Archinect - News

Scottish government won’t investigate Mackintosh Building fire over high costs

2024-06-16T05:48:00-04:00

The Scottish government has rejected calls for a public inquiry into the two blazes that devastated the Mackintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art, which was ravaged by fire in 2014 and again in 2018.

As we previously reported, it took the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) 172 days to come up with its answer that the cause of the 2018 fire was “undetermined.” Restoration work is currently in Phase 2 in Glasgow. Scotland's culture minister, Angus Robertson, told reporters: “Given the current financial landscape, it is difficult to identify a way that this could [be] funded, or justified, given the protections already given to historic buildings in fire safety and construction legislation, and the progress already made since the 2018 fire.”

Rowan Moore pleas to end the time-wasting for Glasgow’s lost Mackintosh library rebuild

2024-05-15T12:05:00-04:00

Much though the school’s director Penny Macbeth insists that “our commitment is not diminished in any way shape or form”, an implication of their current approach is that the building’s renewal has to be justified in terms of regeneration and tourism. It seems to reopen the question whether the rebuild should happen at all. Lacking here is a conviction that the building must be brought back, whether or not it’s good for business on Sauchiehall Street.

Moore also claims “the responsibility to bring back a national treasure should not be theirs alone” (meaning the school’s) in support of his view that setting up an SPV for development would be, for now, the best way to go in order to meet the original promises issued in 2018.

Next Saturday (May 25th) marks the tenth anniversary of the first devastating 2014 fire. A new insurance dispute is further delaying the process even after The Glasgow School of Art announced a second tender for the proposed restoration project could come by the end of next month.

Glasgow School of Art enters Phase 2 of its Mackintosh Building restoration

2023-01-27T16:49:00-05:00

The first phase of preparation work for the rebuild of the Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Building has been completed. More than 5,500 tons of fire-damaged material was removed from the site, and a thorough evaluation of the building was undertaken.

Shortly following a devastating fire that caused widespread damage to the historic structure in June of 2018, work began to dismantle parts of the building that were at risk of sudden collapse. At the time of the blaze, the Mackintosh Building had been undergoing extensive restoration due to an earlier fire that damaged the site in 2014.

Previously on Archinect: Work to dismantle the dangerous parts of the Mackintosh Building is underway

Following the completion of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s investigation into the cause of the fire, which was deemed undetermined, the Glasgow School of Art was able to focus on identifying what could be retained and disposed of in the structure. This was done in parallel with undertaking a St...

Cause of 2018 fire that destroyed Mackintosh Building is "undetermined" according to new report

2022-01-25T17:10:00-05:00

The fire that ripped through Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building in 2018 was so fierce and all-consuming that the cause can never be known conclusively, according to a long-awaited report.

The report by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), which involved more than 172 weeks of excavation and examination of hundreds of tons of debris, along with analysis of witness testimonies, CCTV, and photographic evidence, deemed the cause of the fire as “undetermined”. This was the most complex and resource-intensive investigation ever undertaken by the service. However, as noted by The Guardian, the report lists arson and electrical failure as potential culprits.

Previously on Archinect: Work to dismantle the dangerous parts of the Mackintosh Building is underway

The report notes that much of the physical evidence that could have provided clues, such as the Fire Warning System control panel and the CCTV hard drive, was so badly damaged that they couldn’t provide any information. The SFRS attributes the length of the investigation to the engineering procedures that were required to stabilize the remaining structure before people could access the site.

Mackintosh Building will be rebuilt, Glasgow School of Art's Chairwoman confirms

2018-09-17T13:29:00-04:00

Glasgow's Mackintosh building will definitely be rebuilt, according to Muriel Gray, chairwoman of the Glasgow School of Art's board. The building was gutted by fire in June, following another blaze in 2014. The future of the GSA has faced speculation that it could be demolished or turned into a museum. But Ms Gray, a former student at the school, told BBC Scotland it would be rebuilt as a working art school, saying that was "non-negotiable".

The chairwoman of the Glasgow School of Art's board, Muriel Gray, estimates that the rebuilding efforts of the historically significant structure may take four to seven years.

Previously:

Work to dismantle the dangerous parts of the Mackintosh Building is underway

2018-07-19T14:52:00-04:00

Following a devastating fire that broke out last month, the Glasgow School of Art has begun dismantling parts of the celebrated Mackintosh building that were comprised by the damage caused by the flames and at risk of sudden collapse.

