Task 6. Critical Analysis 2

Up and down the country, Maggie Centres have been making the difference to family (and friends), helping people through troubling times in their lives. No one ever wishes for a loved one to be given bad news on health, and it is something hard to accept yourself, however this is where the Maggie Centres play their role. They provide support to the people who need a helping hand, or just an escape from reality. Across the country different, popular architects have taken on the challenge of designing a Maggie Centre; the difficulty in such a task is providing a getaway from the outside world and turning it into its own. Because of this, the Maggie Centres have no real brand on design; all the designs are different but achieve the same functioning goal. As all the designs are so different meaning there are mixed emotions of favourites, and here I would like to share two of mine;

Maggie Centre, West London

The Maggie Centre, situated in West London, is designed by the firm of the great Richard Rogers (Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners), which won the 2009 RIBA Stirling Prize. The design of the building is based on Richard Rogers’ interpretation of a heart protected within four walls (Maggie’s, 2014).

Fig 1. Maggie Centre, West London (Retrofit, 2014)

The building itself is very eye-catching; the walls are regular brick and mortar, however they have been finished off with a very lively orange coloured render. The interior is very spacious; as with all of the Maggie centres the internal environments aims to provide a cosy and warm space for relaxation. This is something Roger’s firm have achieved through the use of large glazed windows, transitional walls and the lifts roof (as seen in Fig 1) The internal colours have been kept bright and vibrant in each room to keep the spaces upbeat. The building also has internal and external courtyards and gardens which adds an extra dynamic and provides more relaxation to the users of this facility (Fig. 2) (Fairs, 2009).

Fig 2. Internal Space (Maggie's, 2014)

The centre looks very unusual and obscure from the public outside and the hospital next door; the bright orange render is a dominating sight, although the Maggie Centre should be like this. The centre should be different to what is on the outside of the boundary walls; the centre is there as an escape from hospitals and reality in the streets. In my opinion, this building more than fulfils the brief of the Maggie Centre, it provides an easy getaway for patients to come to and spend some quality time doing things they love in peace. This Centre has been designed to make the patients feel stronger and open in the larger internal spaces, and stretch out and enough the nature within the gardens.

Fig 3. Elevation (Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 2014) 

Maggie Centre, Aberdeen

Designed by the Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta, this Maggie Centre is situated on the grounds of the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary outside of the city centre. Built in 2013, this Maggie Centre has added to the collection of very unique centres which have popped up around the country in the last 18 years. Each Maggie centre is completely different to the next, and this building is no exception. Snøhetta’s design is based around the principle of providing both a welcoming and inspirational centre to the people who need it most (Maggies, 2014).

The centre has one major characteristic which makes it very distinctive; the architects have designed a concrete, shell-like structure around the main timber cladded building. This ‘shell’ which has been created wraps itself around the building; one large opening provides the entrance, and another opening allows light in to the internal and the external sitting area within (see Fig 4). 

Fig 4. Maggie Centre Aberdeen, Exterior Shell (Maggie, 2014)

The main building is made up of a steel frame structure with timber cladding as an external finish. Internally, the building has been laid out in an open plan style with a high ceiling maximising the feeling of space and comfort for visitors. Timber cladding is also dominantly used within internal space to create an intimate setting, with hand-moulded insulation used specifically to help provide spacious and warm areas (Davies, 2013).

Fig 5. Interior of the centre, 2nd Floor (Building Projects, 2014)

Even though the centre has been built of the grounds of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the designers have tried there hardest to create a new context for this centre to quietly sit in. Around the centre, sculpted green grass lawns and beech trees have been planted to provide another external area for the visitors to make full use of. In my opinion, this centre really does fulfil the client’s brief of providing a welcoming and uplifting environment and getaway. The design of the concrete ‘shell’ has been incorporated to create a psychological barrier between the calm environment of the centre and the reality on the outside, which could mean the world to the visitors of the centres. The internal spaces provide the areas for the patients and visitors to open themselves up and unwind. 

Fig 6. Plan view of Maggie Centre and the surrounding site (Snøhetta, 2013) 

While researching the different Maggie centre’s across the country, I feel that there is a running theme between all the centres. Even though all the designs are different, each and every centre is creating an escape from the outside world.  For the patients and visitors of the centres, these building can provide a release of pressure and a sense of a normal life. I do believe that each centre achieves the idea of a close retreat, although these spaces only provide the tools and space for the staff to work, the staff themselves do an unbelievably great job.

Bibliography

Architecture.com, (2014). Maggie's Centre, London. [online] Available at: http://www.architecture.com/Awards/RIBAStirlingPrize/RIBAStirlingPrize2009/MaggiesCentre/MaggiesCentre.aspx#.U2EU-PldXLk [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Davies, A. (2013). Maggie's Centre Aberdeen by Snøhetta. [online] Dezeen. Available at: http://www.dezeen.com/2013/09/13/maggies-centre-aberdeen-by-snohetta/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fairs, M. (2009). Maggie’s Centre by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners wins Stirling Prize - Dezeen. [online] Dezeen. Available at: http://www.dezeen.com/2009/10/18/maggies-centre-by-rogers-stirk-harbour-partners-wins-stirling-prize/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fig 1. (Retrofit, 2014) Maggie Centre, West London. Available at:http://retrofituk.co.uk/cms/?p=185 [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fig 2. (Maggie's, 2014). Internal Space. Available at:https://www.maggiescentres.org/our-centres/maggies-west-london/architecture-and-design/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fig 3. (Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 2014) Elevation. Available at:http://www.richardrogers.co.uk/work/buildings/maggie_s_centre/design [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fig 4. (Maggie, 2014) Maggie Centre Aberdeen, Exterior Shell. Available at: https://www.maggiescentres.org/our-centres/maggies-aberdeen/architecture-and-design/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fig 5.(Building Projects, 2014). Interior of the centre, 2nd Floor. Available at:http://www.urbanrealm.com/news/4396/Colin_Montgomerie_unveils_Maggie%E2%80%99s_Aberdeen.html [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Fig 6. (Snøhetta, 2013). Plan view of Maggie Centre and the surrounding site. Available at: http://www.dezeen.com/2013/09/13/maggies-centre-aberdeen-by-snohetta/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Maggie's (2014). The architecture and design of Maggie's Aberdeen. [online] Available at: https://www.maggiescentres.org/our-centres/maggies-aberdeen/architecture-and-design/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

Maggie's (2014). The architecture and design of Maggie's West London. [online] Available at: https://www.maggiescentres.org/our-centres/maggies-west-london/architecture-and-design/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].