The Student Bed Shortfall

2022 closed with a UK student bed shortfall of 1.5 million. Explore how our EGGER products can benefit PBSA developers and designers in this sector.

The pipeline of 102,000 planned beds won’t scratch the surface. This, and the counter-cyclical nature of the Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector, make it attractive territory for investors in 2023.

The nature of PBSA is changing. Social and amenity spaces are now crucial to brand success as developers look to sell lifestyle, not just a bed. To do this, interior designers need to focus on experience and brand identity.

Demand for PBSA in the current economic climate pushes specifiers to look for cost effective materials that are readily available. A focus on ESG is also shaping the final specification.

Part of meeting the brief is specifying materials that combine both factors: affordable and sustainable. EGGER provides efficient materials, manufactured with an environmental conscience and delivered via an integrated UK distribution network with turnaround from 24 hours.

Versatility

Choosing versatile materials that are suitable for multiple applications will streamline specification and fabrication, controlling project costs for these stages.

Eurodekor MFC is supplied ready to cut and edge into furniture, including beds, headboards, desks, wardrobes and kitchen units. An average PBSA unit requires 4 to 7 sheets of the material for these elements.

With 28 sheets per pack of 18 mm thickness, project fabricators can produce furniture for up to 7 units in a single run of the same decor.

18 mm MFC is held as standard industry stock UK wide via our distributors.

The benefit?

Assured availability of matching finishes in materials for multiple applications means specifiers can carry a brand identity through private rooms and amenities with ease.

Decor consistency means a uniform look can be achieved across any number of units.

Our 21 plants worldwide hold the same Decorative Collection, meaning brand identity can be maintained in international developments and in UK developments with overseas fabrication.

Private bathrooms

6000 student beds were unusable during Covid-19 due to having shared bathrooms. Private bathrooms are now largely standard in new units.

Specifiers commonly look to compact laminate for bathroom furniture, but it is rarely necessary. The sealed surface of Eurodekor MFC is perfectly suitable for cabinetry and IPS panels when finished with edging.

This means the same board material used for bedroom or kitchen furniture can be used for bathroom vanities. Smaller vanity styles are an opportunity to utilise off cuts, keeping material costs down.

Laminate worktops offer a durable vanity top. Our 4.1m length format means that five average length tops can be cut from a single piece.

Cut a 920mm wide double-postformed variant down the middle and double output to ten.

The laminate surface offers stain resistance and antibacterial properties in accordance with ISO 22196.

Everything from a single source

In the student accommodation sector, EGGER supplies materials for bed bases, headboards, wardrobes, desks, shelving, kitchen units, worktops, bathroom vanities, internal doors, flooring and the structural flooring beneath.

EGGER is unique as a supplier in offering efficient and cost-effective solutions for all of the above from a single source.

Shown product material sizes:

Eurodekor® MFC 2800 × 2070 × 18 mm
Door size laminate 2150 × 950 × 0.8 mm
Worktop 3050 × 600 × 38 mm Splashback 3020 × 1210 × 8 mm

All applications fabricated with matching ABS edging

Internal Doors

PBSA developments of multiple units require a high volume of interior doors.

Take a 100 unit site of 6 bed clusters with en suites, at 13 internal doors per unit. If painted or veneered doors are specified, the additional labour cost for 1300 doors is significant.

Door laminates require no additional labour after bonding and no ongoing maintenance.

They are pre-cut to internal door dimensions for less processing and wastage. They are abrasion resistant, stable and lightfast, assuring design consistency if doors are replaced or the development extended.