Dismantling of GSA building is ‘progressing’

Work to dismantle the Mackintosh Building is “progressing to plan” to allow residents and business owners affected by the safety cordon to return to their properties, Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has said.

Businesses and 33 homes within the cordon zone remain evacuated following the blaze which tore through the famous building on the night of 15 June.

Locals are frustrated they cannot access their property and staged a protest at the weekend. Glasgow City Council said parts of the building are at risk of “sudden, unannounced, collapse” and warned anyone who tries to breach the cordon faces arrest.

GSA said work to dismantle dangerous parts of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building is progressing to plan, with engineers in contact with the council so they can “assess when it might be possible to reduce the size of the security cordon”.

Professor Tom Inns, GSA director, said: “Our focus has been on the parts of the building which most directly affect our neighbours – the east gable and south façade – to ensure people can return to their homes and businesses as soon as possible. Over the last two weeks the work has been going to plan, and we are still on schedule to complete the stabilisation of the building within the 8-week timetable.”