A Scottish architect has launched a petition demanding the "full and faithful restoration" of the Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art, after the institution announced it cannot afford to rebuild the fire-damaged landmark on its own. Artnet News

Ruairidh Moir's petition, hosted on the 38 Degrees campaigning platform and titled "Fully and Faithfully Restore 'The Mack'," had gathered more than 8,300 signatures as of 3 August. If it reaches 100,000, it will be delivered to the Scottish and U.K. governments and the Glasgow School of Art board. Artnet News

The Mackintosh Building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and built in two phases between 1897 and 1909, is one of Scotland's most celebrated architectural works. It was struck by fire in 2014, then gutted by a second, far more destructive blaze in 2018 — one that tore through the building while a £35-million ($47-million) redevelopment was underway. Artnet News

In late July, the Glasgow School of Art disclosed that a "full reinstatement" would cost an estimated £265 million ($356 million). That figure, pushed higher than a 2021 estimate by inflated construction costs and market volatility, amounts to roughly five times the school's annual turnover. The institution said it could not pursue the rebuild without external partners. Artnet News

Moir's petition calls for no erosion of Mackintosh's original design intent, the use of original materials, and state-of-the-art fire suppression integrated throughout. Crucially, it argues that ownership of the building should be transferred to an independent organisation set up specifically to deliver the rebuild — one that would then lease the Mack back to the Glasgow School of Art, ensuring it remains a working art school. Artnet News

The school says it is open to talks. A Glasgow School of Art spokesperson said it "remains committed to exploring every opportunity for the Mackintosh Building to be rebuilt" and had begun conversations with stakeholders about potential partnerships. Artnet News

In the meantime, the building's shell is entering a new phase of caretaking. Beginning in 2027, the external scaffolding that has stood around the Mack since the 2018 fire will be removed and replaced with an internal retention system — a structural measure to hold the surviving walls in place. Artnet News

The gap between ambition and budget is stark. After the 2018 fire, then-director Tom Inns publicly committed to rebuilding the Mack as a fully working art school. Eight years on, the estimated cost has ballooned, and the institution is asking others to share the financial load. Artnet News

For now, the petition's momentum — from zero to over 8,000 signatures in its opening days — signals that public appetite for the building's return has not dimmed, even as the price tag and the practical questions have grown.