Glasgow School of Art 'could be rebuilt using digital map but cost would exceed £100 million'

The fire-ravaged Glasgow School of Art can be rebuilt thanks to a "remarkable" digital map of the world-renowned building made before the blaze but the cost would likely exceed £100 million, it has emerged.

Billy Hare, a professor of construction management, said there was a "growing consensus" the facade of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh masterpiece may have to be pulled down for safety reasons.

He warned that a conservative estimate for taking down then rebuilding the art school with a new internal frame would be at least £100 million.

But it emerged that a restoration project conducted after a smaller blaze in 2014 had mapped every aspect of the building "down to the nearest millimetre."

Miles Glendinning, a professor of architectural conservation, said the building "still exists digitally" and the only barriers to rebuilding it were time and money.

Muriel Gray, chairman of the school's board of governors, said it was "an understatement to say everyone is utterly devastated" and the staff and students now have a "difficult waiting game."

But she said: "We remain hopeful of as positive an outcome as possible because it is clear that the love for the Mackintosh and recognition of its importance to Glasgow and the wider world is shared by absolutely everyone."

David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, said the art school - one of Britain's most architecturally significant buildings - should be rebuilt if possible and the UK Government would contribute towards the cost.

Their interventions came as firefighters spent a second day at the site amid growing questions about whether there were enough fire precautions installed after the first blaze.

The British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association said it was understood that automatic fire sprinklers had not been fully fitted as the building was still undergoing refurbishment from four years ago.

In a statement, it said: "It should be realised that sprinklers can be fitted in buildings throughout construction on a temporary basis, as there is a considerable risk from fire during this period."

Both Mr Mundell and Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish Culture Minister, rejected calls for a public inquiry as premature and argued fire investigators should be first allowed to complete their enquiries.

Around 50 firefighters were still yesterday at the scene of the blaze, which broke out on Friday night, quickly engulfing the School of Art and spreading to nearby buildings including the popular music venue the O2 ABC.

A few pockets of fire remained, with crews using thermal imaging cameras to identify any hot spots.

The fire service said it was too early to speculate on the cause as forensic experts would not be able to gain access to the building until it had been made safe.

The Mackintosh Building was undergoing a £25 million restoration project to return it to its former glory. The fire, which gutted the interior, occurred only days after the 150th anniversary of the architect's birth.

Prof Hare, deputy director of The Beam Research Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University, noted that a nearby nightclub was demolished after a similarly intense fire in March.

He acknowledged the art school was a "globally-recognised building of significance" but added that "the consensus is beginning to grow over the last 24 hours" that it was structurally unsound and would have to be demolished.

The academic added: "Damaged buildings have been taken down almost stone by stone in the past and rebuilt with a new, internal frame. This sort of project will cost a great deal more than the estimated £35 million after the last fire in May 2014".

But Prof Glendinning said he would be "very surprised" if the building had to be knocked down and rebuilt, saying the walls could instead be reinforced from the inside.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: "A Glasgow School of Art project team [made] a digital recording reconstruction of the whole building, not just the bit that was affected before, down to the nearest millimetre, outside and in, using photos and measured drawings.

"So the building still exists digitally even if the inside is for the moment physically absent. This is a world first for Scotland at this building where it's really needed."

The academic said it could be rebuilt but "it's really a matter of how long it'll take and where the money's going to come from."

Mr Mundell told the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland programme that the UK Government would contribute towards the cost.

He said: "If it would look as if it was possible to restore it, and if that is at all possible, that should be done and the UK Government will play its part in making that happen."

Ms Hyslop said no one had yet been able to enter the building. Once it is declared safe, building control and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) officials will assess the exterior.