Disconnected within boundaries addressing the needs of parenting students at higher education institutions as an integral part of student life

Abstract

History shows the power of the university as an institution in society and how its architecture has tried to adapt as rapidly as its constantly evolving environment. This research is set within the context of the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. The student population globally is changing and there are some students who are choosing to combine parenting with studying. Given the situation of a new genre of students entering universities across the world, trans-programming in the university environment is inevitable. This research looks at the university environment – its campuses and spaces, and how accommodating it is to students that do not fit the traditional university student mould. The subject matter of the report is the student-parent. Non-traditional students in the form of studentparents are not accommodated for in terms of spatial design and their social needs on university campuses. The research looks at the economic, spatial and institutional obstacles that prevent access for those students with added work of reproductive (unpaid) labour such as parenting. The report looks at how these issues differ and/ or align with forms of exclusion. In addition, my research report will investigate what exclusion in architecture is, to create a foundation for the discussion on higher education institutions being inclusive. Our environment affects our development and the development of our offspring; transprogramming of facilities is needed to generate a design that is wholly inclusive of its studentparent population and their offspring and family. In addition to the research aim, the report aims to answer the question of whether the university campus can accommodate student-parents with their child(ren) and family in a secure environment on campus. The research report demonstrates through the design that university education needs to be universally accessible in every aspect and no student should be denied or prevented