In a statement on the progress of the disassembly, the school issued an update on the following work:

Work began on the central section of the South façade, above Sauchiehall Street, on Tuesday afternoon (11 July) and this section has now been lowered to the bottom of the parapet.

Over the weekend of 14-15 July the South East staircase, which was one of the most fragile areas of the building, was taken down safely. The dismantling of this section is almost to first floor level. Work on the East end of the South façade is expected to continue for at least another two weeks.

Simultaneously work has begun to lower the East gable. All of the coping stones on the top of the gable had suffered severe fracturing caused by the metal cramps which hold them exp...

Glasgow School of Art Director: "We're going to rebuild the Mackintosh building"

2018-07-10T14:00:00-04:00

Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building, which was gutted by fire last month, will be rebuilt, the school’s director has told the Guardian. The commitment by Tom Inns ends weeks of speculation about the fate of the 110-year-old building, after many experts raised fears that the scale of the blaze would make it impossible to rescue and rebuild it.

"We’re going to rebuild the Mackintosh building," GSoA director Tom Inns told The Guardian in his first interview since the June 16 fire. "There’s been a huge amount of speculation about what should happen with the site and quite rightly so, but from our point of view and that of the city of Glasgow, it is critically important that the building comes back as the Mackintosh building."

Previously:

Due to damage caused by fire, parts of the beloved Mackintosh Building will be dismantled

2018-06-29T15:46:00-04:00

Earlier this month, a devastating blaze ripped through the celebrated Mackintosh building, threatening one of the world's finest examples of art nouveau design. The library, which was the crown jewel of Mackintosh’s vision for GSA, was currently undergoing an extensive restoration following another fire that damaged the building back in 2014.

Unfortunately, the fire two weeks ago was more widespread, engulfing the entire building as well as the neighboring 02 ABC music venue. The damage is so extensive that the Glasgow City Council announced yesterday that the building is in danger of a sudden collapse, and will require an immediate dismantling of the south facade, with other reductions likely to follow.

Both the GCC and GSA are maintaining a commitment to resurrecting the building, stating they will do everything they reasonably can to ensure its future. However, Kier Construction Limited, the company leading the restoration of the Mackintosh Building, will no longer be able to ca...

After Friday's fire, Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh building might be saved from demolition

2018-06-18T14:48:00-04:00

The surviving shell of Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building, devastated by fire last weekend, is expected to be saved from demolition, council officials have said. [...] Fire crews are still working on the last remaining hotspots and are not expected to allow investigators, damage assessors and structural engineers into the structure until Wednesday at the earliest.

After the Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building suffered through yet another devastating fire last Friday night, the art school, Glasgow City Council, and Historic Environment Scotland are coming to an agreement that the building should be saved. However, this does not mean a decision has been made to reconstruct the building to Mackintosh's original design, a council spokesman told The Guardian. An operational sprinkler system was not installed at the time of the fire, although “a fire strategy had been in place for the renovation and reconstruction”.

Glasgow School of Art engulfed by fire, again!

2018-06-16T16:00:00-04:00

Flames ripped through the celebrated Mackintosh building after it caught fire at about 23:20 on Friday. The blaze spread to nearby buildings, including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue, which suffered "extensive damage". The renovated Mackintosh library had been due to reopen next year.

Glasgow School of Art unveils prototype of Mackintosh Library bay based on the original 1910 design

2017-09-08T18:09:00-04:00

Today, the Glasgow School of Art unveiled a full-size prototype of a section of the Mackintosh Library bay that is based on the original 1910 design, marking another step forward for the building's restoration after the devastating 2014 fire. Following two years of meticulous research and six months in the making, the prototype was presented in the workshops of specialist carpenters Laurence McIntosh and has been used for multiple design tests.

Mackintosh Library in 2014 (pre-fire). Photo © McAteer Photo.

“For those of you who remember the library as it was in 2014 the biggest change you will notice is the color. This is how we believe is how the library would have looked in 1910,” said Professor Tom Inns, Director of The Glasgow School of Art, in a statement. Columns and shelves that survived the fire revealed that much of the library was constructed with American Tulip wood, he added. The Tulipwood for the Library is currently being sourced in the U.S. and will then be manufacture...

