Petition calls for the Mackintosh building to be rebuilt

Dezeen reported on 3 August 2026 that Scottish architect Ruairidh Moir has launched a petition calling for the fire-damaged Mackintosh building at Glasgow School of Art to be rebuilt. The campaign proposes transferring ownership from the school to an independent organisation, which would then lease the building back so that it continues to function as an art school. It also asks for financial support from the Scottish and UK governments and for an expert panel to oversee the design. The petition stood at 5,406 signatures against a target of 100,000.

The building burned twice, first in 2014 and then more destructively in 2018, during a £35 million restoration. The school has said it cannot fund a rebuild without external money, and designer Thomas Heatherwick is among those backing the campaign. The underlying question is not whether a building can be reproduced but whether an art school, sized by its student numbers and teaching budget, should carry the custody of a heritage landmark at all.