Photograph of the Construction of Complex B, South Residences (ca 1967-1968) from Regional & Campus History Collection, Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library (RE1 UOG A0177).

The bids for construction came in over-budget leading to serious cost-cutting. The steel formwork was substituted for the originally specified plywood which led to quality control issues and aesthetic downgrades. The building was constructed under tight deadlines and financial pressure, and only three of five proposed modules were constructed.

These inverted “F”-shaped residence modules had 4 wings connect to each other at crossroads. Three dining and common rooms are connected to associated residences via a bridge over a four-lane road. The basic social unit is the “alcove,” which consists of 4 single rooms and 1 double room sharing a landing and a washroom. There is built-in flexibility for separation or mixing of sexes on the basis of house, alcove floor, or room. Washrooms do not have urinals to maximize this flexibility depending on the ratios of male to female. Andrews believed the alcove construct to be the ideal grouping to build relationships because it resembled a typical family setting of 6 people. This layout has proven to be very successful as students report a high level of bonding and trust within the alcove.