Glasgow School of Art

A building that does not let you go

Mark Bains, lecturer at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, takes us imaginatively through the doors of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece, a building which has fascinated him ever since he went to Saturday morning painting classes as a schoolboy.

Right now we can’t really go inside Glasgow School of Art. It is currently being restored after surviving a potentially disastrous fire in May 2014. Thanks to heroic efforts of Glasgow’s Fire Services most of the building and contents were saved but urgent repair and restoration is now needed.

While this work is being done, Mark brings to life a building that’s still revealing its secrets. Pointing out visual tricks with symmetry, and artistry with light, Mark explains why the building ‘contains the seeds of the best of modern architecture’ and why every visit produces a new discovery.