Drone footage has revealed how the Mackintosh Building at The Glasgow School of Art looks almost six years on from the fire which destroyed the grade A-listed building.
The blaze broke out late on June 15, 2018, as the building, which is considered Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterpiece, neared the end of a £35 million restoration project following a previous fire in May 2014.
The footage, taken by The Herald, shows the building covered in a protective white membrane ‘wrap’ and temporary roof structure, which were installed in June last year.
It followed the removal of large-scale fire-damaged material and debris, which was impacted by both the Covid pandemic and the completion of the investigation report into the 2018 fire by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
The wrap is different to traditional scaffold sheeting in that, rather than be secured to scaffolding and tensioned with ties, it is fixed to a special subframe and tensioned by shrinking with heat guns.
The installation of the wrap meant work could begin reinstatement of green glazing to the neighbouring Reid Building, a project that is expected to be completed soon.
The ‘wrap’ will allow the Mackintosh Building to dry out - a process which experts predict the will take two years - and enables the next stages of internal works to progress.
The next stage of works also includes repairs to the Building’s internal brickwork.
Read more:
A complete timeline of the Glasgow School of Art fires
Glasgow School of Art: students and politicians recall the 2014 fire
Glasgow School of Art: 19 months of 'inertia' over return of The Mack
Penny Macbeth, Director of The Glasgow School of Art, said: “This progress — including the re-glazing of the Reid — represents visible progress for our students, and staff, who have recently celebrated a successful and hugely-popular degree show.
“It also underlines a sense of progress to the local community, and all of our stakeholders in Glasgow and beyond who we thank for their patience and support in what is a complex reinstatement project."
The drone footage also shows the damage sustained to the former O2 ABC venue on Sauchiehall Street. The 2018 fire caused the distinctive turquoise roof of the building to collapse in on itself.
Suggested plans for the redevelopment of the historic former cinema-turned-nightclub, which has lain derelict since the 2018 fire, were unveiled by Glasgow City Council in August last year.
READ MORE: Glasgow School of Art Fires: Find all the articles in the series here
The designs were revealed as part of the council’s masterplan for the so-called Golden Z - Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street.
The Art Deco front of the historic cinema building would be retained but the levelling of the rest of the building gives, for the first time in decades, a clear view to the Mackintosh Building.
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