- Investment in major project as gateway to reinstatement to begin in 2027 – funded by insurance.
- Chair of Governors says the Mackintosh can “have a new purpose and become a catalyst for innovation, regeneration and economic growth for Glasgow.”
- Board of Governors determines that the School cannot undertake faithful reinstatement on its own, but will explore every opportunity to do so in partnership.
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has today published its Strategic Outline Business Case Addendum – a detailed and up-to-date analysis of options for the future of the Mackintosh Building – following the settlement of a long-running insurance claim.
Informed by this substantial work, and the financial clarity provided by the recent settlement of the insurance claim for the 2018 fire, the Board of Governors has determined that the School cannot take forward the faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building on its own.
As the custodian of this important heritage asset, the GSA remains committed to exploring every opportunity for it to be faithfully reinstated, and the Board has agreed to invest in a significant enabling project, funded by the insurance settlement, that will provide a platform for future rebuilding.
The current cost of full reinstatement has been calculated at around £265m, equivalent to five times the GSA’s annual turnover, an amount that is not affordable and which would compromise the financial sustainability of the institution. The scale of such a project would be beyond the capacity and expertise of the School and, despite reaching a positive settlement with insurers, the funding gap is significant due in large part to the rising costs of construction projects.
A key part of the phase of work being announced today is the removal of the leased external scaffold, which has been in place since the 2018 fire, which will be replaced by an internal retention system. 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.
The School will now move at pace to finalise the project design and secure the necessary permissions and anticipates starting work on site next summer.
The 80-page analysis published today highlights the potential for the Mackintosh Building to become an anchor project in a creative and cultural production innovation district, attracting investment to the city, driving the growth of its creative economy, and supporting new businesses and employment opportunities. Discussions will begin immediately with the city, government, stakeholders and potential partners to explore whether this ambition can be collectively delivered.
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.
“The Glasgow School of Art is recognised internationally for the quality of its education, research, and impact. We make a substantial educational, cultural, social and economic contribution to Glasgow and beyond and it is important that we continue to do this now and in the future.
“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.
“In the 12 years since the first fire, and against the backdrop of a changing higher education landscape, the GSA has consistently demonstrated that its ability to operate – and indeed thrive – is not dependent on the Mackintosh Building.
“However, we believe that the Mackintosh Building – loved and cared for by so many people connected to the school, both in the past and since 2018 – can have a new purpose and become a catalyst for innovation, regeneration and economic growth in and around Glasgow.
“Glasgow is home to more than a third of all the creative and cultural sector businesses in Scotland.
Many of the institutions that define and drive Glasgow and Scotland’s creative sector are based within a mile of the School.
“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.
“The Mack will always have a special place at the heart of The Glasgow School of Art’s history, and we have further plans within the next phase of work to create museum standard interpretations of the building that will exist alongside its retained architectural elements and help tell the story of this remarkable place and the people who have worked and studied there for years to come.”
Stephen Hodder MBE, RIBA Stirling Prize winner and member of the GSA’s Board of Governors, said:
“The updated business case for the Mackintosh Building is a comprehensive piece of work that has been led and delivered by architects and other experts well-versed in complex heritage projects.
“This gateway project will let people see the Mack’s magnificent external elevations again, on a building for which so many people in Glasgow and around the world have a real and enduring affection.
“It also creates a solid foundation for future reinstatement works, guided by our Conservation Management Plan.
“Alongside colleagues on the board and in the management team, I now look forward to supporting this new and significant phase of work on such an important building.”
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.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- In 2024, the Glasgow School of Art commissioned an addendum to its Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC), published in 2021. The 80-page Strategic Outline Business Case Addendum (SOBCA) is made public today. This document contains robust and up-to-date strategic, financial, commercial, and economic assessments of the rebuilding scenarios that were identified in the 2021 This work is the detailed analysis that is referred to in the release.
- The SOBCA has been produced in line with the UK Government Treasury Green Book and Scottish Government Public Finance Manual.
- The Glasgow School of Art has settled its insurance claim in respect of the fire which occurred at the Mackintosh Building in June 2018. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
- The Board’s decision to progress with this major investment was informed by the settlement of the insurance claim for the 2018 fire and the completion of the SOBCA.
- The Board’s confirmed option is referred to in the SOBCA as ‘Scenario 3 Phase 1’.
- By investing in this project, the Board is ensuring the financial viability of the GSA and laying the foundation for further reinstatement works to take place, as and when partnership and funding It also removes the current ongoing cost of the current scaffold arrangement, which is not sustainable.
- The project approved by the GSA’s Board is aligned with the Building’s Conservation Management Plan (CMP). The CMP is the management plan for the building which guides future maintenance, alterations and repair, ensuring we protect the building’s cultural and architectural value.
- The economic assessment referred to in the statement is identified in the SOBCA as ‘Economic Case: Part Two’. It was produced by BOP Consulting and explores the potential for a reinstated Mackintosh Building to act as a heritage ‘anchor’ for a wider innovation cluster that supports local regeneration objectives.
- Aligned to the Scenario 3 Phase 1, the GSA will develop a museum-standard digital interpretation which will, in addition to visible external structure of the building and the retained architectural elements, present digital assets relating to the history of the building, its interiors and stories of people who studied and worked there.
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Ranked eighth in the QS 2026 World University Subject rankings, the GSA is the only institution in Scotland in the global top 10 for art and design and one of only three institutions within the UK.
Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.
The Mackintosh Building
- Following the June 2018 fire, the Mackintosh Building site was under the control of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service while they undertook a fire investigation report (published in January 2022). The Mackintosh Building was handed back to The Glasgow School of Art in late summer 2021;
- During the period the site was under the control of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which included the COVID period where all construction work was significantly curtailed, the School progressed with clearance and stabilisation works to the building structure in parallel to the SFRS investigation works. An update of this work was published in June 2020;
- To maintain progress with the project, alongside the SFRS investigation and debris clearance and stabilisation works, GSA commissioned the Strategic Outline Business Case in January 2020, which was published in October 2021. This concluded that the best option for the Mackintosh Building was faithful reinstatement;
- Following publication of the SFRS Fire Investigation Report in January 2022, the GSA undertook further advance works to the Mackintosh Building with Phase 1, physical preparation works and removal of fire damaged material, completed in January 2023;
- Phase 2A enabling works completed in June 2023. This included the installation of the temporary roof and building wrap. This has enabled the drying out of the building to commence, alongside continued reduction in scaffold and further strategic removal of unstable parts of the structure. This includes removal of the library piers (imperial bricks. All of this work is strategic, sequential and represents advance works in line with our October 2021 commitment to faithful reinstatement.
- In May 2024 the GSA announced it was undertaking an addendum to the Strategic Outline Business Case published in 2021 and entering into arbitration with its insurers. The SOBC Addendum would identify the appropriate route to delivery of the faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building.
- The GSA issued a Public Contracts Scotland Online Quotation in May 2024 for the appointment of architects to undertake the addendum to the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC).
- In July 2024, Reiach and Hall, with Purcell, were appointed to undertake the addendum to the SOBC. The combined team will commence work immediately and, with cost and economic consultants, robustly test the GSA’s previous assumptions, costs and economic impact, timelines and approaches to delivery of this significant project. The Addendum is published today (DATE) in July 2026.
- In May 2024, the GSA announced it had instigated arbitration proceedings with its insurers in respect of the 2018 In July 2026, The Glasgow School of Art confirmed that it has settled its insurance claim in respect of the fire which occurred at the Mackintosh Building in June 2018. The terms of the settlement are otherwise confidential.
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