Hamilton Mausoleum and Keeper’s Lodge
In 2020, Hamilton Mausoleum Trust and the Glasgow Institute of Architects organised a competition to find design ideas for proposals to save the Hamilton Mausoleum and Keeper’s Lodge for the cultural benefit of future generations. Our proposal would see the buildings reused as a new Storytelling Centre and Writers Retreat, while a new Gatehouse building would provide visitor and staff facilities to complement the programme of Low Parks Museum who own both buildings.
The Mausoleum
The upper level of the Mausoleum would be used for oral storytelling, which could take many forms from prose to poetry, song, rap, theatrical performance and so on. A large velvet curtain around the perimeter of the space can be configured in a number of ways to suit the type of performance taking place and allow acoustic control of the Mausoleum interior's famous 15-second echo. The crypt houses a newly accessible archive of documents from the Low Parks Museum collections including significant manuscripts, books, papers and maps.
The Gatehouse
While developing the plans for the new Storytelling Centre within the Mausoleum, it became clear that the proposed activities would require some supporting accommodation in addition to what the existing building was able to hold.A new ‘Gatehouse’ building that will act as a visitor centre, cafe, shop and provide some staff office space.The design for the Gatehouse is inspired by the Mausoleum- using the same 17.5x17.5m square footprint, while he elevations are composed using a ‘fish scale’ motif echoing that found on the historic gates to the Mausoleum.
The Keeper’s Lodge
We propose that the Lodge house is given a new purpose as a creative space hosting a programme of residencies for writers as well as creating an income stream for the Museum. This building would allow writers to escape their daily life’s distractions during a stay in which they can create work inspired by and related to the setting.
Materials & Form
The proposed materials reflect a narrative relating to the passage of time- a key part of storytelling and interpreting history. The form and architectural language of the new buildings are derived from elements found in the existing Mausoleum and Lodge- literally echoing the existing in the new.
Our scheme won 2nd place in the design competition. The submission was produced in collaboration with Ryan Wilson.
Location: Hamilton, UK
Client: GIA/ Hamilton Mausoleum Trust
Year: 2020
Status: 2nd place runner-up in the competition