Glasgow School of Art


The Glasgow School of Art is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards, and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awarded by the University of Glasgow.
The school is housed in a number of buildings around Renfrew Street in the centre of Glasgow, upon Garnethill, an area first developed by William Harley of Blythswood Hill in the early 1800s. The most famous of its buildings was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in phases between 1896 and 1909. The eponymous Mackintosh Building soon became one of the city's iconic landmarks, of international fame. It is a pioneer of the Modern Style. The building was severely damaged by fire in May 2014 and destroyed by a second fire in June 2018, with only the burnt-out shell remaining. Plans are in place for its rebuilding in accordance with Charles Rennie Mackintosh's style and content.

History

Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design, the school changed its name to the Glasgow School of Art in 1853. Originally located at 12 Ingram Street the school moved to the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street in 1869.
In 1897, work began on a new building nearby to house the school on Renfrew Street, funded by a donation of £10,000 from the Bellahouston Trust, left from the will of Moses Stevens of Bellahouston. The building was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, chosen for the commission by the school's director, Francis Newbery, who oversaw a period of expansion and fast-growing reputation. The first half of the building was completed in 1899 and the second half in 1909.
The School's campus has grown since that time and in 2009 an international architectural competition was held to find an architect-led design team who would develop the Campus Masterplan and design the Phase 1 building. The competition was won by New York-based Steven Holl Architects working with Glasgow-based JM Architects. The Reid Building was completed in 2014 and sits opposite the Mackintosh Building. It is a site previously occupied by the Foulis, Assembly and Newbery Tower Buildings.
The school has produced most of Scotland's leading contemporary artists including, since 2005, 30 per cent of Turner Prize nominees and five recent Turner Prize winners: Simon Starling in 2005, Richard Wright in 2009, Martin Boyce in 2011, Duncan Campbell in 2014, and Charlotte Prodger in 2018.
The School of Architecture is highly rated by the architecture profession and the School of Design has been described by Design Week as "leaders in design education".
The School is organised into four academic schools:
GSA also has a long-established portfolio of non-degree art and design classes for children and adults delivered through GSA Open Studio.
Disciplines within the four schools include fine-art photography, painting and printmaking, sculpture and environmental art, product design, product-design engineering, textile design, fashion design, silversmithing and jewellery design, interior design, communication design, interaction design, and architecture.

Governance

Governance of the Glasgow School of Art is the responsibility of its Board of Governors. The Board of Governors has ultimate responsibility for all the affairs of the School. GSA has four standard Board Meetings in its academic year, held in September, November, March and June.

Fires and Restoration

2014 fire

The original Mackintosh building was severely damaged by fire on 23 May 2014. An initial fire service estimate was that 90 per cent of the building and 70 per cent of its contents had been saved. The fire, which began in the basement, quickly spread upwards and, although it was brought under control quite quickly, significant damage was done to the historic studios and stairways. The renowned Mackintosh library was destroyed; the archive was water damaged, but was able to be air and freeze dried. There were no casualties.
The fire broke out as students were preparing for their Degree Show. Eyewitnesses said that the fire appeared to have started when a projector exploded in the basement of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building just before 12:40 pm. Investigators later determined that the cause was not a faulty projector, but "a canister of expanding foam" used in close proximity to a hot projector, causing flammable gases to ignite. According to The Scotsman newspaper, the use of aerosol cans is against school policy. The report from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service found that the design of the building contributed greatly to the spread of the fire: "the number of timber lined walls and voids, and original ventilation ducts running both vertically and horizontally throughout the building" as well as "a vertical service void", which "ran the entire height of the building … allowed flames, hot gases, and smoke to travel". Fire and smoke dampers, which are intended to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through ducts, had not been retrofitted. In addition, an intended fire suppression system for the building had not been completed. A school staff member was on hand when the blaze first ignited, but was unable to contain the fast-spreading flames.

Restoration

A careful restoration process began soon after the fire; work on restoring and recreating the Mackintosh design, including the famous library interior, started in 2016. The restoration was performed with historical accuracy, including the use of original wood species such as longleaf pine and tulipwood.

2018 fire

A large fire broke out in the Mackintosh Building on 15 June 2018, causing extensive damage. The fire also caused severe damage to the nearby O2 ABC music venue. Emergency services received the first call at 11:19 pm BST, and 120 firefighters and 20 fire engines were dispatched to the fire. No casualties were reported. the cause of the fire was not known.
Alan Dunlop, visiting professor of architecture at Robert Gordon University who studied at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, was contacted by the press immediately after the fire and stated: "I can't see any restoration possible for the building itself. It looks totally destroyed." This point of view was not supported by the early external building surveys, which appeared to indicate that much of the exterior had survived, though extensively damaged. Drone footage enabled a clearer assessment of the extent of the interior damage, and a programme of partial dismantling was established to stabilise the portions of the facade at risk of collapse, notably the south elevation. A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "There is a consensus emerging that the intention of the building control people, HES people and the art school is to save the building... Right now, people are operating on the understanding it will be saveable." It was also noted by Roger Billcliffe that "It has been voted Britain's most important building several times over, and we have all of the information needed to recreate every detail, following extensive laser surveys after the first fire."
The first opportunity for the school administration to visit the site happened on 19 June 2018. Muriel Gray, chair of the Board of Governors, stated: "This was the first opportunity for the expert team to see the building and begin what will be a long and complex process of determining the future of the Mack, but we remain optimistic. There is a huge desire to see Mackintosh's masterpiece rise again, one which we all share. We have incredibly detailed information on the building collated over the last 4 years, and have worked with teams of talented craftspeople who were doing a tremendous job on the restoration." In a subsequent statement to the BBC, Professor Tom Inns, director of the school, affirmed that "This building is not beyond saving. It will be saved in some form." He continued to support his firm belief that the building should continue in its function as a working art school, rather than a museum.
On 28 June 2018 it was announced that work was being planned to take down parts of the building that were in danger of collapse. Compensation for local residents and businesses was to be made available by the Scottish Government.
The same day, Glasgow School of Art terminated its £25 million restoration contract with Kier Group following the fire.
At the time of the fire, sprinklers had yet to be installed in the building. Components for the fire suppression system had been delivered the day before, but were weeks away from assembly and testing.
In August 2020, Glasgow School of Art took legal action against Page\Park Architects, the Glasgow-based architectural practice responsible for the Mackintosh Building restoration work.
Between August 2018 and July 2020 over £12 million had been spent on Mackintosh Building debris clearance and stabilisation work.
In November 2020, Glasgow School of Art announced that work to clear debris from the Mackintosh Building would not be completed until 2021 and that work to repair fire damaged glazing and cladding on the Reid Building would not be completed until 2022.
In March 2021, the Board of Glasgow School of Art announced that a Project Development Board had been established for the restoration of the Mackintosh Building. This is chaired by the Director of the Art School who has assumed the role of project sponsor, is leading the works and is directly responsible for delivery. A Strategic Outline Business Case for the restoration was due to be drafted by late spring 2021 and completed by summer 2021. This would determine the programme to complete the works.
On 25 January 2022, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service published the results of their three-and-a-half-year investigation in to the cause of the fire. No cause could be determined.