Glasgow School of Art Rennie Mackintosh building is on fire

[StoneRoad]

FFS.
That's terrible.

It must be devastating for staff and students. The first time was bad enough.

 

[weepiper]

 

[weepiper]

Apparently many of the GSA's salvaged original features are off site because the restoration project from the last fire is still ongoing, so hopefully a lot of it is still safe.

 

[WouldBe]

how could this happen again?

Disgruntled ex student?

 

[Sunset Tree]

Usually fires in building sites are 'workers tools left on' or similar. Always makes me think someone has just left a blowtorch flaming away when they ducked out at 5pm.

I think I read somewhere that the fire is so bad there might be no evidence left to establish the cause.

 

[19sixtysix]

Sprinklers. Where were the sprinklers. Someone needs to explain.

 

[kebabking]

Sprinklers. Where were the sprinklers. Someone needs to explain.

In a wild arse guess, I'd imagine that the conservation status of the building might have made it something of a problem. It may not, but it may - and sprinklers in large buildings require a significant water pressure, the fire brigade had to use big pumps to bring water up from the Clyde last night. It's got to a mile if it's an inch, and all uphill. I'd bet the water pressure up around the GSA to be a trickle...

 

[kebabking]

.

 

[teuchter]

The building hadn't been reopened yet had it? It was effectively still a building site. So various systems might not have been commissioned yet.

 

[19sixtysix]

In a wild arse guess, I'd imagine that the conservation status of the building might have made it something of a problem. It may not, but it may - and sprinklers in large buildings require a significant water pressure, the fire brigade had to use big pumps to bring water up from the Clyde last night. It's got to a mile if it's an inch, and all uphill. I'd bet the water pressure up around the GSA to be a trickle...

I can imagine the hertiage brigade insisting it was al restored as was neglecting the real problem of an older design of building made of wood in the interior. I quite like what they do in Italy where herritage buldings are more often an acinet skin on a rebuilt interior to get them to earth proof. Who really cares if it looks original yet under neath theres more modern tech.

Sprinkler water pressure is not usually a problem as most big systems have their tanks and punps so the system remains empty until required.

 

[teuchter]

Who exactly are the 'heritage brigade' you imagine?

 

[teuchter]

Improved fire supression was part of the refurb -

Art of restoration: The Mackintosh Building

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

One of my claims to fame is that I stood next to Stephen Pastel at an Arab Strap gig there once.

Umm, I've stood behind Stephen Pastel at an Arab Strap gig at the ABC

 

[danny la rouge]

Umm, I've stood behind Stephen Pastel at an Arab Strap gig at the ABC

Our paths have probably crossed many times.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

Roof has collapsed on the o2 ABC now apparently

Oh my god I hadn’t realised it spread that far. I stayed right next door in the halls which I think caught fire a few years ago. Many a good gig at the ABC Fourtet being the best.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

No I’m tripping, I stayed down the road a bit, I am now confusing O2 and G2 and all sorts! But Fourtet defo at the ABC. God this is really sad.

 

[19sixtysix]

Who exactly are the 'heritage brigade' you imagine?

Those who grant planning consent to the repair of this building. I'm hoping fire prevention was upper most in the minds of those rebuilding but I fear it was originality over function. The smoldering evidence doesn't look good.

 

[teuchter]

Those who grant planning consent to the repair of this building. I'm hoping fire prevention was upper most in the minds of those rebuilding but I fear it was originality over function. The smoldering evidence doesn't look good.

You're making very vague suggestions that don't mean anything at a stage where we know nothing about how the fire started and spread. It's not an either/or choice between preserving historic building fabric and ensuring fire safety. And it was a building site, not a completed building open to the public.

 

[equationgirl]

Don't know if people have seen this photo - I posted it on the other thread in p&p:

 

[1927]

Seriously? People putting forward the idea that fire regulations had been swerved because it was a listed building!

 

[Crispy]

Seriously? People putting forward the idea that fire regulations had been swerved because it was a listed building!

Thing with the building regs is that the actual requirement under law part of them is very brief. "You must protect your building from fire and make sure people can escape" is a fair paraphrasing. The rest of the document is the "approved" method for fulfilling the requirement. If the approved methods are impossible for some good reason (listed buildings are good reason enough) then you can propose your own methods. Fire engineers are a whole profession who devise off-standard fire protection/escape solutions. If the building control officer accepts your proposal, then it satisfies the requirement of the regs.

I have absolutely no knowledge of this particular case, but the "regs" may well have been "swerved" but in such a way as to still provide good fire protection to the satisfaction of building control.

And now, having typed all that out, this is Scotland which has its own building regulations system that I know nothing about

 

[teuchter]

I think it works in quite a similar way.

As I said above though, this was not a completed building but a building site.

 

[1927]

Irrespective of building regs there is also the Regulatory Fire Safety order (Scotland) 2005.

 

[teuchter]

At long last, something seems to be happening.

Glasgow School of Art begins long road to return of The Mack

Phase one involved stabilising the world-renowned building and evaluating what could be retained.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[StoneRoad]

That BBC piece indicates that there has been a lot of clearance & stabilisation work.

The sooner the temporary roof goes on, the better as far as I'm concerned. It would, at least, keep the weather out !