Maggie’s Centres are unique environments that aim to support anyone affected by cancer and their family and friends. They have grown from the ideas of Maggie Keswick Jencks who formulated a vision of a cancer caring centre that could make the experience of diagnosis and treatment easier to bear.The new building has been conceived as a piece of inhabited furniture which, through the extraordinary craftsmanship of the joiners, conveys to those who come to this centre, a very special sense of care.
The interior is defined by distinct oak ‘cabinets’ – containing bookcases, storage and comfortable bench seating - which enclose the major space, a kitchen and dining area with a large table providing a social focus. The floating roof is disengaged from the timber ‘cabinets’ by the continuous clerestory glazing, allowing natural light to flood the space.Two cylindrical ‘refuges’ offering views onto the river and the garden and providing more secluded spaces are expressed as free- standing external pieces of furniture.