Sam de Santis, President of the GSA Student Union, and Muriel Gray, Chair of the Board of Governors with members of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on the steps of the Mackintosh Building today
Students from The Glasgow School of Art gave a guard of honour send off to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service today (30 May 2014) as they left the Garnethill campus where they have been in 24-hour attendance since the fire broke out in the Mackintosh Building last Friday. The last of the SFRS appliances drove down Renfrew Street accompanied by a piper and loud cheers from the GSA staff and students.
“The students returned to the campus today and the GSA is now focussing on its academic work moving forward towards graduation,” says Professor Tom Inns Director of The Glasgow School of Art.
“However we did not want to miss this opportunity to once again register our deep and heart felt thanks to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who over the last week have been quite simply amazing.”
The news came as the Architects Journal, which last week awarded the GSA’s Reid Building the prestigious AJ 100 Building of the Year accolade, announced that it is to present a special architectural award to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for its extraordinary efforts in saving one of the world’s most admired buildings.
AJ acting editor Rory Olcayto said: ‘Their bravery, quick- wittedness and civic pride are qualities the whole architecture profession is grateful for.’
The Glasgow School of Art is now working towards the end of the academic year and 2014 graduation. Meanwhile, expert stonemasons from Historic Scotland have begun to remove part of the Western Gable of the Mackintosh Building which is being taken away for conservation work.
EndsFurther information
Lesley Booth
0779 941 4474
press@gsa.ac.uk