Rethinking student bathrooms with panels that perform

Jamie Sandilands, Specification Sales Director at Multipanel, explores why specifiers are increasingly looking to wall panels as a smarter, more durable solution for student accommodations. 

Student housing presents a very specific set of challenges. These are high-traffic, high-humidity environments that must be robust, easy to clean and simple to renovate when needed. In that context, traditional tiling’s grout lines and longer installation times can struggle to keep up. In many student developments, bathrooms and showers are shared by as many as 12 to 15 individuals, meaning they can be in use almost constantly throughout the day. This is a much heavier level of traffic than in a typical home or en-suite and places far greater demands on the durability and hygiene of surfaces.  

At the same time, students are not generally known for their cleaning habits, nor for ventilating spaces properly. Damp conditions and the build-up of soap, shower gel and shampoo residues can quickly make bathrooms unappealing if finishes are not carefully chosen. While students may not be responsible for cleaning, the spaces must be easy for maintenance staff to keep looking fresh and hygienic. 

Expectations are shifting too. With higher education involving a considerable financial commitment, many students see accommodation as part of that investment. There’s a growing demand for rooms that feel more like home, with clean, stylish bathrooms that offer a degree of comfort and reflect the value students place on their overall experience. 

Speed of installation 

In student developments, speed matters. Whether it’s a newbuild block with a looming handover date, or an annual summer refurbishment window with just weeks to complete multiple rooms, there’s rarely time to spare. Traditional tiled bathrooms  tend to require multiple trades, with drying times between each step and a greater risk of delays. Wall panels, by contrast, can be installed quickly and often by a single trade, reducing the overall programme length and keeping projects on track. Many systems can be fitted directly onto existing surfaces, including old tiles or plasterboard, which further accelerates turnaround and cuts back on waste. That’s a major advantage for teams tasked with upgrading dozens or even hundreds of rooms in a short period. 

Easy maintenance 

Grout has long been a weak point in bathroom design. It’s prone to discolouration, difficult to keep clean and, over time, can become a breeding ground for mould. In a setting where bathrooms are shared and cleaned regularly by staff, this becomes a significant issue both from a hygiene and maintenance point of view. Wall panels eliminate grout altogether. Their seamless surfaces are non-porous, making them quicker to wipe down and with nowhere for mould or grime to take hold. This translates to faster room cleans, fewer complaints and less time spent on maintenance. 

Built to be replaced 

Student accommodation interiors are updated on a much more regular basis than other housing types. Décor and fittings need to stay in line with market expectations, especially as the sector becomes increasingly competitive. Many wall panel systems are designed to be easily removed and replaced without disturbing the wider structure of the bathroom. This allows providers to refresh spaces without starting from scratch and supports sustainable asset management, allowing them to target specific areas as part of a rolling improvement programme. Panels with modular sizing and standard fixings make this process much simpler and more predictable. 

Meeting sustainability goals 

As the built environment grapples with carbon reduction targets and resource constraints, material choice is coming under increasing scrutiny and student housing is no exception. Many wall panel options use FSC-certified timber and have published Environmental Product Declarations. The dry installation method eliminates the need for water and adhesives, and their modular nature allows for circular reuse and recycling at end of life. Being less prone to mould and moisture damage, they’re less likely to be replaced prematurely, contributing to lower embodied carbon over the product lifecycle. 

With the right product choice, bathroom wall panels can tick a lot of boxes for student accommodation projects. From quick installs and clean lines to better lifecycle performance and simple long-term maintenance, they offer a compelling alternative to ceramic tiling.  

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