Glasgow School of Art

[Sylar]

In the middle of being restored after a catastrophic fire a few years back, and it's just gone up in flames again!

Fire has spread to several buildings surrounding, including the O2 ABC (which is my favourite gig venue in Glasgow :( ), who's roof appears to have collapsed!

Devastating when it was getting so close to reopening.

[Just Jimmy]

My partner did her Masters at GSoA so she's absolutely gutted at this news this morning.
It's such a significant and historical building too. All made worse by the fact they've just spent so much time and money from the last awful fire.

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[IngolstadtHarry]

In the middle of being restored after a catastrophic fire a few years back, and it's just gone up in flames again!

Fire has spread to several buildings surrounding, including the O2 ABC (which is my favourite gig venue in Glasgow :( ), who's roof appears to have collapsed!

Devastating when it was getting so close to reopening.

I can't believe that this has happened again - I was devastated to see live news coverage of it going up in flames in 2014.
For students of art nouveau, the Mackintosh building was/is one of the finest examples in the world.
I always recommended foreign friends who were travelling to Scotland to go and see it and I found it baffling that many Scots didn't realise what a masterpiece they had in their midst.
This is a massive loss for the whole of Scotland.

[CropleyWasGod]

A side issue is that there has also been damage to the O2 next door. One of my favourite venues.

Edit. Already mentioned.

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[Colr]

I can't believe that this has happened again - I was devastated to see live news coverage of it going up in flames in 2014.
For students of art nouveau, the Mackintosh building was/is one of the finest examples in the world.
I always recommended foreign friends who were travelling to Scotland to go and see it and I found it baffling that many Scots didn't realise what a masterpiece they had in their midst.
This is a massive loss for the whole of Scotland.

I’m astonished at this as well. They need to rethink how they care for and manage the building.

[RyeSloan]

I’m astonished at this as well. They need to rethink how they care for and manage the building.

Bit late for that I think, sounds like it’s a proper goner this time.

Seems the height of carelessness / incompetence to spend so much money in its restoration only to see it burn to the ground again. Surely the first thing they would / should have done after the last fire was to install effective fire detection and suppression systems?

[Colr]

Bit late for that I think, sounds like it’s a proper goner this time.

Seems the height of carelessness / incompetence to spend so much money in its restoration only to see it burn to the ground again. Surely the first thing they would / should have done after the last fire was to install effective fire detection and suppression systems?

Yup.

[Carheenlea]

Both the Art School and O2 ABC look like they are goners sadly.

http://i66.tinypic.com/2088y9c.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/316osxj.jpg

[Hibernia&Alba]

Was it arson? It's a huge coincdence.

[blaikie]

My office is across from Campus on the junction with Pitt street, still flames from the roof area around 3pm. Very sad sight.

[Peevemor]

Although it's obviously very bad news, it can be rebuilt. The House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston wasn't built until the 1990s, 60 odd years after Mackintosh died.

[IngolstadtHarry]

Although it's obviously very bad news, it can be rebuilt. The House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston wasn't built until the 1990s, 60 odd years after Mackintosh died.

That is true but the GSA was designed and built by Mackintosh himself, when he was only 28 and at the peak of his powers. The damage seems to be so bad this time that all that can be hoped for now is the building of a reproduction - not a restoration. I think it should be done anyway because it represents a high-point of Scottish culture and Mackintosh's original designs and archives survive to ensure an authentic-looking job.

[One Day Soon]

Was it arson? It's a huge coincdence.

Why would anyone do that? More likely to be a careless contractor or unexpected circumstances with materials prior to completion I think.

If it has been completely destroyed there is no point in trying to rebuild it. That would just be a pastiche rather than a restoration.

[Peevemor]

Why would anyone do that? More likely to be a careless contractor or unexpected circumstances with materials prior to completion I think.

If it has been completely destroyed there is no point in trying to rebuild it. That would just be a pastiche rather than a restoration.

Why? Mackintosh didn't build it, he designed it. There will be enough documentation to rebuild it to the original design - it would still be a Mackintosh masterpiece.

[Hibernia&Alba]

Why would anyone do that? More likely to be a careless contractor or unexpected circumstances with materials prior to completion I think.

If it has been completely destroyed there is no point in trying to rebuild it. That would just be a pastiche rather than a restoration.

Insurance fiddle of some kind perhaps? :dunno:

It does seem a huge coincidence that it's ablaze again. Could be just that of course.

[One Day Soon]

Why? Mackintosh didn't build it, he designed it. There will be enough documentation to rebuild it to the original design - it would still be a Mackintosh masterpiece.

