Alignment of Architectural Studio Environments With Trauma Informed Wellbeing Principles: Evidence From Federal Universities in Northeast Nigeria

Architectural design studios require prolonged occupancy, concentration, collaboration and critique, making their physical and psychosocial quality especially important where students face prolonged insecurity and adversity. Empirical evidence on how far architectural studios in conflict affected higher education align with trauma informed wellbeing principles remains limited. This study assessed alignment across three federal universities in Northeast Nigeria – Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Modibbo Adama University (MAU) Yola, and the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), using a cross-sectional survey of 290 undergraduate architecture students. A Studio Design Assessment Checklist covering eight domains (safety and security, comfort, acoustic environment, natural elements, accessibility, health and wellbeing resources, sustainability, and overall satisfaction) was analysed using descriptive statistics, composite indices, one-sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, and Pearson correlation. The overall Studio Design Index (SDI) was 2.26, significantly below the 3.00 benchmark (t = −5.02, p = .001). Health and wellbeing resources scored lowest (M = 1.76) and acoustic environment second-lowest (M = 1.87), while natural elements (M = 2.59) and accessibility (M = 2.45) scored highest – yet all eight domains remained significantly below benchmark. Significant institutional differences emerged for safety and security, comfort, acoustic environment, accessibility, overall satisfaction, and the SDI, with MAU Yola consistently lowest and ATBU generally highest. Strong positive inter-domain correlations indicate that wellbeing-oriented studio conditions are interrelated rather than isolated. The findings demonstrate weak alignment overall and identify health and wellbeing resources and acoustic conditions as priority areas for intervention, providing empirical grounding for integrating physical, environmental, social and psychosocial considerations into studio planning and rehabilitation in conflict affected settings.