On 7 June 2017, the 149th birthday of Scotland's renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928), the Glasgow School of Art presented the symposium “Mackintosh: Materials and Materiality," with the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH).

Currently there are several major projects underway to restore and/or reconstruct Mackintosh's architectural and design work, and the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society has recently completed a condition survey of all extant Mackintosh sites. These projects have provided new opportunities to closely examine the material aspects of Mackintosh's work, and new discoveries have already come to light. This symposium offered a forum for knowledge exchange between these projects, with particular emphasis on tangible material research and the more intangible ideas of materiality that can complicate conservation approaches. Pamela Robertson, Professor Emerita and Honorary Professorial Research Fellow, University of Glasgow, delivered the keynote. Speakers represented four major Mackintosh projects: Glasgow School of Art, The Willow Tea Rooms, the interiors from the Ingram Street Tea Rooms in the collection of Glasgow Museums, and the National Trust for Scotland – The Hill House. The closing included an open discussion to offer an opportunity to explore this research with the wider architectural community.

Keynote Speaker:
Pamela Robertson, Professor Emerita and Honorary Professorial Research Fellow, University of Glasgow
Confirmed Speakers:
Alison Brown, Curator of European Decorative Art from 1800, Glasgow Museums/Glasgow Life
Elizabeth Davisdon, Senior Project Manager, Glasgow School of Art, UK
John Sanders, Simpson & Brown Architects (The Willow Tea Rooms)
Bryan Dickson, Head of Buildings Conservation, The National Trust for Scotland
Will Napier, AdamsNapier Heritage Consultants
David Macdonald, General Manager, Laurence McIntosh
Adam Frost, Visualisation Specialist, GSA School of Simulation + Visualisation
Chair & Organiser:
Dr Robyne Calvert, Mackintosh Research Fellow, Glasgow School of Art