July 24 2018

Glasgow School of Art contractor Reigart has begun the delicate job of dismantling dangerous sections of masonry from the fire ravaged Mackintosh Building.

Downtaking of the south façade and east gable is now underway with cranes winching a mobile elevated platform into position to allow workmen to carry out the painstaking work from the top down, protected from falling debris by metal baskets.

The school has set itself an eight-week timetable to complete the stabilisation of the building and allow the Garnethill community to return to a degree of normality.

In a statement the school wrote: “The focus of the work continued to be on the south elevation, above Sauchiehall Street, and the east gable, on Dalhousie street, with work also undertaken on the centre of the north façade above the director’s office.

“Top sections to the east and south walls of the south east block have now been significantly reduced in height, and the south section of the east gable has been taken down to match the level of the south wall. Steel roof beams and RHS beams on the north east corner were safely removed and lifted to ground level.

“Most of the material removed during this week was too badly damaged to retain and was therefore moved safely into the building. A limited amount of material which was in a good enough condition for retention was brought off the building for recording and will be removed off site for storage.”

Once loose masonry is removed it is intended to put in place shoring scaffolding and internal bracing, with this phase of the operation likely to commence in August.

Photography by Marco Federici

