Maggie’s Leeds | Heatherwick Studio

Heatherwick Studio’s centre for Maggie’s, the charity that provides free practical and emotional support for people with cancer, was unveiled today on its completion. The 462 sq metre centre, located within the campus of St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds, is the charity's 26th centre in the UK and the first completed healthcare project designed by the studio.

Maggie's Leeds is designed as a group of three large-scale planters, built on a sloped site, that each enclose a counselling room. These surround the 'heart' of the centre - the kitchen - as well as more social spaces for group activities including a library and exercise room.
Drawing upon the philosophy of Maggie's and the belief that great design can help people feel better, Maggie's Leeds uses several 'healthy' materials and energy-saving techniques. The building's structure is built from a prefabricated and sustainably-sourced spruce timber system. Porous materials such as lime plaster help to maintain the internal humidity of the naturally-ventilated building, which has been achieved through careful consideration of the building's form and orientation.

The rooftop garden, designed by award-winning landscape designers Balston Agius, is inspired by Yorkshire woodlands and features native English species of plants, alongside areas of evergreen to provide warmth in the winter months. Inspired by Maggie Keswick Jencks’ love of gardening, visitors are encouraged to participate in the care of the 23,000 bulbs and 17,000 plants on site.

The interior of the centre explores everything that is often missed in healing environments: natural and tactile materials, soft lighting, and a variety of spaces designed to encourage social opportunities as well as quiet contemplation. Window sills and shelves are intended for visitors to fill with their own objects to create a sense of home. The studio has also designed two tables, inspired by the building's timber fins and built from cork and engineered beech timber, which reside in the heart of the centre.

The centre is currently open for people with cancer and their families and friends to visit. Social distancing and cleaning measures are being taken. Maggie's is currently encouraging visitors to call ahead and make an appointment to see the team. Visitors who are being seen in the hospital are also welcome.
Maggie’s Leeds expands upon the studio’s long-standing interest in the role of biophilia within the built environment, best demonstrated by the recently completed, EDEN, a new residential building in Singapore; Little Island at Pier55, a new park and performance space in New York City that is due to complete in 2021; and 1000 Trees, a mixed-use development in Shanghai, which on completion will include 25,000 individual plants and 100 different species of plants and trees.

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Founder: Thomas Heatherwick

Group Leader: Mat Cash.
Project Leaders: Neil Hubbard, Rebeca Ramos, Angel Tenorio.
Project team: Peter Ayres, Alyaa Azhar, Mark Bagguely, Einar Blixhavn, Charlotte Bovis, Erich Breuer, Mark Burrows, Darragh Casey, Francesco Cavaliere, Michael Chomette, Ben Dudek, Antoine van Erp, Alex Flood, Matthew Gilbert, Andrew Green, Hayley Henry, James Hepper, Etain Ho, Kong Hoang, Catherine Jones, Peter King, Nilufer Kocabas, Gergely Kovacs, Hyein Lee, Nick Ling, Freddie Lomas, John Minford, Sayaka Namba, Charmaine Ng, Juan Oyarbide, Monika Patel, Hannah Parker, Tayra Pinto, Luke Plumbley, Gabriel Piovanetti, Ivan Ucros Polley, Enrique Pujana, Manuel Ramos, Silvia Rueda, Deyan Saev, Luis Samanez, Gabriel Sanchiz, Ahira Sanjeet, Wendy Smith, Skye Sun, Cliff Tan, Ruth Vatcher, Brandon Whitwell-Mak, Meera Yadave, Aysha Zahid, Artur Zakrzewski, Pablo Zamorano, Chen Zhan.