Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building may not be restored due to £265m cost

The Mackintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA), considered Scotland's finest architectural work, remains in a sorry state after two fires. The school recently announced that a full rebuild or 'faithful reinstatement' of the 1909 landmark would cost £265 million – four times previous estimates and five times GSA's annual turnover. As a result, the school has opted for an interim strategy: stabilizing the remaining shell, removing external scaffolding, and peeling back the plastic shroud to reveal the surviving stone walls. The future beyond this remains uncertain.

Professional bodies, including the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and the Royal Institute of British Architects, have cautiously welcomed the interim plan but insist that full reinstatement is the preferred outcome. They call for leadership from the Scottish and UK governments to secure the necessary resources. Labour MSP Paul Sweeney also advocates for a joint venture partnership to treat the restoration as a national project.

However, amid a cost-of-living crisis, it is doubtful whether such funds will be found. Critics like architect and former GSA lecturer Gordon Gibb warn that even a partial rebuild would be catastrophic, leading to a loss of heritage and integrity. The Mackintosh building is a Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art where every detail, from door handles to stained glass, was meticulously designed by Mackintosh.

The saga began with a small fire in 2014 during a student show, caused by an aerosol can of expanding foam near a hot projector. Most of the building was saved, and a £35 million restoration commenced. In 2018, weeks before completion, a second fire gutted the building. Now, more than a decade after the first fire, the fate of Mackintosh's masterpiece still hangs in the balance.