AL_A unveils maggie's cancer support center at southampton hospital

amanda levete architects / AL_A unveils its ‘maggie’s cancer support center’ which will formerly open next month at southampton general hospital. maggie’s boasts twenty-five years of experience offering free cancer support across the UK. the new center sees the transformation of a corner of the hospital site that had previously been used for car parking. the project will offer support for the hospital’s specialist oncology unit, serving a population of 3.2 million people across the region. photographed by hufton + crow, the place is realized as a design-minded retreat and oasis.

image © hufton + crow

the team at amanda levete architects / AL_A surrounds its maggie’s cancer support center at southampton within a woodland oasis. set in the grounds of the hospital’s suburban campus, almost three quarters of the site is given over to four distinct gardens that reflect the ecology of the nearby new forest. amanda levete, principal of AL_A, comments: ‘we have imagined that a piece of garden has been transported from the new forest into the midst of the hospital’s car park, bringing serenity and a bit of magic to the place.’

image © hufton + crow

amanda levete architects’ maggie’s at southampton emerges from this naturalistic landscape with an almost ethereal clarity. the gardens are cut through by four walls that radiate from a large central space, defining more discrete spaces in each of the four corners. as in all maggie’s centers, the kitchen table sits at the heart of the building — a skylight above brings daylight and sky views deep into the building. the private areas, including consulting rooms and quiet spaces, open onto the gardens through full-height glazed sliding doors which disappear into pockets in the walls, removing the boundaries between landscape and building.

the building’s skeleton, which extends outside of the building enclosure, is formed by the four blade walls made from ceramics. the earthiness of the clay color roots the center to the ground. the four corners are clad in a mottled stainless steel giving a dreamy reflection of the surrounding landscape, placing the garden front and center. the structure itself seems to disappear as it reflects the surrounding trees and plantings. the garden is designed by sarah price landscapes, co-designer of the 2012 gardens at the olympic park in east london.