That's a copy of the original. Dubious about the value of that. Hopefully it isn't completely destroyed though.

[Pretty Boy]

Barcelona claims the Sagrada Familia as a Gaudi masterpiece depicte the fact he was dead before a quarter had been completed.

If Glasgow rebuilds the art school to MacKintosh’ original design it’s still his work surely?

[Mibbes Aye]

Not just the previous fire, Sauchiehall Street had that major fire just a short distance away in March that damaged the Pavilion.

[Scouse Hibee]

Bit late for that I think, sounds like it’s a proper goner this time.

Seems the height of carelessness / incompetence to spend so much money in its restoration only to see it burn to the ground again. Surely the first thing they would / should have done after the last fire was to install effective fire detection and suppression systems?

Maybe they did but even the best systems can only do so much, the contractors were still working on the refurb so will be interesting to hear the cause.

[Colr]

Barcelona claims the Sagrada Familia as a Gaudi masterpiece depicte the fact he was dead before a quarter had been completed.

If Glasgow rebuilds the art school to MacKintosh’ original design it’s still his work surely?

Yup

[blaikie]

Why? Mackintosh didn't build it, he designed it. There will be enough documentation to rebuild it to the original design - it would still be a Mackintosh masterpiece.

Absolutely, I’m sure with the Mackintosh society and other groups the appetite to rebuilt will be strong.

Seprately, I’m sure the House of an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park was built well after Mackintosh passed based on previous plans drawn by him.

[Jim44]

This is a tragic loss to Scottish culture and the concern being displayed is understandable. However, I haven’t heard a single word so far about the catastrophic effect this will have on the education of the students who are studying there.

[Colr]

Absolutely, I’m sure with the Mackintosh society and other groups the appetite to rebuilt will be strong.

Seprately, I’m sure the House of an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park was built well after Mackintosh passed based on previous plans drawn by him.

Martyrs School in Townhead was extensively restored creating a great many apprenticeships to build a restoration skills base in the process.

Glasgow has been scarred enough by ripping its Victorian heritage apart and there are still many buildings which provide the character of the city but are sadly neglected.

[pollution]

Let it go. There is no point in another attempt to re build it.

The building is well documented and should now be remembered as an antiquity. Those who have fond memories will always have them.

RIP

[RyeSloan]

Maybe they did but even the best systems can only do so much, the contractors were still working on the refurb so will be interesting to hear the cause.

Yeah fair point and probably better to hear the underlying reason and cause before jumping to assumptions!

[IngolstadtHarry]

This is a tragic loss to Scottish culture and the concern being displayed is understandable. However, I haven’t heard a single word so far about the catastrophic effect this will have on the education of the students who are studying there.

I think that that is one of the aspects which made the GSA even more special - it was a living work of art, a functioning art school within a work of art. During the last blaze, many students lost their final year projects - this fire will be no different. Clearly, the art school building will have to be replaced. Whether there is anything other than the facade worth preserving is very doubtful.
Even among the Mackintosh followers there are differing opinions about restoration and rebuilding. After the 2014 fire there were some who said that the building shouldn't be restored and they used the expression 'Mockintosh' to criticise such efforts. On the other hand, anyone who has seen the rebuilt Dresden Cathedral couldn't fail to be impressed with what is possible these days.

[Smartie]

I read that in trying to recreate the old library they sourced wood of similar age to the original to carry out the restoration.

Maybe it isn't such a great idea to have loads of old, dry wood in a building these days?

It seems a bit of a coincidence that it has burnt down in such spectacular fashion twice.

It really is a shame when this kind of thing happens, it was sad to see much of the damage that ISIS have done to historical sites in Syria and Iraq.

At least here there has been no injury or loss of life.

There's a bit of me has always quite admired that Germanic practicality that knocks stuff down when it becomes impractical, they don't get too sentimental about the past, mainly because I'm a bit of an arty softy who gets quite attached to old buildings etc and I get quite upset when they are lost (for whatever reason).

[Colr]

Maybe they did but even the best systems can only do so much, the contractors were still working on the refurb so will be interesting to hear the cause.

Kier Construction. Their good work being documented in the article published on Saturday morning.

https://www.insider.co.uk/special-reports/glasgow-school-art-kier-construction-12615983

I hope Edinburgh College of Art will be stopping work to check their methodology in this light.

[Sylar]

This is a tragic loss to Scottish culture and the concern being displayed is understandable. However, I haven’t heard a single word so far about the catastrophic effect this will have on the education of the students who are studying there.


