The Best in Class Awards 2021

The 15-minute city embodies the departure from past to present-day urban planning as the pandemic and global warming has 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.

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. Recognizing 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A strong property focus with good supporting material.

It is clear Tom is an incredible talent, constantly looking to improve the student experience through innovation, transparency, and wellness. The nomination shows how passionate Tom is about community and ensuring his residents are part of that journey. An incredible young talent and ambassador for the blended living sector

Run by students for students - fabulous concept and ability to give the target audience a real voice in how their accommodation needs are met.

Nido is showing clear signs of prioritizing sustainability on a range of levels, led by residents' feedback which is very positive.

Amazing effort in this area, with impact on students clearly underlined by overwhelmingly strong feedback from students.

Well constructed approach to tenant need.

Strong attention to detail and flexibility in its approach.

The idea of a ‘Complete Connected Community’ gives residents an opportunity to make new friends and meet new people on a daily basis.

Showcases a clear commitment and innovation in attracting talent.

The University of Kent Accommodation Office provides an unprecedented wealth of services to its students, especially during induction. Their sophisticated online booking environment, featuring virtual tours raises the bar of The Best in Class student experience.

Outstanding involvement from students, showing great commitment towards removing stigma, and clearly showing this is nowhere near their finishing line with a commitment to the following year evidenced.

At Marques de Pombal they involve and put a lot of effort in the co-creation process, with development/design teams staying in the residences. Combined with surveys and other ways of feedback, this creates a good base for a customer-oriented, sustainable design. In addition to that, they have a clear connection and promotes social solidarity between the property and the neighborhood.

They offer a holistic approach to wellbeing from spiritual and mental health to physical and academic wellbeing, paired with a thoughtful and considered design mixing quiet and lively spaces. This is an excellent all-rounder-continuously looking to improve and evolve.

This submission showed fabulous examples of co-living, and the ability to really engage with their local community to prepare students for their future.

Equal chances to access and succeed in higher education is paramount for inclusive cities and communities. Kiron’s mission to increase these chances for refugees, through digital solutions cannot resonate better with our mission at The Class Foundation. The learning opportunities that Kiron offers are providing bridges for refugees and asylum seekers over growing barriers, and we applaud that!

Talent Garden is an outstanding example of how physical spaces revolutionize the ways in which talent is working, making, playing, and learning together. The TAG spaces accommodate a wide variety of like-minded people, being it in different phases of life. This creates a magnificent platform for inspiration.

The success and attractiveness of Barcelona is a triumph of constant urban regeneration. With an elegant talent attraction campaign, the Barcelona City Council has proven that a distributed network of innovation hubs is a great way of absorbing international talent. We especially value the focus on social engagement that the City Council offers to newcomers, rooting them better in local society.

A superb example of a university going the extra mile to adapt its operations to meet student demands and give them as much control over selecting their accommodation and support once they arrive and start living in the residences

An impressive set of details that from the very conception has the goal to make the building sustainable and raise an environmental conscience among its residents. From the direction of the ceiling to how the floor is heated, everything is thought to make sure that no energy is wasted.

This entry was particularly strong in its inclusivity and partnership to bring mental health into close focus within their own operations.

This was a very close competition as all submissions brought in a similar level of development of student accommodation, however, Student Experience showed a very thought-through commitment to student experience which deserves recognition among their peers.

Very well evidenced by projects that will ensure students actually get access to university education by working with them from very early stages; it also shows immense commitment to diversity & inclusion, going beyond its borders to promote a fairer world.

Staytoo Apartments showed the most practical demonstration of public/private partnerships with its dovetailed planning with the university and use of space to house incoming teachers. A superb example of how to co-use housing space.

The application impressed the jury with its efforts around attracting talent, such as the #berlinjobs campaign and the talent-focused portal. Some really well thought through planning.