Glasgow School of Art ‘can’t afford’ £265m Mackintosh repairs

The Glasgow School of Art says it “cannot take forward” the restoration of its iconic Mackintosh Building on its own, estimating the bill to be equivalent to five times its annual turnover.

The specialist institution had previously committed to rebuilding the structure, which suffered major fires in 2014 and 2018. The cause of the second, which effectively destroyed the building, was found to be “undetermined”.

In an update released on 22 July, the school said the building is no longer integral to the institution’s operations and has proposed that it become part of a wider creative “district” in the city – a decision criticised by the likes of painter Lachlan Goudie, who called the situation a “national disgrace”.

The repairs to the building, unveiled by world-renowned Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1909, are expected to cost about £265 million, according to the art school.

It said it has gained “financial clarity” from a settled 2018 insurance claim and now believes that attempting to repair the building alone would “compromise the financial sustainability of the institution”.

In an 80-page report reflecting on the business case for restoring “the Mack”, the art school cites increasing pressures on the higher education sector and describes a changed financial environment in the years since the second fire.

Instead, it hopes to attract philanthropists and donations to support the restoration of the building, as it prepares to remove scaffolding from the remaining structure to begin stabilising the site.

Ann Priest, chair of the board of governors at 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.”

She went on: “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.”

Priest urged the restoration of the edifice to become “part of a heritage-led economic regeneration project, building on the existing creative and cultural production assets within this part of the city”.

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com