Project File: Comfortable living

Feb. 1, 2004
Construction at the East Student Residence at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Before construction of the East Student Residence at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, the university's housing structure was a 1970s high-rise, flanked by mid-rise residence halls, all reclad in corrugated aluminum siding because the original brick was falling off. The new $37 million residence was conceived of as a sequence of townhouses, and it harnesses town-planning principles of European city squares to foster security and community.

The two- and three-story walk-up townhouses have front doors that open onto a porch or colonnade. Most of the 164 units also have a rear door with a small patio. Each unit includes a kitchen, dining area, living room, washroom and single bedrooms. There are two, four, five and six-bedroom units in a variety of layouts, including eight suites with barrier-free access.

A typical unit has bedrooms on the upper floors and measures 1,356 square feet. The cultured-stone cladding at the base of the townhouses visually echoes the limestone in campus buildings. There are subtle changes from block to block. Some roofs are pedimented; others have vaulted arches. Inside the perimeter defined by the townhouses are courtyards, colonnades, pedestrian ways and common areas.

The architect is The Ventin Group Ltd., Architects (Cambridge, Ontario).

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