The work of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh belongs to the early modernist period, along with that of Austria's Adolf Loos and California's Irving Gill. Though Mackintosh built very few projects during his career, the few that have survived have continued to be of great importance for modern architectural history.
Hill House, built in 1904 in the hills of Helensburgh, Scotland, is among the most significant. Designed by Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, the home rises from the landscape like a castle stripped of all ornament, a novel mix of the old and new worlds. The 115 year old home has been a popular tourist destination for years, though it had long been in serious need of preservation. The wet weather of Northern Scotland has been increasingly challenging for the Portland cement exterior, and calls for preservation proposals were made in 2017.
That's when the London-based firm of Carmody Groarke first announced their plans to preserve the Hill House using an enormous enclosure named the Hill House Box, which functions as a 'drying room' and scaffolding from which visitors can explore the architecture along its exterior. Two years later, the project is now complete, and has been handsomely photographed by Johan Dehlin prior to its public opening.
The metal mesh is designed to halt the decay of the building's aging materials while the metal structure overhead allows for protection against the rain. Altogether, the site now features two architecturally significant sites: the historic home and the scaffolding that protects it.
Carmody Groarke provided a brilliant strategy for allowing the home to heal while also allowing the public to enjoy it through novel means; can it be seen as a model for future strategies for historic preservation?
9 Comments
could have been more architecturally conceived.
"The work of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh belongs to the early modernist period"
Maybe in the modernist version of history, but Mackintosh was Scotland's version of the Art Nouveau period so unless early modernists where cool with gorgeous shapes and decoration, not so much. The preservation strategy does seem modernist though. Put history in a box to look at it like a relic.
When the enclosure starts to decay, they can build an even larger one over it.
anyone else wondering if drying it out will just make it more flammable?
This is really daft. Part of the appeal of a house like that one is the way it sits in the landscape, the way it relates to the world around it. I'm sorry, but the way to save a building of this stature is not to put it inside a cruel industrial prison cage.
Why not just repair the plaster?
Ok... I went to the architect's website. This is apparently a temporary structure to protect the house while it's being repaired. So that makes sense.
What I don't get is why this is noteworthy.
because it's terrible i guess. and while intended to be temporary, there seems to be no timeline for actually repairing the building. so this might become permanent.
This is similar to what was done at another prominent building in Scotland, Rosslyn Chapel. The temporary structure allowed the 14th/15th century masonry to dry out, enabling a much better outcome for the eventual renovation. The scaffolding also allowed many thousands of visitors to see the building from unusual angles and watch the restoration works' progress. The temporary enclosure needs to be cost-effective, as the bulk of the funding will come from grants and donations. These same methods will work at the Hill House too. It seems that Toshie's faith in Portland cement was misplaced. When the walls have dried out a new, better, render can be applied, and the beautiful interiors restored, allowing Mackintosh's Hill House masterpiece to be enjoyed by future generations.
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