A recent report published by Campus Firewatch states that an alarming number of deaths have been reported over the past 10 years in off-campus student housing fires. The report is detailed in an article by the NFPA, which states that these unfortunate deaths are largely due to unsafe living conditions as well as the carelessness of students. Many students live in what used to be single-family houses that are now home to more people than they can safely hold. Many of these old houses also lack the wiring needed to accommodate the many electronic devices students use. Mix in the lack of sprinkler systems with careless student behavior, and you have a recipe for disaster.

While some students will undoubtedly continue to rent inexpensive rooms in overcrowded older houses, a demand exists for newer, safer housing and developers are looking to replace old housing with new off-campus student apartment buildings. These new apartments feature many of the amenities that students now demand and if they’re built with steel framing, they can better withstand the threat of fire, giving occupants the much needed extra time to escape.

At DeLuxe, our modular construction method utilizes only steel framing, and we choose to build this way because steel is remarkably strong, stable and safe. Steel is non-combustible—it won’t burn or act as fuel in a fire. Building with steel also earns owners a fire-safety insurance premium reduction. You can read more about the benefits of building with steel here. Additionally, DeLuxe’s steel-framed modular units are capable of achieving up to a 2-hour fire rating and meeting all national fire codes.

Fire safety is an important consideration in the construction of any structure, but in off-campus student housing that may be unsupervised, it is especially critical. Building with non-combustible steel-framing is one way for developers and owners to insure that students will be better protected in the event of a fire, and their lives quite possibly saved.

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