The School said it will issue a tender for the appointment of architects, cost consultants and economic impact experts to update its Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the faithful reinstatement of the Mack.

Reiterating its commitment to an exemplary faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building, the GSA said the SOBC Addendum will identify the appropriate route to delivery of the project while taking account of the current financial climate, known construction inflation and likely contingency provision looking forward. 

It will also update the economic case for the rebuilding project, as well as reflecting Glasgow City Council’s recently-published new vision and plan for Glasgow city centre, and the role of culture and heritage in the regeneration of Sauchiehall Street and the immediate surrounding area.

The GSA anticipates the appointments will be made by July 2024, with the SOBC Addendum published in early 2025. 

“Faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building remains GSA’s preferred option, which the SOBC Addendum Process will not reconsider,” the school said in a statement. “The GSA remains committed to faithful reinstatement, this addendum process will review our journey towards delivering that.”

In addition, the GSA confirmed that it has chosen to enter into arbitration proceedings with its insurers. Since June 2018, the GSA has been working through the complex insurance claim, supported by a team of external legal and insurance professionals. Following publication of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Fire Investigation Report in January 2022, insurers requested further information which the GSA provided to enable them to confirm policy cover. In the absence of this confirmation, The Glasgow School of Art has chosen to initiate arbitration. The arbitration process is subject to a confidentiality provision which means that no further details will be disclosed.

Work to date, totalling c.£18 million, has been funded by interim payments from the insurers.

Commenting on this next stage, Professor Penny Macbeth, director of the GSA, said: “We are committed to the faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building, and for that to be done in an exemplary way, returning it as a working art school building at the heart of Glasgow’s creative and cultural eco-system.

“While the protective wrap installed in June 2023 does its job of allowing the building to dry out over the next couple of years, it is important that we move forward with parallel work strands in what is a complex building project.

“What we are now doing, through the SOBC Addendum process, robustly testing our previous assumptions, economic impact, timelines and approaches to delivery, whilst initiating arbitration with our insurers, will ensure we can make strategic, evidenced-based decisions, ensuring the Mackintosh Building is successfully rebuilt and contributes to the regeneration of Sauchiehall Street and this part of Glasgow City Centre.”