The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has set out its next steps for the Mackintosh Building, focusing first on stabilizing the structure and bringing the building’s exterior back into public view after years behind scaffolding.
After weekend reports described a “partial rebuild,” GSA disputed that characterization and released a Strategic Outline Business Case Addendum, an 80-page analysis produced after the school settled its insurance claim connected to the 2018 fire. The document lays out options, costs, and the financial reality facing a landmark that remains one of Scotland’s best-known works of architecture.
GSA’s Board of Governors said it cannot fund a full, faithful reinstatement alone. The business case puts the cost at about £265 million, roughly five times the school’s annual turnover, and said rising construction costs have left a significant funding gap even after the insurance settlement.
Instead, GSA plans to put insurance funds into an enabling project. The first phase replaces the external scaffolding with an internal retention system, which is meant to stabilize the building and expose the facade again. The work is set to start next summer, once design and permissions are complete, and it is tied to the school’s Conservation Management Plan.
For mason contractors and restoration teams, the scope reads like a familiar sequence on high-risk heritage work. Temporary works and retention need clear design responsibility, defined load paths, and tight access planning. Stone repairs need method statements that match conservation goals, along with sequencing that protects existing fabric during stabilization and investigation.
Historic Environment Scotland welcomed the investment, and RIAS and RIBA issued a joint statement supporting the plan, including stabilizing the facade and carrying out stone repairs. Both bodies called for Scottish and UK government support to secure the resources needed for full reinstatement.
Read the full, original article from Scottish Construction Now here.