Southhampton, UK
Four distinct gardens inspired by the ecology of the nearby New Forest in Southhampton lay the foundation for the new Maggie’s Centre by Amanda Levete of AL_A and Sarah Price Landscapes, achieving a tranquil and revitalizing space for people living with cancer.
The project has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The purpose of all Maggie’s Centres is to provide a space away from the hospital where a person living with cancer can meet people who understand what they’re going through, or simply take a moment to gather their thoughts.
The site, located on the site of Southampton General Hospital, was a challenging one: a set of nondescript buildings surrounded by a sea of carpark.
The solution was to imagine that a piece of garden had been transported from the nearby New Forest into the midst of the hospital’s concrete landscape.
Imagining the garden had always been there, cutting through it with four walls to form a pinwheel plan, with private spaces radiating from an open central space.
The one-story building emerges from the garden; an understated building filled with light designed to lift the weight from the shoulders of all who work and visit there.
For the walls, an earthy, sustainable material was chosen that appears to come from the soil of the garden.
The ceramic stoneware blocks that make up the blades form a holistic construction system: they are both load bearing – supporting the timber roof structure – and insulating – configured as cavity wall systems, as well as visual connectors.
The colours of the clay and the tones of the glazes were made specifically for Maggie’s Southampton. The soft pastels promote a sense of stillness and calm.
The four corners of the building are clad in rippled stainless steel, reflecting the landscape and ceramic walls in the rippling surface.
By using the corners as reflective surfaces, the illusion is created that the garden is larger than it is.
The landscaping at Maggie’s Southampton – designed by Sarah Price Landscapes – is directly inspired by the New Forest and its diverse flora: wood anemones, orchids, wild garlic, lesser celandines, bluebells and primroses.
Mirroring the shape of the building, the garden has been divided into four, with each quarter designed in response to its aspect and local context.
The heart of the building is a kitchen, while moveable walls throughout lend flexibility to the spaces, with places for privacy, as well as meeting in groups.
Views of the four distinct gardens throughout create a sense of seclusion and protection.
Project: Maggie’s Southampton
Architects: AL_A
Lead Architect: Amanda Levete
Landscape Architect: Sarah Price Landscapes
General Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine
Client: Maggie’s Centres
Photographers: Nick Hufton, Hufton + Crow
