Maggie's Centre
Subscribe now to instantly view this image
Subscribe to the Architects’ Journal (AJ) for instant access to the AJ Buildings Library, an online database of nearly 2,000 exemplar buildings in photographs, plans, elevations and details.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
Werner Huthmacher (website) Download Original
Centre to provide a resource and counselling centre for people with cancer within the grounds of Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy
The centre is intended to continue the existing tree-line that surrounds a natural hollow adjacent to the hospital and become a gateway to the natural landscape.
Externally the form of the single-storey centre derives from a folding surface and a connecting ground slab. The folding surface combined with the cladding of the visible roof and two opposing walls while the remaining elevations consist of a mix of translucent and clear glass suggests a a directional emphasis of moving the visitor into a different space from the rest of the hospital grounds.
Large overhangs of the roof are used to extend the building into the landscape on both sides. These overhangs protect the entrance doors on the north side while on the south side they provide solar shading to the glass elevation and partially cover the terrace.
Internally the arrangement of rooms is centered on an open plan kitchen with offices on the north elevation adjacent to the entrance. The internal central space is kept as open and column free as possible. A ramp connects the main space to a lower platform containing the flexi-hall. A system of shutters and sliding doors allows this space to be separated from the rest of the centre. The southern facing façade is floor-to-ceiling glazing with windows and doors allowing direct access to the terrace.
Data
- Begun: 2001
- Completed: 2006
- Floor area: 250m2
- Sector: Healthcare
- Address: Maggie’s Centre Fife, Victoria Hospita, Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
- Project architects: Jim Heverin, Tiago Correia, Zaha Hadid
- Client: Maggie's Centre
- Structural engineer: Jane Wernick Associates
- Services engineer: K J Tait Engineers
- Underground drainage: SKM Anthony Hunts
- Quantity surveyor: CBA Surveyors
- Planning supervisor: Reiach and Hall
- Landscape architect: Gross Max
- Building surveyor: GLM