s future development plans. EY, a carbon negative professional services firm, has a rich history of delivering advice on student housing projects across Canada with similar expectations.
EY will facilitate the identification of the necessary foundational components to inform future work on the College’s vision for this project. In addition to managing a comprehensive Market Analysis to understand key factors such as local demand for student housing, living costs, and ancillary services, EY will also share expertise in student housing best practices, procurement expectations and deal structure/agreement expectations from student housing developers. Consultation with a variety of student and community groups will also take place in an effort to gauge thoughts on rental costs, meal plans, and other student wants and needs.
“At EY, we have a proud record of helping Canadian post-secondary institutions explore modern solutions that help enhance campus culture for students,” says Edward Ng, Partner with the Infrastructure Advisory practice at EY Canada. “We look forward to working with Lambton College and collaborating in exploring and evaluating development options for a new residential lifestyle concept that will foster an excellent campus living experience for a diverse and global student community.”
Kardas says the College is currently considering all viable options for student housing and is open to developing alternative student living concepts which explore the economic viability of third-party development, design, or operation.
“The market analysis deep dive will evaluate all possible options and present us with a financially sustainable format that we can then translate into a plan for development,” he says. “This project gives the College an opportunity to reassess our current approach to student housing and explore alternative partnering and/or private models of delivery that will allow us to provide our students with the best student living concept possible.”