The Maggie's cancer charity has announced Thomas Heatherwick as the latest high-profile designer who will contribute to the Maggie's Centre program, with a site at the new Bexley Wing of St James's University Hospital in Leeds. The new centre will be the first Maggie's in Yorkshire, with Heatherwick joining the likes of Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and Steven Holl in the list of Maggie's Centre designers.
More on the appointment after the break
The proposed location is among the more challenging Maggie's sites, being constructed alongside a £220 million new hospital wing. Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie's commented that creating the calm environment that is the trademark of the centres would need "a high degree of ingenuity."
Heatherwick's previous works, including the 'seed cathedral' pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo, the 2012 Olympic Cauldron and his recent proposals for a garden bridge over the Thames all demonstrate this ingenuity, and the reason for his selection.
Lee added: "Great architecture is vital to the care that Maggie’s offers and the studio is renowned for its inventive approach to design and its ability to truly get the best out of a space." The centre is scheduled for completion in 2016.
Story via the Architects' Journal