Facilitating community while providing affordable housing options for students

Project Highlights

  • Verified the need for expanded housing options and re-developed the residential life program to create a financially feasible outcome
  • Determined the stand-alone development of the CEP to support additional student housing
  • Conducted risk transfer assessment to determine most advantageous development model for new housing
  • Advised the institution through P3 partner selection and negotiations
  • New 271,000sf student housing development anticipated for Fall 2027 opening

Client:
Tufts University

Solutions:
Housing, energy P3 development advisory

Our approach:

Brailsford & Dunlavey (B&D) conducted a comprehensive market assessment to identify the key factors influencing demand for new student housing. Based on these findings, the team redefined the housing facility program to better align with student preferences, residential life needs, and the university’s financial parameters. B&D developed a detailed student housing program model to project future housing requirements grounded in market data and institutional trends. In parallel, the team created a comprehensive energy model to evaluate total cost of ownership and analyze the financial sensitivity of various development scenarios—providing the university with critical insights to guide informed decision-making.