From the Historic Massachusetts Cotton Mill, yellow pine timber gets a second life at the Mackintosh Building in Glasgow

2017-08-04T16:37:00-04:00

In May 2014, as students prepared their final-year degree show, the Mackintosh Building that houses The Glasgow School of Art was engulfed by flames and severely damaged. The building, built between 1897-1909, is one of the Scottish city's most famous structures. It is considered the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh's ultimate masterwork and in 2009, was awarded RIBA's "Sterling of Sterlings prize" when chosen, through a nationwide poll, as the best British-designed building of the past 175 years. About 90% of the historic building was spared by the fire but the library, one of the finest examples of art nouveau design, as well as the Japanese-inspired Studio 58 were almost entirely destroyed.

The Mackintosh Library (pre-fire). © McAteer Photograph

Studio 58 (after the fire) © McAteer Photograph

Soon after, a careful restoration plan began headed by the Glasgow-based firm, Page\Park architects. Work on the building has been in constant progress since the summer of 2014, beginning w...

Better than ever: Mackintosh Building will reopen in 2018 along with campus expansion

2016-04-22T12:55:00-04:00

Two years ago, a disastrous fire broke out in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Building, the jewel of the Glasgow School of Art’s campus. Now, after sifting through the damage, outlining a careful restoration plan and finding the funds, the Glasgow School of Art has announced that the building will not only be back in operation for the 2018 - 2019 academic year, but will also be part of a campus expansion plan that includes upgrading the Mac’s east wing, and adding a former Stow College building for studio/workshop space.

Just as it was before the fire, when it reopens The Mac will be at the center of the campus circulation, and serve as the home-base for first year students. The new Stow College site will be refurbished by BDP beginning this summer, with plans for the School of Fine Arts to move in the fall of 2017.

Page\Park, the architects appointed to restore the Mac and expand its east wing, started work in March 2015. Total costs are rounding out to £51m (about two-thirds for the r...

Shortlist for Mackintosh Building restoration contractors announced (plus, cool renderings of the fire damage!)

2016-03-17T13:53:00-04:00

Restoring the fire-damaged Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art isn't just about sourcing the appropriate physical materials, but introducing a spirit of rejuvenation to the younger set, too.

“We want to make sure that the restoration of The Mackintosh Building can deliver increased
levels of traditional skills training in Glasgow and the surrounding area,” Liz Davidson, Senior Project Manager, Mackintosh Restoration said in a press release. “We will expect our Main Contractor to commit to an extensive programme of recruiting and training new apprentices which will both support the local economy in Glasgow and ensure that the skills required to restore historic buildings such as the Mack do not die out.”

The winner of the shortlist of contractors, which includes Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd, BAM Construction Ltd, John Graham Construction Ltd, Kier Construction and Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd., will be tasked with restoring one of architecture's most treasured spaces. T...

A helping hand: Glasgow School of Art receives detailed Mackintosh Building sketches from Ph.D. alumnus, as restoration plan progresses

2015-09-08T18:40:00-04:00

Prospects look promising right now for the Glasgow School of Art as their plan to restore the historic Mackintosh Building from a devastating fire last May pieces itself together. After months of debate about whether to restore or replace the Mackintosh, locally based Page\Park Architects won the competition to work with the school in restoring the structure this past March.

Most recently, the GSA received a gift of 22 architectural drawings of the Mackintosh Building, meticulously drawn and donated by Professor George Cairns from the QUT Business School in Brisbane. They're considered to be the most comprehensive drawings of the building in existence.

George Cairns' drawing of the East Wing Staircase.

Perhaps this was a stroke of luck for the school. Cairns first created the drawings while working toward his Ph.D. at GSA's Mackintosh School of Architecture during the early 1990s. The A1-size drawings, which are mostly drawn at a 1:100 scale, depict the Mackintosh as it was completed i...

Page\Park Architects to lead Glasgow School of Art restoration

2015-03-31T14:06:00-04:00

Glasgow-based Page\Park Architects have been appointed from a shortlist of five companies who bid for the role. They will now start work on a detailed plan for restoration. Work is expected to begin in spring 2016 with hopes for academic access from 2017/2018. The art school is continuing efforts to raise £20m to pay for the restoration of the Mackintosh and its contents. [...] They were lead designers for the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project from 2007-2009.

