CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH

ANKIT SHARMA
III YEAR (B.ARCH.)
AAYOJAN SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH
SCOTISH
1.0 LIFE & TIME
1.1 Born: 70, Parson Street, Glasgow
June, 7, 1868
1.2 Died: Porchestor Square, Paddington
December, 10, 1928
1.3 Family: Parents-William Mackintosh, Margaret Rennie Mackintosh
Wife- Margaret Macdonald.
1.4 Education :
Attended Reid’s public school – 1875 -77
Attended Allan Glen’s institute which specializes in
vocational training – 1877
Attended Glasgow school of art winning many prizes in local
examination and competition- 1883-94
Begins a five year pupilage with John Hutchison in Glasgow –
1884

1.5 Profession :
Joins the firm of Honeyman and Keppie, Architects, as
draughtsman - 1889
Becomes a partner in Honeyman and Keppie –1901
Mackintosh’s partnership in the firm is formally dissolved – 1914
Handled some small commissions on his own but mostly
worked as an artist – 1915-1925
1.6 Influences :
People:
Pattrick Geddes
John Ruskin
John Honeyman
Macgibbon & Ross
John James Burnet
Sellars
Places (Travel):
March 21, 1891 tour of Italy
17 sketching tours of various parts of England, from 1894-1911
Art and Architectural movements:
Vienna Secession
The aesthetic movement coming from England
The refinement and revival of Scottish tradition
The influence of French Beaux Arts tradition
2.0 PHILOSOPHY :
2.1 Beliefs:
---He believed that architecture was the supreme discipline, for it
uniquely brought all arts together.
---He aimed to connect individuals with his work both functionally and
spiritually.
---He believed that all the great and living architecture has been the
direct expression of the needs and beliefs man at the time of creation.
---He believed that the quality of mass in a building was essential to its
success .
---The expression of beauty was of equal importance to a building’s
physical function and that utility alone could only be realized and
would not be wholly justified if it did not consider the context of its
environment .
3.0 WORKS:
3.1 Major Architectural
works:

MARTYR”S PUBLC SCHOOL

1895-1896
----- Roof trusses and striking
roof supporting brackets are
oriental in flavour and jut out
from the wall by nearly a meter.
------The three white octagonal
and ogee crowned elements on
the roof visually lightens the
built mass and hides the
ventilation system.
------- The design is restrained,
relying on the Scottish
precedent.
QUEEN’S CROSS CHRUCH, GLASGOW
1898
-Building gives a modern look due to its
use of huge exposed steel roof ties.
-The church imparts sense of space and
tranquility.

SCOTLAND STREET SCHOOL

1903-1906
-Totally utilitarian with barest of
ornamentation.
-the twin stairwell towers provide the
building with a verticality which
contrast with its otherwise strong
horizontal emphasis.
-The most innovative elements of this
school are the two stepped banks of
horizontal windows which flank each
stairwell tower.
-The use of glass in these towers was
outstandingly modern and their conical
roofs harked back to the staircase bay
Glasgow school of art(1896-1909).
 .
- It was built in two phases the
directness of main elevations, apart
from some delightful play with curved
and twisted forms in wrought iron, is
the simple outcome of putting rooms
and studios in the most functional
way.
-Inside it is another experience
.The main studios, main exhibitions
spaces and staircases demonstrate
his mastery of the NATUREOF
different materials.
-Mackintosh used verticals
horizontals and gentle curves in
timber to work out a richly decorative
space, defined and shaped by
columns, beams, cover plates and
hanging frets.
Hill house (1902-04).
-The stark,UNORNAMENTATED wall
surfaces,received much attention.
Straight forward in functional
ORGANISATION.
-Notable are circular stairs that notch
into inside corner and stairs project
outside in the form of semicircular
landings.
-Mackintosh designed hill house to
have both regimented ORTHOGONALS
and art nouveau curves.
 3.2 Architectural Details

