The most up-to-date account of the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterwork
The Mackintosh Building at The Glasgow School of Art is a monument of international significance in the history of architecture and design. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928), its soaring studios and atmospheric spaces would serve to educate and inspire generations of architects, artists, and designers, as well as attract visitors from around the globe.
This book presents the updated story of “The Mack,” incorporating for the first time the history of the building during the post-Mackintosh era up to the present day, including the May 2014 fire, reconstruction efforts, and the devastating fire of 2018 that destroyed most of the building. Illustrated with historical and archival images, reconstruction photographs, and visualisations using the latest 3D scanning technologies, it presents a comprehensive history of the context and creation of this building. The book updates knowledge of the building gleaned from the reconstruction process, including corrections of well-rehearsed assumptions. It also addresses controversies surrounding the second fire, examining issues around fire management that have received much public scrutiny. Including new and unpublished images, The Mack explores the significance of Mackintosh’s masterwork, its international design importance, and its profound impact on its community of users.
Robyne Calvert is a cultural historian specializing in the art, architecture, design, and fashion of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and was the Mackintosh Research Fellow at Glasgow School of Art from 2015 to 2021.
“Calvert interrogates the importance of Mackintosh’s masterwork, its international design significance, and its deep effect on the community. . . . She executes that interrogation with rigour, with sensitivity and with heart.”—Beth Williamson, Studio International
“The central core of the book is a succinct but detailed—and beautifully illustrated—history.”—Susan Mansfield, The Scotsman
"A hugely valuable contribution to our ongoing understanding of William Morris's work and legacy, revealing with passion, scholarship and clarity just how much William Morris, the most 'British' of designers, was inspired by art from the Islamic world." - Dr Tristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert museum and President of the William Morris Society
Included in The Scotsman’s "Best Scottish Books of the Year 2024"
Awarded the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion for Architecture 2024, sponsored by The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain
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