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REID BUILDING, THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART

Glasgow, United Kingdom. 2014

Description +

PROGRAM: art, design, and architecture school, including studios, project spaces, lecture theater, seminar rooms, cafe, exhibition, and academic administrative spaces

CLIENT: The Glasgow School of Art

SIZE: 121,094 sq ft

STATUS: Complete

The Reid Building is in complementary contrast to Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s 1909 Glasgow School of Art – forging a symbiotic relation in which each structure heightens the integral qualities of the other. A thin translucent materiality in considered contrast to the masonry of the Mackintosh building – volumes of light which express the school’s activity in the urban fabric embodying a forward-looking life for the arts.

Working simultaneously from the inside out – engaging the functional needs and psychological desires of the program – and the outside in – making connections to the city campus and relating to the Mackintosh building opposite – the design embodies the school’s aspirations in the city’s fabric.

Mackintosh’s amazing manipulation of the building section for light in inventive ways has inspired our approach towards a plan of volumes in different light. The studio/workshop is the basic building block of the building. Spaces have been located not only to reflect their interdependent relationships but also their varying needs for natural light. Studios are positioned on the north façade with large inclined north facing glazing to maximize access to the desirable high quality diffuse north light. Spaces that do not have a requirement for the same quality of natural light, such as the refectory and offices, are located on the South façade where access to sunlight can be balanced with the occupants needs and the thermal performance of the space through application of shading.

“Driven voids of light” allow for the integration of structure, spatial modulation and light. The “driven void” light shafts deliver natural light through the depth of the building providing direct connectivity with the outside world through the changing intensity and color of the sky. In addition, they provide vertical circulation through the building, eliminating the need for air conditioning.

Along the South elevation, at the same height as the Mackintosh main studios, a landscape loggia in the form of a Machair gives the school an exterior social core open to the city. The natural vegetation with some stone work routes the water into a small recycling water pond which will reflect dappled sunlight onto the ceiling inside.

A “Circuit of Connection” throughout the new Reid Building encourages the “creative abrasion” across and between departments that is central to the workings of the school. The open circuit of stepped ramps links all major spaces – lobby, exhibition space, project spaces, lecture theater, seminar rooms, studios, workshops and green terraces for informal gatherings and exhibitions.

Ecological Innovation +

BREEAM Excellent (equivalent to LEED Gold)
RICS Design through Innovation Award (2015)
Natural ventilation via “driven voids of light”
Radiant floor slab heater acts as vertical ventilation
Green roof
Storm water harvesting feeds sinks and toilets
New biomass plant serves Reid building and existing buildings

Videos +

  • Reid Building at The Glasgow School of Art, Steven Holl Architects
  • Reid Building at The Glasgow School of Art
  • Reid Building at The Glasgow School of Art

Credits +

  • client:

    - The Glasgow School of Art

    David Miller, Eleanor McAllister

    Douglas Anderson, Heather Gemmell (project managers)

    Megan Green (project administrator)

    Ian Jones (decant project manager)

    Stuart Miller (assistant project manager)

    Mike Sharp (academic coordinator)

  • architect

    - Steven Holl Architects

    Steven Holl (design architect, principal)

    Chris McVoy (senior partner in charge)

    Noah Yaffe (partner in charge)

    Dominik Sigg (project architect)

    Dimitra Tsachrelia (assistant project architect)

    Rychiee Espinosa, Scott Fredricks, JongSeo Lee, Jackie Luk, Fiorenza Matteoni, Ebbie Wisecarver (project team)

    Dominik Sigg, Peter Adams, Rychiee Espinosa (competition team)

  • associate architects

    - jmarchitects

    Henry McKeown (design director)

    Craig Tait (project architect)

    Paul Twynam, Vicky Batters (architect)

    Ian Alexander (design director, competition stages)

  • project manager

    - Turner & Townsend

  • general contractor

    - Sir Robert McAlpine

  • engineer

    - Ove Arup & Partners

  • quantity surveyor

    - Turner & Townsend

  • CDM Coordinator

    - Cyril Sweett

  • landscape architect

    - Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates

  • planning

    - Turley Associates

News +


  • 2018 06/18 Mackintosh Building at Glasgow School of Art Engulfed in Flames
  • 2014 02/01 The Reid Building, Glasgow School of Art
  • 2015 01/01 Best of both worlds
  • 2014 09/01 Art Academy in Glasgow
  • 2014 09/01 Ampliamento della Glasgow School of Art, Regno Unito
  • 2015 01/01 Seona Reid Building – Steven Holl Architects
  • 2014 09/01 Reid Building, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow UK
  • 2014 07/01 Seona Reid Building, Glasgow School of Art
  • 2015 10/27 The Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art wins 2015 LEAF Award and AIA NYS Award
  • 2011 03/24 Steven Holl Architect’s New Glasgow School of Art Unanimously Approved by Glasgow City Council’s Planning Committee
  • 2013 05/07 Steven Holl Architects’ Glasgow School of Art Tops Out
  • 2014 01/15 Artwork by Martin Boyce is a feature of Steven Holl Architects’ new Reid Building at The Glasgow School of Art
  • 2014 04/09 The Reid Building at The Glasgow School of Art Designed by Steven Holl Architects Opens April 9
  • 2014 07/22 Steven Holl Architects presents two films on the Reid Building at The Glasgow School of Art
  • 2014 11/17 The Glasgow School of Art / Seona Reid Building is awarded with the Supreme Award 2014 and the Education Design Award 2014 from the Glasgow Institute of Architects.
  • 2010 09/20 Steven Holl Architects Design for the Glasgow School of Art Redevelopment Unveiled

Awards +


  • 2015 LEAF AWARDS PUBLIC BUILDING OF THE YEAR
  • 2015 RICS DESIGN THROUGH INNOVATION AWARD
  • 2015 SCHUCO EXCELLENCE AWARD, STEEL PROJECT
  • 2015 AIA NYS INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN CITATION
  • 2015 ROYAL INCORPORATION OF ARCHITECTS IN SCOTLAND SHORTLIST
  • 2014 ARCHITECTS JOURNAL - AJ100 BUILDING OF THE YEAR
  • 2014 SUPREME AWARD - GLASGOW INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
  • 2014 EDUCATION DESIGN AWARD - GLASGOW INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
  • 2014 STRUCTURAL AWARDS BEST ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT STRUCTURE
  • 2014 CONCRETE SOCIETY CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE
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