GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, BARRY WARK
CONCRETE JUNGLE Barry Wark’s project for the Glasgow School of Art proposes the creation of new educational studios, public spaces and gardens, forming a block-wide strategy in response to the series of fires that have destroyed Mackintosh’s national icon. BARRY WARK
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he building’s existing facade is retained and restores key interiors that allow the building’s tour routes to be replicated. The studio spaces are moved into the extension creating a void in the former art school for events, gatherings and exhibitions. The extension is composed of studio spaces as well as zones reserved exclusively for plant colonisation that aim to bring notions of the wilderness into the city. Its folded geometry characterises the building’s facade with multiple seams on every element. This intricacy exists to encourage the propagation of vegetation from seeds dispersed there by the wind. The result is plant growth in a wild and indeterminate manner inspired by the urban cliff hypothesis. The design is inspired by the megalithic architecture of the city, historical Scottish castles and makes further references to the original building. The proposal looks to encourage future conversation about the building two years after the second fire. It takes the position that a new blockwide development, offering new forms of public spaces and gardens in Glasgow city centre, could be more preferable than a total restoration. FC&A – SEPTEMBER – 2020
Here, in an FC&A exclusive, Editor, Rebecca Kemp, talks to Barry Wark about the concept and inspiration behind his eyecatching proposal and finds out more about his career as an Architect.
Please tell us a bit about your career background. I undertook my education in Glasgow and at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, where I specialised in bio- and 16
digital design and fabrication. I knew upon graduating that I wanted to explore a more experimental form of practice combining both academic and professional endeavours. I spent 12 years working for reputable London firms before establishing my own architectural practice in 2015. Although rooted in buildings, the work also operates collaboratively in the set design and installation industries. I combine this work with ongoing teaching and research activities at Bartlett, exploring biophilic design and aesthetics to challenge an anthropocentric view of the built environment.
