Design department buildings In the 1950s, SIU bought World War II surplus barracks and moved them to campus. Most were used for student or married housing. In 1960, the department took over four barracks for use as classrooms and office space. Four Domes were built in between the outermost pairs of barracks and the space between the center pair of barracks was roofed over to form the “Space Between.” The “Space Between” was an experimental, low-cost ($1 per square foot), and utilitarian building. In the 1960s the “Space Between” was renovated with stained lath trim, defined seating and exhibition areas, and a connecting bridge at floor level between the center pair of barracks. In the late 1960s, students designed a Frei Otto-style tension tent structure to replace the auditorium in the “Space Between.”