A Scottish conservation architect has launched a petition demanding that the fire-damaged Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Building be handed to an independent body for a faithful restoration, after the institution said it could not afford to rebuild on its own.

Ruairidh Moir, founder of Glasgow studio BARD, created the campaign on the 38 Degrees petitions platform under the title "Fully restore the Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh building." The petition had gathered 5,406 signatures at the time of writing, with a target of 100,000 — at which point it would be hand-delivered to the Scottish and UK governments and the Glasgow School of Art board (Dezeen, 3 August 2026).

The Mackintosh Building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and completed in 1909, is one of Scotland's most celebrated architectural works. It was badly damaged by fire in 2014, then devastated by a second blaze in 2018 — that fire broke out during a £35 million restoration project intended to repair the earlier damage (Dezeen, 3 August 2026).

Moir's campaign calls for the building's ownership to be transferred to an independent organisation that would deliver a "faithful restoration and reinstatement." The school itself would not be shut out: the petition asks that the building be made available to Glasgow School of Art on a lease-back arrangement — meaning the institution would rent it back — so it can continue to function as an art school (Dezeen, 3 August 2026).

The petition also asks the Scottish and UK governments for direct financial assistance. Moir said a panel of experts would need to be created to advise a new design and project team for the rebuild (Dezeen, 3 August 2026).

The campaign was launched in response to Glasgow School of Art's announcement in July 2026 that it could not fund the rebuilding without external support (Dezeen, 3 August 2026). That admission marked a sharp reversal from the position taken shortly after the 2018 fire, when the school's then-director Tom Inns said the building would be rebuilt (Dezeen, 3 August 2026).

The Architecture Foundation, a UK-based architecture body, has publicly promoted the petition, sharing it across its channels on 27 July 2026 — a week before Moir's campaign attracted wider media coverage (The Architecture Foundation, Facebook, 27 July 2026).

What gives the petition its bite is the question of who should hold the reins. Glasgow School of Art has overseen the Mackintosh Building through both fires, the second occurring under its watch during an active restoration. Moir's proposal would remove the institution from the driving seat entirely, placing ownership and project delivery in the hands of a body whose sole purpose would be the building's faithful return. Whether the school, the Scottish government or the UK government will entertain that idea is another matter — but the petition now gives the growing public debate a concrete demand to rally around.