THE fire-ravaged Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Building could be back in use in three or four years' time, it has emerged.

The blaze in May caused the loss of around the tenth of the structure - including the iconic library, which was recognised as one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture and design in the world.

Yesterday a symposium of architectural experts was held in Venice to discuss how the restoration of the library should proceed.

Speaking after the meeting, Eleanor McAllister, a governor of Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and chairwoman of the Mackintosh restoration committee, told the Sunday Herald one key issue discussed had been the need to take sufficient time to move forward and not just rush into decisions.

But she said it was hoped the Mac would be back in use by within the next few years, although she cautioned that the restoration of library could take longer.

She said: "We want the Mac itself to be back in use with the students hopefully within the next three or four years maximum.

"The library, the subject matter of the symposium, is so significant and so detailed that might take a bit longer - if that is the case I think everyone will recognise that."

She added: "It has been such a shock to the system and we need to make sure we don't just rush into something.

"This is an iconic building on the national landscape but it is also a working art school, so we have to make sure what we put back fulfils both those roles."

Speakers at yesterday's symposium, which took place in the historic Fondazione Querini Stampalia during the 2014 International Venice Architecture Biennale, included architects, conservation experts and even a psychologist, who discussed issues around grief triggered by the loss of the building.

A second symposium to discuss the Mackintosh restoration will be held in Glasgow in the spring. Last week the GSA also officially launched its search for a design team to take on the task.

Professor Tom Inns, director of the GSA, said reproducing the "spirit" of the library would be as important as restoring the original space.

He commented: "It is not just about the physical aspect, it is very much about the spirit of the space and that is to do with how it is used and how people work with it and so on.

"It has been likened to how you can now pay to clone your dog. When you get the cloned dog back, it may look like your dog visually, but it doesn't necessarily behave like your dog."

He added: "Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed it as an art school and so we have got to be true to that spirit."

Inns acknowledged the restoration project of such an iconic and admired building was "quite daunting".

But he added: "The flip side is there is a huge amount of support out there and having a lot of interest is a positive thing.

"We are determined and we are excited that we are going to be able to come back with something which is really going to work for us and for all those other people that loved the building so much."