A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the future of the Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art is to be held next month.
The Building on Mackintosh symposium will be held at the Reid Building at the school (GSA) on April 17.
Earlier this month Professor Tom Inns, director of the art school, ended any debate over the future of the library, saying it will be rebuilt as Mackintosh intended, albeit with 21st technology included in its facilities.
He said he hoped the west wing of the building, which was most affected by the fire, would be back in use in 2017 and the library re-opened in 2018 - the 150th anniversary of Mackintosh's birth.
The symposium will feature contributions from the lead architects on the restoration project - who are yet to be announced, as well as Luigi Croce, founder of the Venice Architectural Association.
It will also see the screening of A Beautiful Living Thing, a new artwork by Ross Birrell made in the Mackintosh Building after the fire.
The discussion will be led by Rowan Moore, the leading architecture critic.
Professor Christopher Platt, Head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at the GSA, said: "The purpose of this event is to help inform the actual restoration project by exploring best 21st century practice.
"It is also an opportunity to share our plans and aspirations with the people of Glasgow whose support since the fire has been incredibly important to the GSA."
Passes for the symposium are free, but must be booked in advance via the school's website.
There has been public disagreement on what to do with the gutted library.
David Mullane, a former director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, sparked debate when he said a rebuilt version of the library could be an "embarrassment" and a prime example of "Mockintosh".
The leading Scottish architect Alan Dunlop also said that the space could be used on a more contemporary design rather than building a "replica".
However, Professor Inns said: "We will looking to build it as closely as possible to Mackintosh's design.
"There may be 21st century technology integrated into that design but we are looking for the return of the Mackintosh library."
The results of the archaeological survey of the Mackintosh Building, which was engulfed in a blaze last May, showed that the majority of works on paper, including key works by Mackintosh, survived the fire.
However 90 oil paintings and thousands of books were destroyed and many of the contents of a key studio and former furniture gallery were lost.
The fire, which was caused when flammable gases from a canister of expanding foam were set alight by a film projector at a degree show installation, mainly destroyed the library and many of the contents of the studio room above it.
Salvaged from the library were some rare books, parts of a studio clock, its central lights and a silver salver.
The survey of the damage, mainly to the west end of the world-famous building, was analysed by Kirkdale Archaeology over 12 weeks.
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