Rear elevation of Glasgow school of art

 West and east elevation: Glasgow
school of art 1910

Perspective drawing of the

north façade:
Hill house 1902-1903
Alternative design for the concert hall, 1898
Competition for the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition Buildings 1898
3.3 Chronology of works:

1890 Awarded the Alexander Thomson scholarship for his

design for “A Public Hall”.
Awarded a National Silver Medal at South Kensington for his
design for “A Science and Art Museum”.
His first building commission: Redclyffe, a pair of
semidetached houses in Glasgow for his uncle.
1891 Delivers Scottish Baronial Architecture paper to the
Glasgow Architectural Association.
1892 Enters Soane Medallion Competition with his design for
“A Chapter House” which is subsequently awarded the
national gold medal at South Kensington.
1893 Delivers Architecture paper to the Glasgow institute.
Starts on designs for the Glasgow Herald Building (completed
in 1895)
1894 Begins designs for Queen Margaret’s Medical collage
(completed in 1896)
1895 Commences design for Martyr’s Public School
(completed in 1896).
1896 Begins design s for the Glasgow school of art
competition.
1897 Building of the Glasgow School of art commences (first
stage completed in 1899).
Designs St. Matthew’s Free Church (later to become Queen
Cross church).
Designs furniture for the Argyle street tea rooms.
1898 Designs an Industrial Hall for the Glasgow International
Exhibition of 1901.
Receives first foreign commission – a dinning room for H.
Bruckmann, Munich.
1899 The new Glasgow school of art opens.
Designs Windyhill for the Davidson family.
Begins interior design of his flat at 120 Mains street
(completed in 1900).
1900 Designs furniture and interior decorations for the Ingram
street tea rooms (with further additions in 1902).
1901 Designs Daily Record building, Glasgow.
Enters “Hauus eines Kunstfreundes”(House for an Art Lover)
competition; awarded special prize.
Commissioned by Mrs. Rowat to design interior of 14
Kingsborough Gardens(completed in 1902).
Designs the Gate Lodge, Auchenbothie, Kilmacolm.
1902 Exhibits at the International Exhibition of modern
decorative art,Turin.
Commissioned by Fritz Warndorfer to design a music salon,
Vienna. Commissioned by Walter Balkie to design Hill
House (completed in 1905).
Prepares plans for the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral competition.
Delivers Seemliness paper, most probably to the Northern Art
Worker’s Guild, Manchester.
1903 Designs the willow Tea Rooms (completed and opened in
1904).
Exhibits a bedroom at the “Dresdener Werkstatten fur
Handwerkskunst” Exhibition, Dresden.
1904 Designs Scotland Street School for the Govan school board
(completed in 1906).
Commissioned by Mrs. Catherine Cranston and her husband,
Major John Cochrane, to design the interior of their home
Hous’hill.
Commissioned by F. J. Shand to design Auchenbert,near Killearn.
(completed in 1906).
1905 Commissioned by A.S Ball to design a dining-room, Berlin.
1906 Designs new boardroom for the Glasgow School of Art.
Redesigns the second phase of building work for the school of
art (finishes designs in 1907).
Designs the “Dutch Kitchen” for the Argyle Street Tea rooms.
Commissioned by H. B. Collins to design Mosside, (later cloak),
Kilmacolm (with alterations undertaken in 1912)
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
1907 Designs the Oak room for the Ingram street tea room.
1909 Second phase of building work at the Glasgow school of art
completed.
1911 Designs the Cloister room and the Chinese room for the
Ingram street tea rooms.
1916 Commissioned by W. J. Bassett- Lowke to remodel the exterior
and interior of 78 Derngate, Northampton.
1917 Designs “The Dug-Out” for the Willow tea rooms.
1920 Designs three Chelsea studios (only one was built for Harold
Squire).
Designs a block of studios for the Arts League of service in
Ch
4.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Charles Rennie Mackintosh -Charlotte and Peter
Fiell
Charles Rennie Mackintosh -Glasgow museums
edited by:
Kaplan