Glasgow School of Art has said it cannot afford the estimated £265 million needed to fully restore the Mackintosh Building, the celebrated Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed landmark, to its original condition following the devastating fires that gutted it. The admission raises serious questions over the future of one of Scotland's most important architectural treasures and whether it will ever reopen in its former state, disappointing heritage campaigners, architects and former students who had hoped for a full like-for-like rebuild.

The school has indicated that the scale of the funding shortfall means alternative options, potentially involving a scaled-back restoration or a different approach to redeveloping the site, will need to be considered. The building, known affectionately as "the Mack," was ravaged by fires in 2014 and again in 2018, the second blaze occurring during earlier restoration works and causing far more extensive damage. The £265 million figure represents the cost estimate for reinstating the building fully to its pre-fire glory, a sum the institution says is beyond its financial reach.