The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has announced the date and venue for the first of two symposia to discuss issues surrounding the rebuilding of the Mackintosh Library.

GSA is involved in continuing efforts to raise £20m to restore its famous Grade A-listed Mackintosh building. The venue was badly damaged by a fire on 23 May.

While firefighters were able to save around 90% of the structure and 70% of its contents, the Mackintosh library was one of the most badly-damaged areas.

In a statement, the GSA confirmed the first symposia will be held at Querini Stampalia, Venice, on 18 October 2014. The second event is expected to be held in Glasgow in spring 2015.

The School has said the events will be "fundamental" to informing the GSA's construction plans.

Making the announcement, Professor Christopher Platt, Head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at GSA, said: "What should the plans be for bringing the Mackintosh Building into full use once more and how should we approach the particular issue of the Macintosh Library?

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"These are highly complex questions and by necessity any discussion must involve contributions from many different people and organisations from across the world.

"We will therefore host two symposia, the first in Venice this autumn and the second in Glasgow next spring, to explore the future of a space beloved by so many."

He continued: "We have decided to focus on the topic of the Mackintosh Library specifically as this is the most delicate and culturally and intellectually significant aspect of the entire post-fire work.

"The first symposium will open publicly the discussion about the issues associated with rebuilding the Mackintosh Library and it will generate key themes to inform the structure and content of the second symposium."

The event will take place during the 2014 International Venice Architecture Biennale, and members of the public will also be able to attend.

It will be aligned with the Scotland and Venice programme, presented by architects Reiach and Hall, as part of a residency at the UK Pavilion during the biennale.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop commented: "The Glasgow School of Art is an extraordinarily well-loved building, both here in Scotland and around the world. Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterpiece has a very special place in the history of world architecture.

"The symposium at the Querini Stampalia, prior to the spring symposium in Glasgow, will provide an important opportunity with an international audience to discuss Mackintosh's Glasgow School of Art and, in particular, to consider the highly sensitive challenges relating to the rebuild of its library."

Stuart Cosgrove, director of Creative Diversity at Channel 4, will be facilitator for the Building on Mackintosh symposium next month, GSA gas said.

Details of speakers and of how to book a place at the event will be released in the near future.

(JP/IT)