Sarah MacKinnon, Project Manager, Mackintosh Restoration Project gave an excellent talk on the Glasgow School of Art and the ongoing restoration. She was very thorough in explaining the story from the building’s beginnings to the ongoing plans for the buildings restoration. In telling the tale it became clear that Macintosh’s design was very innovative for its time and influenced architecture worldwide. As a result, to borrow from Bob Paris who gave the vote of thanks, members were pleased to be assured that the restoration would be ‘Macintosh’ rather than ‘Mockintosh’. It was especially good to hear that the restoration aims to deliver a building fit for the next hundred years.
Personally I enjoyed learning about the GSA afresh. I’d forgotten that the building had been built in two phases and that the solid wall on the West elevation of the first phase had helped prevent the fire traveling eastwards from the fire. The diagram showing the ventilation/ heating ducts made very clear the dangers they posed in the fire being able to travel hidden within the building – something which is to be designed out in the restoration. One slide which showed the two sides of a door heavily burnt on one side and almost pristine on the other was quite a revelation. I wish the restoration well.