By rights, Glasgow School Art Director Penny Macbeth should be having a busy summer. At Glasgow’s Mackintosh conference in June, she admitted GSA needed new figures and estimates for the now three-year-old Business Plan for the rebuilding and “faithful reconstruction” of its iconic fire-decimated Mackintosh building.
“The Business Plan needs updating, she said. “We will re-run the costs, how the building is phased, maybe in two phases.” She said it would be “A discrete piece of work.” But beforehand, there must be plans and figures. How much? £200m? £400M? No one has any idea.
Macbeth should be the perfect person. Her bio and CV are full of words like ‘partnership,’ ‘engagement with the city and community,’ and empathy. ‘ Even her own textile work “explores potential as a catalyst for community empathy and cohesion.” According to Manchester, where she managed their Metropolitan University’s £35M School of Digital Arts project, she is someone capable of institutional transformation. ‘
Recently, her efforts have been rewarded with a 27% pay rise or £52,000, bringing her salary up to £243,000 in 2023 – who knows what in 2024? It would be interesting to know how this was justified by the art school Board of Governors Remuneration Committee. Was it to ensure she remains in Glasgow, a good candidate coping with a difficult job in a poisoned chalice? Was it to align her with other Scottish art school and college professors? Was it for keeping the lid on the catalogue of incompetence (not all, in fairness, of her making) which has reduced GSA to a byword for total ineptitude. Is she perhaps remunerated at a level that recognises the size and former status of the school?
Whatever the reason, the timing is typically tactless; many Scottish colleges, schools and universities are asking their staff to take swingeing salary and pension cuts. As one observer noted, “The optics of a 27% rise don’t look good for the head of an institution that gets half its income from taxpayers, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis and when there have been costly management mistakes associated with her time in office. The financial consequences of these errors by the board and Penny Macbeth’s executive team will run into tens of millions of pounds.”
Last year, there was a botched appointment process when Architects John McAslan Partners were the original top-scoring pick, but the job was then awarded to another firm, Hawkins Brown, after a ‘recalculation’. McAslan understandably sued. This and the accompanying years of Planning delay are one such example, which makes one question such a large award.
Of course, Macbeth should not be expected to manage two jobs. Running GSA is enough for anyone without a historic listed building as well. The iconic Mack should be in a trust and belong to the nation. I and others have said this for years, long before the two tragic fires. Westminster needs to step in. The Mack is a building of national importance. The responsibility for restoring it should be taken from GSA and placed with an independent body.
In June, on the 10th anniversary of the first fire, several key figures, leading architects, politicians, writers and heritage experts expressed their anger and dismay in newspapers & magazines about the lack of progress. “Voices are growing to establish a separate, arm’s length entity to take the rebuild forward,” said Paul Sweeney, MSP. He asked why the Holyrood government have not been hands-on. “This is the most important architectural achievement in Scottish history, so it is amazing that it’s not being treated with more urgency,” said Sweeney.
GSA must accept that the project is now so huge that they alone cannot achieve it. ”The ownership of the building and its restoration should be taken out of GSA’s hands,” said another MP.
This furore may have precipitated the recent appointment of two architects, Reiach and Hall, with Purcell to work alongside cost and economic consultants to update the old 2021 strategy and outline the business plan. The aim, we are told, is to ‘robustly test the GSA’s previous assumptions, costs and economic impact, timelines and completion.’
Later, a procurement process for actual architects to do the detailed design work will be launched at a later date, with work starting ‘maybe’ by 2026. Restoration will come in phases—maybe for completion in 2035. It’s a long, long haul.
There is, of course, the matter of money. The Mack insurers are contesting the payout, so the art school has gone to arbitration. This is a whole different future article – but as a friend says, “Arbitration is the preferred method for companies wanting to keep things secret, although there’s no reason why either party shouldn’t put out a briefing giving details of, at least, the nature of the dispute. The insurers here, understood to be the Travellers syndicate at Lloyds, won’t do this. Why should they? GSA surely can, especially if, as suspected, they’re facing a complete repudiation of liability. In my experience, arbitrations can go on for ages – which could be convenient for some.”
Think of Glasgow without the Mackintosh building. I find that totally unacceptable. Come what may, I sincerely believe the only way to rebuild both Glasgow’s and GSA’s reputation will be to rebuild the iconic, world-famous heart and soul at the city’s centre – the GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART.