// Boost \\
The Student Potential
It's no secret: By removing barriers such as distance and affordability, colleges with carefully planned housing infrastructures see a consistent rise in retention and graduation, and their students achieve higher GPAs.
Founded in the Pacific Northwest by two veterans of the development, financing and startup worlds, Boost is a unique partner for secondary educational institutions in the U.S. that seek to re-imagine their approach to student housing.
Our flexible services take projects from feasibility through affordability, public-private partnerships, marketing, and occupancy with a nimble team. Our processes are deeply rooted in project and construction management, and our design vision is guided by an inherent belief in the value of hospitality, community, and the human potential.
All of this is to say that we understand the mission and the possibilities of visionary colleges invested in the future.
// Featured Case Study \\
Columbia Basin College // Sunhawk Hall
PROJECT: Columbia Basin College // Sunhawk Hall
LOCATION: Pasco, Washington
PROJECT: 3-Phase, 400 Bed Student Housing on 4.75 Acres
PHASE 1: Sunhawk Residence Hall
SIZE: 26,800 SF
BEDS: 44 micro-apartments offered as singles, doubles, triples, and quads
FLOORS: 3 stories
OPEN: September 2017
AMENITIES: All utilities included; best-in-class gigabit speed fiber wifi with individual room parity private access points; study lounges on each floor; laundry; outdoor furnished patios; fireplaces in entry and first-floor study lounge.
Columbia Basin College (CBC) has a rich tradition of providing secondary education to Benton and Franklin counties in Washington State. With almost 8,000 students per quarter, CBC offers two-year degrees, applied degrees and, recently, bachelor degrees in Nursing, Project Management, Cyber Security, and more.
In 2015 the school recognized the region’s increasing desire for accessible and affordable higher education, not just in the Tri-Cities but also across Southeast Washington. Seeing an opportunity for positive community impact, CBC revived a latent feasibility study with a new mission: Don’t just enroll more, but enroll global citizens and athletes; and don’t just retain students, but increase GPAs and graduation rates. Boost responded with a three-phase student housing plan that would balance the need for affordability with amenities. Placement on private land directly across from the college, and an intentional design shift toward smaller, private rooms, placed emphasis on connection and collaboration, inspiring students to engage with their peers while also providing seamless connectivity to their studies.
Opened in September of 2017, Sunhawk and its future sister buildings are giving students driven to learn a greater chance to succeed at CBC.
More Information: housing.columbiabasin.edu
// Featured Case Study \\
Washington State University | Tri-Cities
PROJECT: Washington State University | Tri-Cities
LOCATION: Richland, Washington
PROJECT: Multi-Phase, 800 Bed Student Housing
PHASE 1: 175-bed project offered as singles, doubles, triples, and quads
FLOORS: 3 stories
AMENITIES: All utilities included; best-in-class gigabit speed fiber WiFi with individual room parity private access points; fireplace in entry and first-floor study lounge; study lounges on each floor; laundry; outdoor furnished patio overlooking the Columbia River.
WSU Tri-Cities (WSUTC) was founded in July of 1958 as the Joint Center for Graduate Studies. Since that time, the campus was adopted by Washington State University as an urban campus and has grown to 1,300 students and has been authorized to provide a four-year university experience by the state legislature. The demand for campus development has been fueled by the growing population and industry of the Mid-Columbia region.
WSUTC plays a key role in educating young members of the Tri-Cities’ community and acts as a critical anchor within North Richland, WA. With access to world-class technical and academic resources, the number of academic majors available to students at WSUTC continues to increase and the Wine Science Center is the start of what may become a national focal point for education in a burgeoning wine industry. In addition, as a land-grant institution, WSUTC offers students an opportunity to obtain a first-class education at a moderate cost.
Knowing WSUTC had already established design standards that would drive the aesthetic of the buildings, the Boost team turned their focus to the student experience. Private and public spaces were designed for ease of use and support of community and the student lifestyle. Best-in-class fiber WiFi, main floor and residential floor study lounges for group collaboration, and patios overlooking the nearby Columbia River all came together to seamlessly blend pursuit of education with a distinct persona for the college and region.
WSUTC’s on-campus student housing project sends a clear signal that WSUTC is committed to providing an integrated academic/life experience to its students. This will no doubt spur accelerated growth at WSUTC, attract a diverse student body from across the nation and overseas, and enable WSUTC to fulfill the full scope of its potential.