The Police Of Scotland

Glasgow Mackintosh building is definitely going to be rebuilt, according to Muriel Gray, chair of the Glasgow School of Art.

The building was destroyed by fire in June, following another blaze in 2014.

The future of the GSA has faced speculation that it could be destroyed or transformed into a museum.

But Ms Gray, a former student of the school, told the BBC Scotland, it will be rebuilt and work at the school of art, saying that it was “non-negotiable”.

She told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme of the £100m of costs that had been reported was “snatched out of the air,” saying at the school of art had “absolutely no idea until we know the extent of damage”.

Art a former student of the school said that there would be full transparency and that the cost should not impact on the taxpayer, as some of the money raised in 2014 has remained.

She also acknowledged that it could take up to 10 years for students to be able to use the building again, which she said was “the greatest tragedy”.

Ms Gray said the program, the decision to rebuild the Mackintosh building has been made after the fire four years ago and that this position had not changed.

“The board of governors have been completely unanimous on this subject and it is not for the debate,” she said.

“The debate is how we fit into the whole of the tragedy that happened to all of the Garnethill community and the Sauchiehall street refurbishment, and the way in which we do it also a work of art at the school.”
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To respond to comments about delays in getting people in the area return to their homes and businesses, Ms Gray, said: “We have been removing the dangerous state of the masonry, has declared dangerous by the building control of the council, as quickly as possible, in order to allow people to return.

“We have been absolutely work so hard with all the world around us to try to move things quickly enough to get people to return to their homes, to try and help businesses. and liaise with all the people affected.”

She added: “We were months away from just having the best, the greatest party ever that was going to totally regenerate that part of Sauchiehall Street and Glasgow – the council building, this beautiful regeneration plan – and it is back again.

“You can either sit in a corner, in the fetal position and cry about it or you can look reality in the face and to the right, reverses again, we are just going to come back and do it brilliantly’.

“There is absolutely no way it would not be a work of art of the school. It is non-negotiable.

“All of this has been really exciting, because we are actually using the plans of the interior of Mackintosh’s original plan for the building.”

Francis McKee, director of the Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), which has been inaccessible since the fire, said a toilet in the building had been leaking for three months, which had brought down the ceiling of the gallery below.Gallery of work “lost”

He told the programme: “During all this period, the major part of the building was on the outside of the cord. The lack of access, when it could have been, by the common sense given, has meant that we have lost the ceiling of the gallery and the work of art in the gallery.

“That was not supposed to happen. Many of these organizations can’t go anywhere else because we offer the space free of charge. This is not about the ACC, its about the 366 partners with the CCA. We don’t have the money to make things happen anywhere else.

“It is very complex and it is treated as a small shop.”

Mr. McKee stated that the dates he had been given for the return travel in kept changing.

Colin Edgar, head of communication at Glasgow city Council, said: “The way you would traditionally, it is up to you to come up with a program, you can test, do so, and then once that is done, you start to go to the people”, its safe, now you can get in.

“What we’re trying to do is say to people” we think you’ll get to the date, and you can begin to make plans, but you need to know that this date is at risk.”

“Everyone needs to work quickly to get Francis (McKee) as quickly as possible, but we need to look to the future of Sauchiehall Street, which we have already begun to do so.”