Canadian To Plan Design Center

John H. Andrews, the Canadian architect of Ontario's controversial Scarborough College building complex, will design George Gund Hall, the new center for the Graduate School of Design.

The $6 million Gund Hall will bring together all the Design School activities--architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and city and regional planning--now scattered over the campus in five buildings.

Andrews' buildings at Scarborough College, a "satellite" school affiliated with the University of Toronto, met with generally favorable professional criticism. The Architectural Forum magazine commented last year: "Andrews will be remembered for the courage as well as the quality of his achievement.

Many Scarborough students however, are reportedly less enthusiastic. Some have compared it to a "medieval fortress" (the entire complex is self-enclosed with interior streets running between buildings); others, "a power dam or the Maginot Line." Dr. David Abbey, a member of an educational study group connected with the University of Toronto, said in a September speech that student reaction to the structure ranges from "apathy to hostility."

A 1958 honors graduate of the Design School, the 34-year-old Andrews was selected by President Pusey and the Corporation Fellows.

Pusey asked for individual recommendations from the school's Faculty members. Design School Dean Jose Luis Sert reportedly submitted Andrews' name to Pusey.

L. Gard Wiggins, administrative vicepresident, expects construction to begin no sooner than next fall: He said the most optimistic completion date is the fall of 1970.

Reached at his Toronto office yesterday, Andrews said that he does "not subscribe to style" and that Gund Hall will not necessarily resemble the Scarborough complex. He has not yet drawn any preliminary sketches.

His current projects include a library and instruction center at Sarah Lawrence and an $11-million student housing complex for the University of Guelph in Ontario. Andrews was recently named chairman of the architecture department of the University of Toronto, where he has taught since 1962.