Driven Void

This morning after a meeting in the Mackintosh Building of the GSA we were taken on a mini tour of the new Reid Building.

Opened last week by Robbie Coltrane, the Reid Building was designed by Steven Holl Architects of New York and Glasgow's JM Architects.

Steven Holl is recognised for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilise the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design.

The new five-storey building replaces the GSA's Newbery Tower and Foulis Building, but wraps around the three-storey stone Assembly Building, which houses the school's popular student union. Its geometric matte-glass exterior stands in contrast to the decorative sandstone facade of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterpiece across the street.

Steven Holl specialises in seamlessly integrating new projects into contexts with particular cultural and historic importance. One of the main aims of the design was to bring as much natural light into the building, there are three cylindrical shafts that he calls "Driven Voids", which bring light from the roof down to the basement. This is a view looking into one of the Driven Voids. I love the shape and form of this view and you can even see one of the balloons left over from the opening event.

Definitely a fascinating new addition to the GSA campus and well worth exploring.