The architect, who last month pledged to provide support for a class-action lawsuit proposed by students who have accused the institution of failing to provide adequate tuition during the pandemic, said he has the experience required to lead the school through its next “critical” years.

Last week, Muriel Gray said she was to step down as chairman of GSA after two disastrous fires at the world-famous Mackintosh Building.

Seven years ago a blaze destroyed the west wing of the building, and a second fire in 2018 gutted most of the Grade A listed structure.

Announcing her decision to step down Ms Gray said: “The privilege of assisting with the governance of this magnificent institution, my alma mater, has been the greatest honour.

“With the board having reached a number of key milestones, including successfully recruiting and appointing a highly qualified and experienced new director, assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service with their investigation into the 2018 fire, setting in motion the process to decide the future of the Mackintosh Building, and supporting our hard-working senior management and staff in negotiating the obstacles created by the terrible pandemic, I feel that we are now in a considerably more positive place.

“Having given this a great deal of consideration I believe that as I enter the final year of my third term as chair the time has come to introduce a fresh, energetic, and long-term committed person to the role who can take the GSA forward to the next exciting phase.”

The GSA said it will announce an interim chair as soon as possible, and begin the process for electing a new chair in the coming weeks. 

Professor Alan Dunlop, a School of Art alumnus, is confident he can make a difference, even if he has to give up his practice to do so.

He told SCN: “The chair position at the school should be all consuming, it should be treated very seriously indeed and if elected I would expect to do little else. As chair, the future of GSA and the Mackintosh building; improving its UK and international university rankings and the welfare of the students would be my focus.

“The next few years will be critical for the school as it faces three actions and challenges over what will happen to Mackintosh’s masterpiece. They need a chair that knows their way around a contract and can plan a future for a building that was the most important in Scotland and voted by the RIBA as the most significant in the UK. I have that experience, and more.

“In the face of all that I will likely throw my hat in the ring, I just have to work out how to do it.”

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help fund the students’ legal challenge against the GSA, with Mr Dunlop donating drawings to raise money.

A GSA spokesman told The Herald: “We have always had the greatest respect for Professor Dunlop, which is why he is one of the people consulted as part of the Strategic Outline Business Case for the Mackintosh Building, an approach that was one of the recommendations of the Scottish Parliament Committee Report.

“We have also offered to meet Professor Dunlop to discuss the points he has recently expressed, but unfortunately he declined our offer.

“Since June 2018 we have worked hard to rebuild our relationship with our neighbours, and with the appointment of our director, Professor Penny Macbeth, in May 2020 the leadership and future direction of the School is evident, with the GSA maintaining its position as a top 10 international art school in the 2021 QS Global university subject rankings, an improved position in the 2022 Guardian rankings, and a clear commitment to us providing the best student experience.”

Meanwhile, a longstanding advocate of a bridge over the Irish Sea, Alan Dunlop appeared in a BBC 1 documentary earlier this month in an interview with Patrick Kielty to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland.

Mr Dunlop, who released drawings of what a crossing connecting the two countries could look like, said the link was perfectly feasible and if it had gone ahead would offer “irrefutable evidence” of the government’s commitment to the people of Northern Ireland in a post-Brexit world.

‘Patrick Kielty: 100 Years of the Union’ aired on September 16 and is available to view via the iPlayer.