April 2014 - at the opening of Glasgow School of Art's new Reid Building. Robbie Coltrane and Muriel Gray.April 2014 - at the opening of Glasgow School of Art's new Reid Building. Robbie Coltrane and Muriel Gray.
April 2014 - at the opening of Glasgow School of Art's new Reid Building. Robbie Coltrane and Muriel Gray.

Famous faces who studied at Glasgow School of Art as restoration faces setback

The Glasgow School of Art has scrapped its search for an architect to lead the £62 million restoration of its fire-damaged Mackintosh building.

Almost 12 months after the Glasgow School of Art launched a contest to find an architect to oversee rebuilding work on the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed building, the search has been abandoned and restarted.

In a statement, the school blamed a “technical error in the scoring matrix used in the procurement process”.

It said a new invitation would be issued ‘in due course’ following a ‘thorough’ review and that it remained committed to its original restoration timetable.

Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney said the news was the “latest in a long line of setbacks” for the rebuild, which he described as “an unmitigated disaster from the outset.”

The restoration of the building, that dates back to 1909, is expected to cost more than £100 million and take until 2030 to complete.

More than 5,500 tonnes of fire-damaged material have been removed ahead of the reinstatement of the A-listed building’s internal structure and the installation of a temporary roof over the next few months.

The architectural significance of the building and its place within the cultural landscape of Glasgow is matched with the influence the Art School has had on local music, fashion, literature and social interactions.

GSA has attracted many of Glasgow’s most creative people. Here are some famous faces who studied at Glasgow School of Art.

It said a new invitation would be issued ‘in due course’ following a ‘thorough’ review and that it remained committed to its original restoration timetable.

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