The Glasgow School of Art has announced that it cannot afford to rebuild the iconic Mackintosh Building without external funding, following the second fire that tore through the building in 2018.
According to an announcement made by the school yesterday, it has insufficient funds to reinstate the 1910 building by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and it now plans to remove scaffolding surrounding the building to stabilise and expose its burned-out shell.
However, it said it will look to secure external funding to help enable reinstating the Mackintosh Building in the future.
"The school cannot possibly, on its own, rebuild this whole building," according to its chair of the board of governors Ann Priest.
"It would take us away from financial sustainability," she told the BBC.
Restoration "beyond the capacity and expertise of the school"
The announcement follows the settlement of a long-running arbitration claim with the building insurers regarding the 2018 blaze. Details of what was awarded have not been disclosed, but the school said it had offered "financial clarity" about what was possible.
It now estimates the cost of a full reinstatement to be around £265 million, which is "equivalent to five times the GSA's annual turnover" and four times more than a previous £62 million estimate.
"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," said the report.
Priest added the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is now looking for "visionary individuals" who could bring "serious investment" to the project, reported the BBC.
Scaffolding to be removed to expose shell
Affectionately known as the Mack, the fire-torn art school was the best-known building designed by Mackintosh, Scotland's most famous architect.
The first fire ripped through the art school in 2014, before a second, more destructive fire occurred in 2018 during a £35 million restoration project.
With restoration works now on hold, the school plans to remove the scaffolding that wraps the building and stabilise its shell with a mix of temporary and permanent internal supports.
The report outlines several options for moving forward, including partial reinstatement of the building. It also suggests the potential for the anchor of a "creative and cultural production innovation district", including nearby cultural institutions.
GSA's announcement has come as bad news to many who recognise the building as an iconic landmark in Scotland. Among them is architect Adam Dunlop, who described the announcement as "opaque".
Announcement is "travesty of epic proportions"
"What disappoints me most is the statement from the chair of governors saying that the Mackintosh can "have a new purpose and become a catalyst for innovation, regeneration and economic growth for Glasgow'," he wrote on Instagram.
"This seems to me to be a dilution of responsibility, and worse, a distinct failure to focus on their prime task of delivering a replacement for the Mackintosh building, rather than some centre for creative activity. It's clear to me still that a trust has to be set up, separate from the board."
Meanwhile, Historic England's heritage at risk projects officer Lisa Rigg said it was an "absolute travesty of epic proportions".
"Where is the 21st-century Carnegie? Or the high-net-worth individuals, some of whom own swathes of the Scottish Highlands, ready to step in and save this iconic and pioneering art school building in its hour of need?" she wrote on LinkedIn.
In 2022, an inquiry into the cause of the second fire at the building failed to conclude due to insufficient evidence.
However, the report revealed that fifty per cent of the building was alight within 38 minutes of the firefighters arriving at the site. It is believed that this "uncontrolled fire growth and rapid development" was exacerbated by the restoration works.
Shortly after the second blaze, the former director of the Glasgow School of Art Tom Inns said that it would be rebuilt.
"It is as vital a part of the Glasgow School of Art's future as it has been for the last 100 years," Inns told Dezeen at the time. "We will rebuild so that 'the Mack' can continue to provide creative inspiration to students, staff and visitors."