Glasgow School of Art rebuild work 'on schedule' after fire

Rebuilding work at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) "remains on schedule" four months after it was gutted by a fire, its director has said.

Work to stabilise the west gable of the Mackintosh Building is due to be completed by 14 October.

More than 450 tonnes of steel has also been used to brace the east gable and north facade during repairs to those parts of the building.

Meanwhile, the iconic door plates from the main entrance have been recovered.

The GSA also revealed it is building a protective screen along Scott Street, in front of Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), "as an extra level of protection".

The CCA has previously warned it may not survive after being forced to close following the blaze.

The art school fire on 16 June came four years after a massive blaze in another part of the building.

Its director, Prof Tom Inns, said in the aftermath that the Mack would be saved "in some form".

Giving an update on the current situation, Prof Inns said work on the site was "moving apace".

He said: "We've been working particularly closely with the CCA to make sure that the damage to the gallery ceiling can be repaired and they can re-commission the building both for the cultural tenants and for public events as soon as possible.

"We know that there are ongoing concerns about road access in and around Garnethill, so once the work on the Mack stabilisation is finished our next priority will be taking down the damaged rain screen from the Reid Building so that the council can move to reopen Renfrew Street to single-lane traffic before the worst of the winter weather sets in."

Prof Inns added: "Going forward, we have committed to rebuilding the Mack and bringing it back not just as a working art school, but as resource for Garnethill and a creative powerhouse for the city.

"We want our neighbours to play a full part in this process and we look forward to working closely with them."