In 2007, Maggie's Centre approached OMA to design a new centre on the
grounds of Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow, close to the Beatson West of
Scotland Cancer Centre. OMA designed a single-level building in the form of
a ring of interlocking rooms surrounding an internal landscaped courtyard.
Seemingly haphazardly arranged, the building is actually a careful
composition of spaces responding to the needs of a Maggie's Centre and
providing a refuge for those coping with cancer.
Instead of a series of isolated rooms, the building is designed as a sequence of interconnected L-shaped figures in the plan that create clearly distinguished areas – an arrangement that minimises the need for corridors and hallways and allows the rooms to flow. The plan has been organized for the spaces to feel casual, almost carefree, allowing one to feel at ease and at home, part of an empathetic community of people. At the same time the design also provides spaces for more personal moments – either in the intimate setting of the counselling rooms, or in smaller nooks and private spaces.
Located in a natural setting, like a pavilion in the woods, the building is both
introverted and extroverted: each space has a relationship either to the
internal courtyard or to the surrounding woodland and greenery, while certain moments provide views of Glasgow beyond. With a flat roof and floor levels that respond to the natural topography, the rooms vary in height, with the more intimate areas programmed for private uses such as counselling, and more open and spacious zones for communal use. More than any other
space, the internal courtyard provides a place of sanctuary and respite.