New Glasgow School of Art Named Building of the Year at the AJ100 Awards

The project bested some of the most high-profile structures recently built such as the Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi by Aedas and the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan by Foster and Partners.

The building, which is built across from the historic Charles Rennie Mackintosh School of Art, has an exterior coated in glass. Its interior is dominated by concrete tubes which provide light and ventilation to the design studios.

According to the jury, both JM Architects and Steven Holl gave great contributions in creating a “bold, complex building.” The jury said, “The role of executive and associate architects in the creation of good and great buildings should be more fairly acknowledged.” It added, “The AJ and its jury for this award category is proud to take this lead.”

The award-giving body also recognizes the risk-taking nature of the building’s design and how it took more risks than the past three Stirling prize winners. “The Reid Building matters because it dares to walk the plank.”

The Reid Building which officially opened in April is now a part of a prestigious circle along with previous winners such as King’s Cross Station by John McAslan and Partners and Central St. Martins by Stanton William.

Steven Holl of Steven Holl Architects said about the building and its critics, “We had a lot of controversy, there were suspect articles from people second-guessing what this ­building could be, and I am very excited people can now come inside of it. You must come in, walk the space, and that is really when you feel the space and the energy.” Holl added, "I think the students 100% get it, and I think the people who have been in it get it, but I would like to see those early critics come inside."