THE Scottish arm of Kier Group has highlighted its progress on the restoration of the Mackintosh Building at Glasgow School of Art, as shares in the construction and property giant soared six per cent on news of a major profits rise.

Kier was commissioned by Art School bosses to work on the project after the fire which devastated the world-famous Mackintosh Library in 2014.

And the company, which yesterday reported an eight per cent uplift in underlying pre-tax profits to £126 million, said the work remains on track to be completed – and on budget - by February 2019.

Kier, which reported a busy year for its Scottish construction business, has now rebuilt the west elevation next to the Mackintosh Library, where the stone work was damaged by fire. The stone was hand-finished, with the firm employing traditional woodwork and masonry techniques under efforts by the Art School to replicate the building’s original features.

That policy has extended to sourcing materials for the renovation process. The company has rebuilt the fire-damaged roof over the west end of the building, which involved Kier tracking down American white pine from a mill in Massachusetts. The timber was used in turn to install a series of nine-metre high columns. Other completed aspects of the library include the loggia, which features bay-window seats offering view s of the city skyline on the top floor. Kier is now reinstating the famous “hen run”, a long corridor with a glass roof which also looks out over the city.

It is estimated that two-thirds of the project is still to be completed. The company is now readying itself to put in a new mezzanine floor by making the necessary structural preparations. Laurence McIntosh, the joinery specialist, is working alongside Keir on this work.

Kier said its involvement in the Mackintosh Building has boosted its profile and made it an attractive choice for apprentices and other workers. Sixty work placements and traineeships have been appointed throughout the firm’s supply chain as a result of work on the project. And it is anticipated that further opportunities will be created between now and the project’s close.

The work at the School of Art, where Kier has been working with architect Page\Park on the £25 million restoration, is one of a series of heritage projects the company has been contracted to work on across Scotland.

Kier recently completed the first phase of the £14m refurbishment of a Grade-A listed building for Edinburgh School of Art, and is continuing to work on the £7m renovation of Aberdeen Music Hall. That project, which involves the transformation of front and back of stage areas, is moving into its second phase. Phase one involved significant structural work.

The last year has also seen Kier Construction Scotland, which turns over more than £150m, net contracts worth millions of pounds on public sector procurement frameworks. It was recently appointed to the £160m Aberdeenshire Council Social Housing Framework, which will involve upgrades to around 12,500 homes, and to the authority’s £125m Capital Works Framework, involving new schools and council building upgrades. In the health sector, recently-secured contracts include work for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at Stobhill, with Kier also being appointed principal supply chain partner at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank.

Meanwhile, projects recently handed over by the firm in Scotland include the £25m Ayr Academy for South Ayrshire Council and the £36m Garnock Campus for North Ayrshire Council.

At group level, chief executive Haydn Mursell described the company’s underlying performance for the year as “good”.

He said: “Having simplified our portfolio, the Group is more focused and able to pursue its growth ambitions in our three core markets; building, infrastructure and housing, which now represent 90 per cent of the Group’s revenue and profit. “

Shares in Kier closed up 69p at £11.64p.