Architecture Practice, BAILTEAN AILTEIREACHD ’S RÙM DÀNACH:
TOWNSHIPS, ARCHITECTURE & The ROOM of POETICS

queens cross church

Context

Queens Cross Church is a category A listed building, designed by the renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It no longer serves its function of a church, however continues to be used as a base for the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society. 

Architecture
Ruairidh Moir – Architect
Charles Tulley - Assistant

Lighting Collaboration
OVI (Office for Visual Interaction)

Location
Glasgow, Scotland

Client
Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society

Stage
Various

Expert Panel
Professor Pamela Robertson
Professor Frank Arneil Walker
David Cairns
Jo Hormuth

BARD have been working on a few projects at Queens Cross Church for a number of years. These include a rethink of the current exterior and interior lighting aesthetic, a historical analysis and design development of the former finial designed by Mackintosh that is currently missing from the church tower as well as a comprehensive overview of the buildings conservation strategy for the future.

Context

The applicant, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society commissioned BARD to research and execute the restoration of the lost finial previously installed on Queen’s Cross Church (The Mackintosh Church). This includes application for listed building consent and full planning approval for the reinstatement of a finial, faithful to Mackintosh’s original design and intention for the building.

Finial Historical Research

Reinstatement of the Finial

Using a process of overlaying key arrangements over the provided historical photographs we were able to test the characteristics of each design iteration against a legitimate source. We used this method to discuss whether or not the central pole was originally a continuous thick diameter from the base to below the cage vs a thinner pole from the base to the top of the finial. We modelled a design proposal with both a flat bar curved cage and round bar curved cage for comparison when aligned with the historical photograph. When reviewing the detail photograph it appeared that the curved bars in the foreground and background were thicker than the bars on the sides of the finial which are shown to be slender.

BARD Finial Drawings

This proposal gives an exciting opportunity to allow Mackintosh Queens Cross to be restored in profile and arrangement to its original configuration. The replication of the original finial will be a faithful exercise which will bring renewed interest and appreciation in Mackintosh’s intentions towards the church.

The proposed material of the finial is to be galvanised mild steel coated to replicate black gloss on cast iron. This has been chosen in order to have the same look and feel as the original wrought iron finial while having significant benefits for longevity and ongoing maintenance.

The directional arms and main curved cage are both to be bolted separately to washers that are fitted round the central pole these will be fixed at the bottom and the top of the finial. The letter plates will be welded into place at the end of the directional arms. A thick collar at the bottom fixed into place by an upper and lower washer helps the rigidity of the above cage.

Lighting Design & Research with OVI (Office for Visual Interaction)

WINDYHILL. Building on Mackintosh - Windyhill was the first prototype house from world renowned Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and is his last remaining project still used for its own original purpose.

See full project >

EDINBURGH TOWNHOUSE
Our design proposes modifications to the kitchen and dining areas of the property to the rear garden, examining the property holistically in relation to the building character and function.

See full project >

COMUNN EACHDRAIDH NIS
Reinvigorating a civic Building by transforming the 1878 former Cross School buildings on the Isle of Lewis into a modern museum facility.

See full project >

A VESSEL OF CHRONICLES AND VOYAGES
We propose a building as a campus, placed on the shore line and creating a kind of landscape that evokes the qualities of this place.  Large blocks are anchored against sheltering walls, like ships come into harbour. We propose a dynamic and exploratory building, blending historical narrative with a forward-thinking approach. The vessel navigates through time, filled with chronicles and opportunities for new voyages.    

See full project >

BERNERAY MANSE
Building on our work at nearby Trumaisgearraidh, we have been commissioned to assist with renovation plans to bring the building back into habitable use as well as adapting the house sympathetically to reflect the needs of modern domestic life. 

See full project >

QUEENS CROSS CHURCH
Queens Cross Church is a Grade A listed building, designed by the renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It no longer serves its function of a church, however continues to be used as a base for the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society.

See full project >

COMANN EACHDRAIDH SGÌRE A' BHAC
The site of the former school in the district of Back, Isle of Lewis, has been a vacant wound in the area ever since the school buildings were removed.  It is a site of emotional connection and historical association, with many having either being educated there or being related to those who were.

See full project >

CRUACHAN BEAG
Reinhabiting a ruin. On the Isle of Eriskay, a two-celled stone bothy lain in a ruinous state situated on a spectacular promontory, was a favourite for onlookers to photograph. This structure was formerly a home, and may later have become a dairy shed. What was clear, however, was that numerous adaptations had been made over time to the building.

See full project >

CARLOWAY MILL - Proposals for a Harris Tweed Textile Mill in the Outer Hebrides. The Carloway Mill produces its own yarns and patterns before the beams are sent out to crofters to weave on traditional looms. Following this, the woven textile returns to the mill for meticulous checking, washing, steaming and warping.

See full project >

GALLAN HEAD MASTERPLAN
During the cold war the MOD took the headland into their possession to establish a major surveillance including accommodation for around 200 people. This headland and the buildings associated, remained in military control until 2010. The Gallan head community trust has since taken possession of this headland buildings.

See full project >

IONAD EILEAN NA H-ÒIGE
The location that inspired Whisky Galore and the site of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s first Scottish landfall, the Isle of Eriskay has an incredibly rich and eclectic history. Affectionately known as ‘Eilean h- Òige’ (the isle of youth), Eriskay was only first populated after the Highland Clearances and has a relatively short history of inhabitants, but a history that could rival any of its neighbours.

See full project >

ARTISTS STUDIO
PLACING LIGHT ATOP THE HILL
Across the Outer Hebrides, patterns of former habitations punctuate the landscape. In the case of Lemreway, a remarkable collection of blackhouses sit elevated above the new village, quite forgotten despite their prominent position overlooking the village.

See full project >

LOBSTER HOUSE. Positioning a new home on a narrow ledge between bedrock and a blackhouse ruin. What to do on a challenging site to amplify the found qualities of the place.

See full project >

CROWNING THE CITY - “Rock, Water, Wood and Space” symbolises the natural environment of Finland. The nodes in the landscape is imbued with history and traces of past existences which can be read and understood when presented. Much like a fine Malt Whisky, the landscape provides ingredients for multiple interpretations and close associations between people and their environment.

See full project >

HOUSE FOR AN ARCHAEOLOGIST - Building in and of the land. We have also taken cues from extensive analysis of key archaeological sites in the locality, such as Skara Brae and Maeshowe in relation to composition of geometry as well as key drivers and components in relation to the arrangement of domestic life.

See full project >