Glasgow School of Art: We can't afford the £265m to restore the Mack to its former glory

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Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has said more financial support is needed if the Mackintosh Building is to be restored to its former glory – after being devastated by fires in 2014 and 2018.

The art school said it will cost about £265million to reinstate the historic building – equivalent to five times the GSA’s annual turnover.

The school had planned to restore the structure itself, but said despite the recent settlement of a long-running insurance claim, a ‘significant’ funding gap remains, in large part due to the rising cost of construction projects.

It said in light of the ‘financial clarity’ provided by the settlement, it now ‘cannot take forward the faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building on its own’.

In a paper published on Wednesday, the GSA has instead highlighted the potential for the building to become an anchor project in a ‘creative and cultural production innovation district’ in the city.

It said discussions are beginning with local and national government, stakeholders and potential partners to explore whether this ambition can be ‘collectively delivered’.

The world-renowned building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was severely damaged when a blaze broke out on June 15, 2018 as it neared the end of a £35million restoration project following a previous fire in May 2014.

Ann Priest, chair of the board of governors of GSA, 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.’

She said that since the first fire in 2014, the school had ‘consistently demonstrated’ that its ability to thrive is not dependent on the Mackintosh Building.

Ms Priest continued: ‘However, we believe that the Mackintosh Building [...] can have a new purpose and become a catalyst for innovation, regeneration and economic growth in and around Glasgow.’

To achieve this, the GSA said it will use the insurance settlement to fund a significant ‘enabling project’ to provide a platform for future rebuilding.

It said a ‘key phase’ of this work will see the leased external scaffolding that was erected around the building in 2018 replaced with an internal retention system.

This will reveal the exterior of the building, and provide a more secure structure for future works.

The school said it will now move ‘at pace’ to finalise the project design and secure the necessary permissions.

Ms Priest said: ‘The board believes that the reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building can, and should, be part of a heritage-led economic regeneration project, building on the existing creative and cultural production assets within this part of the city, to strengthen Glasgow’s creative eco-system and its position as one of the UK’s leading, creative economies.’

Stephen Hodder, GSA board of governors member and Riba (Royal Institute of British Architects) Stirling Prize winner, said he looks forward to supporting this ‘new and significant phase of work’.

Katerina Brown, chief executive officer of Historic Environment Scotland, described the announcement as a ‘milestone’ in securing the building’s long-term future.

‘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,’ she said.

‘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.’

First Minister John Swinney said: ‘The Glasgow School of Art have set out today the commitments they are going to make to enhance the Mackintosh building.

‘The Mackintosh building is a precious part of the city’s identity and the national heritage of Scotland.

‘The Glasgow School of Art will also encourage the creation of a partnership, of a way of making sure the Mac can be restored to its full use.

‘And the Scottish Government will engage constructively with Glasgow School of Art on that very question to establish how we can make sure that the market has got a purpose in the years to come, because it’s such an important part of the architecture of our country.’