This research aims to address the challenges faced by university students living under Israeli occupation in accessing suitable university housing amid the difficult economic conditions of Palestinian society. It introduces the concept of sustainable economical furniture that combines affordability, environmental sustainability, and functional suitability. The study highlights practical furnishing strategies that balance quality and flexibility, making them appropriate for the limited spaces of student university housing. It adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine the reality of student housing in Palestine under the current difficult economic, social, and political context. It also reviews relevant literature and identifies students’ daily needs, financial constraints, and spatial limitations affecting the design process. Practically, the study adopts an applied approach through a full-scale 1:1 prototype for testing and measurement, alongside a comparative approach involving a global model, a local model, and the workshop outcomes of this study. The findings show that sustainable economical furniture reduces students’ financial burdens, improves the usage of small spaces, and provides a more comfortable and efficient living environment. The study concludes that adopting sustainable economical furniture offers a practical solution for supporting the sustainability of university student housing in Palestine and improving students’ living and educational experiences.

Title

The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context

Publisher

Common Ground Research Networks

Publisher Country

United States of America

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

0.13

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

--

Year

2026

Pages

1-26