Mackintosh rebuilding could take seven years

Glasgow School of Art’s firehit Mackintosh Building will be rebuilt but could take four to seven years to complete, the art school board chairwoman has said. Muriel Gray said the rebuild would follow Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s original designs, adding that she hopes no public money will be needed.

The renowned building has faced speculation about its future after being engulfed by a huge blaze on 15 June as a restoration project following the devastating fire four years earlier neared completion.

Ms Gray told the Herald on Sunday: “We are resolved that the Mackintosh comes back as a working art school, as a major player, a cultural leader for the city and the Scottish economy.”

“People argue a rebuild will take anywhere between four and seven years,” she added.