Hard act to follow

Most elephants in the room are metaphorical. At Mackintosh’s celebrated Glasgow School of Art they were a reality…

Words Pamela Buxton

At least in the drawing from life class, where exotic animals from the nearby circus were walked up the road into a room thoughtfully equipped with the necessary drainage facilities and encouraged to stand still as the students drew. The story goes that once a camel broke a door with its hump on the way through. Fortunately, Mackintosh’s masterpiece, which has just celebrated its centenary, has proved robust enough to cope with all sorts of users – both animal and human.

Nowadays, it is an attraction for cultural tourists as well as a working art school, running up to seven tours a day in high season. In addition to the student facilities, there’s now a handsome exhibition of Mackintosh furniture and an extensive gift shop – Mackintosh is now fully merchandised. But what these visitors don’t get to do is roam freely inside the jewel in the crown of the building – the exquisite library, which is now largely closed to both public and students. Nowadays the library is virtually a museum, cocooned from the hectic, messy, noisy art school activities that go on within its walls.

Last week I was fortunate enough to gain access to the library and found it a revelation – much smaller than I imagined but far richer. What struck me most was the darkness of the interior and the insular nature of the space – such a contrast with the light, expansive spaces of contemporary academic libraries. Then there’s the decorative genius – twisting wood balustrades painted with different colours for different facets, the inlaid glass, and most dramatically the extraordinary cluster of pendant lights, each like a mini-skyscraper out of Gotham City. It’s a wonder anyone got any work done with so much to distract them from their studies.

Mackintosh is now so known for his distinctive aesthetic that it’s a bit of a surprise to realise as I toured the building that 100 years ago, his school of art was state-of-the art stuff, featuring the first integrated air-conditioning system in the country (no longer operational) and innovative synchronised electric clocks.

What a challenge for Steven Holl, the New York architect who recently won the competition to design a new building directly opposite the main entrance. Mackintosh’s building is a hard act to follow for anyone. But at least Holl won’t have to worry about how to accommodate the elephants.