Art school students could be moved to temporary building
ART school chiefs are preparing to move classes into a nearby B Listed building as work continues on the fire-damaged Mackintosh building.
A planning application for use of Beckenridge House, which sits next to the McLellan Galleries on Sauchiehall Street, has been submitted to Glasgow City Council.
If approved, around 2,500 students will study on the first floor of the building until the cordon around the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is removed.
Last week the cordon was reduced to allow some residents to return home while businesses on the south side of Sauchiehall Street were able to re-open.
GSA bosses have been heavily criticised by shop owners and residents who claim they’ve been left in the lurch while the Mackintosh building is taken down at a snail’s pace.
But after applying to use Beckenridge House, a GSA spokeswoman said: “The bottom line is that there are 2,500 students who are affected by the cordon which is currently in place.
“Clearly we have to make sure that teaching can continue and it’s really important that the students can stay in Garnethill.
“We have many contingency plans in place but it’s about getting back to some form of normality for the students. It’s incumbent upon us to make sure that happens.”
Mosaic Architecture and Design are taking the lead on the planning application, which they insist won’t result in major work to Beckenridge House.
In his design statement, architect Iain McIntosh said: “In order to fulfil their obligations to provide scheduled coursework at the commencement of the upcoming academic year, GSA require to find alternative teaching accommodation for students and associated staff and technical facilities with immediate effect.
“To this end, GSA are looking to occupy the first-floor suites at Breckenridge House on a temporary basis – taking advantage of the relative proximity of this property to the existing Mackintosh Building.
“By relocating to these spaces, the school avoids complications which may arise in other, more remote, accommodation which may be some distance from the main campus with respect to student travel/welfare concerns.
“There is no intention to carry out any alterations to the existing building layouts, with preparatory works limited to minor decoration and services maintenance.”