The Category A-listed masterpiece, designed with his wife Margaret Macdonald and originally built as a home for publisher Walter Blackie in 1902, is currently wrapped in a transparent box to protect it during restoration works.Last month NTS secured a 1.1 million package of initial development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, some of which will be used on drawing up designs for new visitor facilities, as part of its wider Mackintosh Illuminated project.This programme, which aims to shine a spotlight on the creative genius of the design duo, also includes a focus on the pairs 1903 Category A-listed Willow tearoom in Glasgows Sauchiehall Street, which the conservation charity acquired a year ago.AdvertisementThe funding package is the first stage of a larger 7.3 million lottery award and NTS said the monies will allow it to continue the ongoing conservation work at Hill House.Afflicted with chronic damp, the landmark will remain under the Carmody Groarke-designed transparent box for another three years. Installed in 2019, this pioneering wrap-around porous cage is designed to let the house slowly dry out. Source:Johan Dehlin2021 Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award finalist: The Hill House Box, Helensburgh, by Carmody GroarkeThe trust said: This new funding will enable [us] to move forward with the full removal of the current render, to find a replacement which will resolve the longstanding damp issue, remove the box in 2028 and provide updated, permanent visitor facilities, including a caf, shop and toilet facilities at the site on Upper Colquhoun Street in Helensburgh.The AJ understands its is unlikely the new visitor centre will be built before the shroud is dismantled but that the hunt for a design team will start within the next few months, with an appointment due this summer.The NTS said it continues to work with architects LDN and engineers Narro Associates on completing a research and development exercise on the material and physical issues affecting the house.A spokesperson said: Those findings formed a major component of the [lottery funding] application.AdvertisementAs part of the bid, we explored issues of scale, facilities, location and fabrication methods of the new visitor centre. [However] we look forward to the creativity of the new team to explore that further and provide the Trust with options to decide on.The NTS said the procurement for the new design team would be openly advertised and that it had considered the option of a possible competition.The spokesperson added: The route this procurement takes has not been finalised yet but is under discussion. A competition would be an advantage in terms of raising profile. We are also keen to maintain a momentum on the project and its programme, and this is also a key factor in the route we will decide to take.Liz Davidson, the NTSs project director at Hill House said: We are very excited by the opportunities that the Mackintosh Illuminated project will provide to share, celebrate and inspire as many as possible with the creative genius of Mackintosh and Macdonald, at both Hill House and Mackintosh at the Willow.At the Hill House, Macintosh sought a modern interpretation of a traditional Scottish tower house with characteristic slate roofing, roughcast walls, prominent gables, and similar features. The house was gifted to the Trust in 1982 and is the finest surviving example of his domestic properties.Carmody Groarke landed the job to build the box in 2017 following a contest in which it was selected ahead of Denizen Works. Work began on site at the end of 2018.