If all goes to plan, the library that was damaged by a fire in May of last year will reopen for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Glasgow School of Art has provided additional information regarding Page\Park's restoration and working relationship with the School in a press release, presented here in a slightly condensed form:

"The Glasgow-based architects have an extensive track record in both restoring and reinvigorating major historic buildings. They have also worked across the spectrum of Mackintosh's designs from the domestic at the Hillhouse, through commercial at the former Glasgow Herald offices - now the Lighthouse, to his finest cultural and academic work at the School of Art itself - as lead designers for the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project (2007-9)

“The team assembled by Page \ Park Architects impressed us not only with their deep knowledge of the building, but of the wider work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh,” says Professor Tom In...

Mackintosh Library: restore or create anew?

2015-03-18T16:07:00-04:00

After almost a year of impassioned debate, the Glasgow School of Art’s Director has announced that its Library will be restored to its original state. [...] In response to Professor Inns' statement, Professor of Architecture Alan Dunlop asserts below that Mackintosh himself sought new forms in architecture and that there are architects capable of designing a new Library to live within his original masterpiece.

Previously: Five firms shortlisted for Mackintosh Library renovation after devastating fire

Mackintosh exhibition emphasizes need for careful selection of architect for Glasgow School of Art restoration

2015-02-16T13:54:00-05:00

As Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s drawings go on display at the RIBA, the search is on for the architect who might best restore the glory of his fire-damaged masterpiece, the Glasgow School of Art. [...] But the list seems to have been compiled too much on the basis of who has been there and done what when it comes to restoring historic buildings, rather than a real desire to find architects with the right sensitivity for the job.

Previously: Five firms shortlisted for Mackintosh Library renovation after devastating fire

Clinton's keynote, Boston's Olympics, and California's bullet train groundbreaking: Weekly News Round-Up for January 5, 2015

2015-01-12T15:33:00-05:00

Friday, January 9:

Boston wins U.S. Olympic Committee's bid for 2024 Games: Beating out Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC, Boston's Olympic campaign estimates it can finance the Games with $4.5B in private funds and $5B or so in publicly-funded infrastructural projects.

Thursday, January 8:

Archinect Sessions is back with Episode 11, "Another year, Another Architecture", with the multi-talented Mitch McEwen: Mitch talks opportunity and collaboration in Detroit, and opines on architecture's shifting professional identity.
Five firms shortlisted for Mackintosh Library renovation after devastating fire: Glasgow School of Art will choose between Avanti Architects, John McAslan + Partners, LDN Architects LLP, Page \ Park Architects and Purcell by the end of March 2015.

Wednesday, January 7:

Driving in the US is coming to a standstill, and that's a good thing: The Federal Highway Administration released a report anticipating no-change in driving per capita, which means less money al...

Five firms shortlisted for Mackintosh Library renovation after devastating fire

2015-01-08T14:25:00-05:00

Now millions of pounds are being raised towards returning the Mackintosh to its former glory, with the five shortlisted firms now being invited to detail their plans and make presentations in mid March. A winner will be selected later that month. [...] The five firms are: Avanti Architects, John McAslan + Partners, LDN Architects LLP, Page \ Park Architects and Purcell.

The fire that broke out in May of 2014 destroyed much of the Glasgow School of Art's historic library, designed by Scottish architect Charles Mackintosh. Around 70% of the building's contents were saved by firefighters, but the library itself was drastically damaged. Restoration discussions and donations began percolating shortly after.

All of our previous reporting on the Mackintosh fire can be found here.

Glasgow School of Art to hold conference about restoration of Mackintosh library

2014-09-03T13:32:00-04:00

Architectural experts are to meet in Venice to discuss the restoration of Glasgow School of Art's (GSA) Mackintosh library, which was destroyed in a fire in May. The art school will host two meetings to explore key questions around the rebuilding of the unique library, one in the Italian city in October and the second in Glasgow next spring.

Previously: Glasgow School of Art fire

Slums, Siza and squatting: ICYMI Weekly News Round-Up for July 21, 2014

2014-07-28T14:45:00-04:00

In Case You Missed It, a look back at the major happenings from last week's News.

Friday, July 25

Families Removed From 'Tower of David' Skyscraper Slum: Venezuelans initially began living in the abandoned office towers in 2007, due to the country's burgeoning financial crisis. They are now being evicted by Caracas city officials, citing safety concerns in the 45-floor building.
Row over Olympic cauldron design settled out of court: Olympic officials settled with designers from Atopia, who claimed the cauldron design relied heavily on their ideas without citation. While Atopia's influence has been recognized, design of the cauldron is still credited to Thomas Heatherwick.

