More than a decade after the first fire at the iconic Mackintosh building, Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has admitted that restoring the building is "not affordable".
Glasgow city centre was brought to a standstill when the first fire broke out in May 2014 and destroyed parts of the building. Restoration efforts were well underway to return the iconic building to its former glory when a second and more devastating fire broke out in June 2018. Since then, the building has been left in a state of limbo with a "faithful reinstatement" set out as the "preferred long-term strategic outcome" following a 2021 report into its condition.
Report says full restoration not affordable
However, a new report published today, July 22, has said that the current situation is "not considered sustainable" and that fully restoring the building is "not affordable without substantial external funding and partnership support". It estimated that the cost of full restoration would be around £265 million - around five times the GSA’s annual turnover. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh at the turn of the 20th century, the Mackintosh building had stood proudly on Renfrew Street in Glasgow city centre for more than 100 years before it was devastated by the fires.
Today's report comes following the settlement of a long-running insurance claim as a result of the second fire in 2018, which the GSA says provides "financial clarity".
Preferred way forward
An option outlined as the preferred way forward would see the removal of the unsustainable "leased external scaffold", which has been in place since the 2018 fire, and replaced by an "internal retention system". GSA says this will reveal the external elevations of the building and provide a more secure structure for future works, all in line with the recently completed conservation management plan. Work to secure the necessary permissions to begin construction will begin "at pace" and GSA anticipates work on the building could begin next summer.
But critics have said anything short of an authentic restoration would be a "national disgrace". Painter and writer Lachlan Goudie told BBC Scotland: "The fact it has taken that long to get to a point where we know nothing much, beyond the GSA don't have enough money to rebuild it, is shameful. It is a national disgrace what has happened here. Nothing less than an authentic recreation of what Macintosh left Glasgow and the world will do."
Reactions and future plans
In the 80-page report, GSA have highlighted the potential for the Mackintosh Building to become an "anchor project" and hope that it can "have a new purpose and become a catalyst for innovation, regeneration and economic growth for Glasgow". Ann Priest, chair of the Board of Governors of The Glasgow School of Art, said: "We very much want to see this exceptional and globally important building rebuilt, but we cannot put the financial sustainability of the GSA at risk in doing so. As governors, we are legally bound to act in the best interests of the school and have a duty to current and future students and staff to keep the school in good financial health, focused on its core educational purpose."
Ms Priest added that 'the Mack' will "always have a special place at the heart of The Glasgow School of Art’s history" and that the board wants the reinstatement of the building to be "part of a heritage-led economic regeneration project". Katerina Brown, chief executive of Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said: "This announcement marks a key milestone in securing the long-term future of the Mackintosh Building. We welcome this significant investment in a building of global importance and are already engaging with Glasgow School of Art on the next stages of the project. We look forward to continuing that relationship and to seeing the Mackintosh Building once again become a catalyst for heritage-led regeneration, learning, creativity and innovation in Glasgow and beyond."
