The school is housed in a number of buildings around Renfrew Street in the centre of Glasgow, upon Garnethill, an area first developed by William Harley of Blythswood Hill in the early 1800s.

[3] The building was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, chosen for the commission by the school's director, Francis Newbery, who oversaw a period of expansion and fast-growing reputation.

[9] GSA has four standard Board Meetings in its academic year, held in September, November, March and June.

Eyewitnesses said that the fire appeared to have started when a projector exploded in the basement of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building just before 12:40 pm.

[17] The restoration was performed with historical accuracy, including the use of original wood species such as longleaf pine and tulipwood.

"[24] This point of view was not supported by the early external building surveys, which appeared to indicate that much of the exterior had survived, though extensively damaged.

Drone footage enabled a clearer assessment of the extent of the interior damage, and a programme of partial dismantling was established to stabilise the portions of the facade at risk of collapse, notably the south elevation.

"[26] It was also noted by Roger Billcliffe that "It has been voted Britain’s most important building several times over, and we have all of the information needed to recreate every detail, following extensive laser surveys after the first fire.

Muriel Gray, chair of the Board of Governors, stated: "This was the first opportunity for the expert team to see the building and begin what will be a long and complex process of determining the future of the Mack, but we remain optimistic.

We have incredibly detailed information on the building collated over the last 4 years, and have worked with teams of talented craftspeople who were doing a tremendous job on the restoration.

"[28] In a subsequent statement to the BBC, Professor Tom Inns, director of the school, affirmed that "This building is not beyond saving.

[30] The same day, Glasgow School of Art terminated its £25 million restoration contract with Kier Group following the fire.

[31] In August 2020, Glasgow School of Art took legal action against Page\Park Architects, the Glasgow-based architectural practice responsible for the Mackintosh Building restoration work.

This is chaired by the Director of the Art School who has assumed the role of project sponsor, is leading the works and is directly responsible for delivery.

A Strategic Outline Business Case for the restoration was due to be drafted by late spring 2021 and completed by summer 2021.

From the date of the first fire of May 2014, until September 2019 the School of Fine Art was temporarily housed in a campus at the Tontine Building, Merchant City, Glasgow.

The School of Simulation and Visualisation (formerly the Digital Design Studio (DDS)) is based on the southside of Glasgow in The Hub, at Pacific Quay by the River Clyde.

[41] An exception to this rule was the Degree Show where all the studios within the Mackintosh building were opened to allow people to view the graduating year's final artworks.

In 2019, it was mutually agreed to end the partnership one year early; the final cohort of Glasgow School of Art Singapore students graduated in June 2021.

[53] Despite high positions in the QS rankings, the quality of Glasgow School of Art's academic provision was criticised in a 2021 Enhancement Led Institutional Review.

In April 2021 the UK's Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) wrote: The review concluded that GSA has arrangements for managing academic standards and the student learning experience which are of limited effectiveness.

This judgement means GSA does not currently meet sector expectations in relation to the arrangements it has in place for securing the academic standards of the awards it offers and enhancing the quality of the student learning experience it provides.

GSA is asked to take action in a number of areas to ensure that quality and academic standards are not put at risk in the future.

[58] The Art School contained a bar and a club and over the decades established itself as a well-renowned venue in the local music scene.

[66] In 2019, the GSA Choir gained funding from Creative Scotland[67][68] for the Composeher project, which aims to address the under-representation of female composers evident across the music industry.

Seven leading female composers from Scotland, England, Australia and the USA were commissioned to create a set of new choral works.

Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art are notable in painters, writers, film directors, photographers, designers, and architects.