Thursday, July 24

Álvaro Siza donates his architectural archives to institutions in Portugal and Canada: The archive will be divided up between the Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montreal), the Fundação Gulbenkian in Lisbon and the Fundação de Serralves in Porto.
Can a Frank Gehry design help change the dynamic of Wat...

Two new films showcase Steven Holl's addition to the Glasgow School of Art

2014-07-23T19:11:00-04:00

Working simultaneously from the inside out - engaging the functional needs and psychological desires of the program - and the outside in - making connections to the city campus and relating to the Mackintosh building opposite - the design embodies the school's aspirations in the city's fabric.

Just one month before a disastrous fire broke out at the Glasgow School of Art's historic Mackintosh Library, a brand new addition to the campus opened up across the street. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the new Reid Building is a modernist complement to the Mackintosh, riffing on similar themes a century apart.

In collaboration with Steven Holl Architects, filmmakers Spirit of Space produced two pieces to celebrate the Reid building's opening in April. The first film (see below) features interviews with Steven Holl and Chris McVoy (one of the partners in charge of the project), explaining the structure's symbiotic relationship to the Mackintosh, and its attention to multi-disciplinary socialization. The second film is in Spirit of Space's signature archi-documentarian style, capturing the building at all times of the day, rich with humming activity inside, while carefully capturing pivotal design details.

UK contributes £10m to Glasgow School of Art, half for Mackintosh restoration

2014-07-22T20:44:00-04:00

"The people of Glasgow and many people far beyond were horrified when a few weeks ago fire ripped through the Art School, gutting its priceless library. The UK government has already made a £5m contribution to the Mackintosh Appeal to help ensure that the building is restored to its former glory. And we are today making an additional £5m contribution to support the School's new Graduate and Research Centre." — UK Chancellor George Osborne

This past May, a fire destroyed much of the historic Mackintosh library at the Glasgow School of Art, a modern masterpiece by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Now, as part of an increase in the UK's funding of Glasgow's life sciences, business and arts sectors, the School has the resources to restore Mackintosh.

Previous reports about the Mackintosh fire can be found here: UPDATE: Glasgow School of Art fire

Salvage starts at fire-ravaged Glasgow School of Art

2014-05-29T18:01:00-04:00

The GSA said that retrieving the archives and collections from inside the building was its “first priority”. [...] Firefighters were able to save around 70 per cent of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building’s contents during the blaze. But the famed Mackintosh library, which contained hundreds of rare periodicals and collections, was destroyed, along with countless works of art and the roof of the west wing.

Previously:

UPDATE: Glasgow School of Art fire

2014-05-23T13:23:00-04:00

Today's tragic developing story is the massive fire engulfing the historic Glasgow School of Art building, the masterpiece by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

News updates and tweets (#gsafire) are pouring in left and right, and we'll try to collect the latest developments in this post.

Tweets about "#gsafire"

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The Glasgow School of Art Media Centre tweets a link to this Statement from Muriel Gray, Chair of Board of Governors on fire at the Mack:

"Today is a really black one for the GSA, but I cannot thank the fire brigade enough for the speed with which they came and their commitment to contain and extinguish the fire.

Fortunately there have been no fatalities or injuries.

I am so proud of the sta...

Glasgow School of Art on fire....

2014-05-23T12:41:00-04:00

"An eyewitness said the fire appeared to have started in the basement of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building in Renfrew Street just before 12:30. Smoke is billowing from the main windows, which are cracking, and through the attic studios. Smoke is also drifting across the M8. Police have cordoned off Renfrew Street. Four fire appliances are at the scene. Firefighters were seen pouring water on the building from a high ladder as flames blew windows out."

breaking story - hoping it's not as bad as it looks...

Living up to a Charles Rennie Mackintosh classic

2014-04-09T12:00:00-04:00

Designed by US architect Steven Holl, the new £30m building - which is part of a £50m project - replaces a 1970s concrete tower block. It will bring the departments of design together under one roof, along with a new lecture theatre, workshops, canteen and staff offices. Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a 28-year-old junior draughtsman at a Glasgow architecture firm when he drew up the designs for the building that many consider his masterpiece.