Glasgow School of Art seeks building design team

Glasgow School of Art is seeking a team to design a new building opposite its Grade A-listed Mackintosh Building.

The school is launching an international hunt for an architect-led team to design the building as part of phase one of the school’s estate redevelopment plans.

The new building, which is scheduled to open in 2013, will house studios, workshops, exhibition spaces, lecture and seminar facilities, a new student union and an interpretation centre for the Mackintosh Building.

The Scottish Funding Council has committed up to £50m towards the new building, with other funds coming from land sales, borrowing and philanthropic sources.

The shortlist of candidates will be announced in May, with the winner announced in September. The competition judging panel will be chaired by architect David Mackay of MBM Arquitectes.

Seona Reid, director of the Glasgow School of Art, says, ‘Who could not be excited about what lies ahead? The prospect of appointing the design team that will work with us to develop the masterplan and design and deliver phase one is thrilling.

‘The phase one setting, opposite the much-loved Mackintosh Building, is, of course, crucially important and we need to ensure that the design team works with us to provide a building which current and future generations of staff and students will find as inspiring to work in as the Mackintosh Building.’