The Maggie's Centre, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom

The Maggie's Centre is situated within the grounds of Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. Providing a resource and counselling centre for people with cancer, the centre is domestic in scale but unique in execution.

A NATURAL HABITAT

It is located on the edge of a hollow adjacent to the hospital.

The hollow has a dramatic topography, which in combination with the natural foliage and trees creates a very distinctive protected environment in stark contrast to the other facilities of Victoria Hospital.

As a single-storey construction, the centre is a continuation of the existing tree line that surrounds this natural hollow. The centre has been designed as a transition between the two different types of spaces – the natural landscape and the hospital. By using various study models, the architect explored how an edge to the hollow could be developed to transform itself into a building envelope – becoming a gateway to the natural landscape.

MAGGIE'S CENTRE DESIGN

Externally the form of the centre derives from a folding surface and a connecting ground slab. The folding surface articulates a directional emphasis, moving the visitor into a different space from the rest of the hospital grounds. By cladding the visible roof and two opposing walls with the same material and making the remaining elevations a mix of translucent and clear glass, the directional nature of this form is reinforced.

Large overhangs of the roof are used to extend the building into the landscape on both sides.

These overhangs protect the entrance doors on the north side, while on the south side they provide solar shading to the glass elevation and partially cover the terrace.

The centre sits on a concrete plinth which connects it to the landscape. On the north side, this outlines the car parking before rising to the same level as the public entrance.

The strong directional language and material contrast of the centre's plinth with the tarmac of the car park clearly defines the entrance for the new visitor.

Internally the arrangement of rooms is centred on an open plan kitchen with offices on the north elevation adjacent to the entrance. To offer privacy, the rooms to the east have a semi-opaque façade. Visitors to the centre will have an unobstructed view through the centre to the south facing glass elevation and the hidden natural landscape of the hollow.

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