I think that that is one of the aspects which made the GSA even more special - it was a living work of art, a functioning art school within a work of art. During the last blaze, many students lost their final year projects - this fire will be no different. Clearly, the art school building will have to be replaced. Whether there is anything other than the facade worth preserving is very doubtful.
Even among the Mackintosh followers there are differing opinions about restoration and rebuilding. After the 2014 fire there were some who said that the building shouldn't be restored and they used the expression 'Mockintosh' to criticise such efforts. On the other hand, anyone who has seen the rebuilt Dresden Cathedral couldn't fail to be impressed with what is possible these days.

I'm happy to be corrected here, but I'm quite sure the building wasn't housing any students/faculty etc this time around? It's been empty while renovations have been ongoing to get it open again, with the GSA students being housed elsewhere for now.

That was certainly the case when I last checked (which was over a year ago, granted).

[Wilson]

I'm happy to be corrected here, but I'm quite sure the building wasn't housing any students/faculty etc this time around? It's been empty while renovations have been ongoing to get it open again, with the GSA students being housed elsewhere for now.

That was certainly the case when I last checked (which was over a year ago, granted).

You are correct.

[BroxburnHibee]

Somebody desperately wants that site for student flats...

[Colr]

Somebody desperately wants that site for student flats...

I don’t think Glasgow’s short of potential development land.

[G B Young]

I'm surprised there doesn't appear to have been any overnight/weekend security presence in place for a restoration project of this scale and sensitivity. I read that the blaze was spotted by a passing policeman.

My guess is that the exterior walls (which appear to be all that's left) will be in dubious structural condition after such an inferno and that the whole thing will have to be demolished.

[Jim44]

I'm happy to be corrected here, but I'm quite sure the building wasn't housing any students/faculty etc this time around? It's been empty while renovations have been ongoing to get it open again, with the GSA students being housed elsewhere for now.

That was certainly the case when I last checked (which was over a year ago, granted).

Fair point and you are probably correct. This second blaze will extend the loss of the GSA teaching facilities for another long period and could conceivably result in the loss of this site as a working college. I wonder if they might consider a new college of art at another site in or around the city.

[Colr]

I'm surprised there doesn't appear to have been any overnight/weekend security presence in place for a restoration project of this scale and sensitivity. I read that the blaze was spotted by a passing policeman.

My guess is that the exterior walls (which appear to be all that's left) will be in dubious structural condition after such an inferno and that the whole thing will have to be demolished.

The contractor is usually responsible for site security.

[heretoday]

Sell the site and use the money to fund Scots art students and projects.

We've got more than enough Rennie Mac artifacts in the country as it is.

[Hibrandenburg]

I read that in trying to recreate the old library they sourced wood of similar age to the original to carry out the restoration.

Maybe it isn't such a great idea to have loads of old, dry wood in a building these days?

It seems a bit of a coincidence that it has burnt down in such spectacular fashion twice.

It really is a shame when this kind of thing happens, it was sad to see much of the damage that ISIS have done to historical sites in Syria and Iraq.

At least here there has been no injury or loss of life.

There's a bit of me has always quite admired that Germanic practicality that knocks stuff down when it becomes impractical, they don't get too sentimental about the past, mainly because I'm a bit of an arty softy who gets quite attached to old buildings etc and I get quite upset when they are lost (for whatever reason).

Or like the Japanese who just rip things down when they age and rebuild it new if it was popular.

[IWasThere2016]

Pics on FB - possibly fake news - showing O2 alight first and suggesting fire started there and spread..

My mate is FD at GSOA .. understandably he's been busy and not in touch since Saturday am!

[Captain Trips]

I find it strange such fires so close together at same venue but I am a suspicious type.

[GlesgaeHibby]

I think that that is one of the aspects which made the GSA even more special - it was a living work of art, a functioning art school within a work of art. During the last blaze, many students lost their final year projects - this fire will be no different. Clearly, the art school building will have to be replaced. Whether there is anything other than the facade worth preserving is very doubtful.
Even among the Mackintosh followers there are differing opinions about restoration and rebuilding. After the 2014 fire there were some who said that the building shouldn't be restored and they used the expression 'Mockintosh' to criticise such efforts. On the other hand, anyone who has seen the rebuilt Dresden Cathedral couldn't fail to be impressed with what is possible these days.

The rebuild job in Dresden has been fantastic, but took a long time. They were still at it when i first visited the city in 2001.

Horrible to see what has happened to the art school and abc in Glasgow - both fantastic venues.

[Scouse Hibee]

I find it strange such fires so close together at same venue but I am a suspicious type.

The insurers will probably be thinking the same.

[Chic Murray]

To lose your school of art once is unfortunate, to lose it twice is Glaswegian.