The Lighthouse

October is Mackintosh Month in Glasgow and there are lots of activities going on around the City for you to take part in. We are running our #MackSelfie competition throughout the month, (more information via this link) and we also have the wonderful Unbuilt Mackintosh Models for you to view.

The models on show represent a selection of architectural designs by Mackintosh himself. They were competition entries run by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Glasgow International Exhibition at Kelvingrove Park respectively. Although they received notable media attention, none of these plans were selected as winning designs.

In Glasgow one can visit The House for an Art Lover, a building designed by Mackintosh with his wife, Margaret McDonald in 1901, yet not built until 1989. Mackintosh approached his architectural drawings like an artist would a canvas. He used watercolour to suggest colour-ways, as well as using pen and ink to note the dimensions, plans and elevations of the building. While one cannot be one-hundred percent sure of what these less than precise drawings illustrated, there are enough existing buildings by Mackintosh to give a good indication. The two-dimensional drawings offer the modern designer or architect a starting point to respond to, but many of the decisions around materials, proportions, and finish are still open to interpretation.

These models have been interpreted and built by Cemal Ozturk of Ozturk Modelmakers in Glasgow. Their precise dimensions meticulously drawn from what drawings and documentations were available. The choice of building materials for the models have been chosen, not so much for their ability to realistically interpret the proposed building, but for their precision and ability to highlight the detailing and style of the designs. These buildings are thoroughly modern interpretations of the originals, and as new additions to the Mackintosh Centre, offer visitors new ways of looking and understanding the prolific work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

The acquisition has been made possible by the generous support of The Mackintosh Heritage Trust and Creative Scotland.

You can view these wondeful models in our Mackintosh Centre on Level 3.