Experts pore over Glasgow School of Art library Forensic archaeologist Owen Godbert picks his way carefully among the charred wreckage of the world famous Mackintosh Library at the Glasgow School of Art. Experts are still hopeful that they can recover items that may be restored and assist in the building's eventual restoration. The library and other parts of the building were destroyed when fire swept through it on 23 May, however, firefighters managed to protect the majority of the 1897 building from total destruction by forming a "human wall" equipped with high pressure hoses to keep the flames at bay. The cost of rebuilding the building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, has been estimated at £20 million, with Brad Pitt and Peter Capaldi acting as trustees for the fundraising campaign.