PROJECTS
The award-winning Maggie’ s Centre in Manchester is a marvel of modern architecture.
Supporting cancer patients in a warm, natural environment
Winner of multiple Wood Awards in 2016, the Maggie ' s Centre in Manchester in the UK is the latest in a long line of care facilities that redefine the boundary between architecture and nature.
By The Timber Research and Development Association( TRADA) All images courtesy of Nigel Young / Foster + Partners
When the late Maggie Keswick Jencks was diagnosed with cancer, she resolved to do something to help others who had the same diagnosis, to create a place of refuge for them where they would find practical and emotional support in a noninstitutional environment. It was a blueprint for a new type of care, and one which places great value on the power of architecture to lift the spirits and play a part in the process of therapy. There are now over 20 Maggie’ s Centres in the UK and abroad; the latest, designed by Foster + Partners, is in Manchester, close to the Christie Hospital, a specialist in cancer treatment.
The centre is a building with long, low profile with a delicate timber lattice structure, its scale and domestic character reflects the surrounding suburban houses and offer a welcoming and non-clinical environment.
34 FEB / MARCH 2017 //