Maggie's Hong Kong is the second Maggie's Centre by Frank Gehry, following the opening in 2003 of Maggie's Dundee in Scotland.

The centre comprises a series of pavilions with rooms overlooking a pond and gardens partly inspired by the classical gardens of Suzhou near Shanghai.

Gehry said: "[The building is] respectful of Chinese architecture and motifs. I hope it's not copying anything Chinese or architectural, but I hope it's very respectful of them.

"I was going through the loss of a daughter while I was designing the centre. I think you sort of suck it up and hope to make something that is soothing and respectful and hopeful. There's always hope, it's not a dead end."

Landscape architect Lily Jencks, who is the daughter of founders Maggie Keswick Jencks and Charles Jencks, designed the centre's garden.

We've featured lots of Maggie's Centres on Dezeen, including Steven Holl's recently revealed designs for a centre in London and OMA's Stirling Prize-nominated centre in Glasgow – see all Maggie's Centres.

Gehry recently revealed a 22-storey tower designed for his hometown of Santa Monica, California – see all architecture by Frank Gehry.

Photographs are by Pako Ko.

Here's more information from Maggie's Centre:

Secretary for Food & Health, Dr Ko Wing Man will open Maggie’s Hong Kong on Thursday, March 7.

They will join Charles Jencks, Maggie’s co-founder, Laura Lee chief executive, Keith Kerr, chairman of Maggie's Hong Kong Board of Directors and Eleanor Ling from the Keswick Foundation.

The official opening heralds a new era of cancer care and support for people with cancer across the region, bringing hope and solace to thousands.

The new purpose built Centre was designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry, who also designed Maggie’s Dundee in Scotland. Maggie’s Hong Kong is the first Maggie’s Centre to be built outside of the United Kingdom.

Since December 2008 Maggie's Hong Kong has been providing an interim service at its temporary building on the ground at Tuen Mun Hospital, offering free support for anyone living with cancer including friends, family and carers. Centre visitors can take part in relaxation sessions, nutrition classes, yoga and individual and family support sessions.

The Centre’s design is a series of pavilions arranged to encourage movement between the interior and the landscape. Rooms open out to the surrounding gardens or have private terraces overlooking the pond. There is a public living and dining area that serves as the focal point of the building, with views of both the ponds and gardens. The Centre could be thought of as a Chinese garden inspired by, though not beholden to, the Suzhou tradition.

Maggie’s chief executive Laura Lee said: "This is a very special occasion, not only are we able to provide more help and support for people who are living with cancer in the region but Maggie’s Hong Kong is our first international Centre.

"Maggie’s proven programme of support will act as an antidote to the isolation and despair of a cancer diagnosis. Frank Gehry's design will help to facilitate this support, by making people feel safe, inspired and valued. Under one extraordinary roof, Maggie’s will help people to find their way out of the hopelessness of cancer."

Architect Frank Gehry said: "Maggie was bright and sunny and open and fun and whimsical and smart as hell. She was a real creative spirit, she had a healthy curiosity and she tried things, and in a sense I emulated her.

"The building has feelings which I hope engender community activity, and that it’s comfortable for the patients to be there. It’s respectful of Chinese architecture and motifs. I hope it’s not copying anything Chinese or architectural, but I hope it’s very respectful of them.

"I was going through the loss of a daughter while I was designing the Centre. I think you sort of suck it up and hope to make something that is soothing and respectful and hopeful. There’s always hope, it’s not a dead end."

Landscape architect Lily Jencks - daughter of founders Maggie Keswick Jencks and Charles Jencks - has designed the garden for Maggie’s Hong Kong.

Lily said: These intimate gardens represent the macrocosm of the universe within the microcosm of a landscape, bringing an awareness of man’s place in nature. This early integration of landscape form and building has created a complex relationship between the man-made forms and naturalistic garden setting."

The new Centre will mean staff can provide more support and groups can run at the same time. Programme activities include support groups, nutrition classes, tai chi, yoga, managing symptoms and side effects, relaxation, art and music therapy.

Maggie's Hong Kong is supported by the Keswick Foundation Ltd and Maggie's Centres.

Maggie’s Hong Kong is Maggie’s first complete international centre. Plans are underway to create a Maggie’s in Barcelona, along with a further three international centres by 2017. Since the charity’s inception 16 years ago, Maggie’s has influenced and inspired a number of international cancer support organisations such as the Danish Cancer Society and the Swiss Cancer League, and it continues to support and collaborate with a significant number of cancer care groups from around the world including Japan, Australia, Qatar and Europe.

The post Frank Gehry-designed Maggie's Centre
opens in Hong Kong appeared first on Dezeen.

Here are the first images of the Maggie’s Centre for cancer care that New York architect Steven Holl is designing for St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

Maggie’s Barts will replace a former office block and the initial drawings show it as a cylindrical building with a bamboo interior and coloured glass windows.

Maggie’s was founded fifteen years ago to provide support to anyone affected by cancer and they now have centres all around the UK - see all the ones we've featured here, including Maggie’s Gartnavel by OMA and Maggie’s South West Wales by Kisho Kurokawa and Garbers & James, which both picked up an RIBA award last week.

See more stories about Steven Holl »

Here's the full press release:

Steven Holl Architects reveal first designs for Maggie’s Barts

Maggie’s is delighted to announce that Steven Holl Architects has agreed to design the Maggie’s Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

Steven Holl Architects is internationally-honoured with the most prestigious awards in architecture as well as publications and exhibitions for excellence in design.

The practice’s most famous works include the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum in Helsinki and the 2007 Bloch Building addition to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

Steven Holl is also the winner of the 2012 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.

Maggie’s Barts will replace an existing 1960s block that was once used as offices which is located at the periphery of the square.

Steven Holl said: "It is a great honor to design a Maggie's Centre and a very special challenge to be given such an important central site in London. The hospital has been at the forefront of medical understanding for centuries. We are inspired by the deep history of the area, and particularly the nearby St. Bartholomew the Great church which has been in continuous use with marvelous music since 1143. Our proposal is like a vessel within a vessel within a vessel. In the spirit of music, architecture can be a vessel of transcendence."

Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s said: “We are very excited that Steven Holl is working with us to design a Maggie’s Centre. It is also a huge privilege to be able to build a Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and we look forward to opening our doors and helping Londoners who are affected by cancer.”

Director of Barts Cancer Centre, Professor Nick Lemoine, said: “We treat an average of 3,100 new cancer patients every year so thousands will benefit from services offered at the new Maggie’s Centre.

“In addition to the physical effects of cancer treatment, patients and carers often require extra emotional support so I look forward to working with Maggie’s on this special partnership.”

St Bartholomew’s Hospital which serves a population of 1.5m in North East London is the oldest hospital in the country and has always been at the forefront of medical knowledge and understanding. It was the first hospital to train female doctors and the first to trial high voltage radiotherapy for people with cancer.

Today, it is home to one of the most advanced cancer centres in Europe with world-leading specialists and state-of-the-art technology.

The post Maggie’s Barts
by Steven Holl appeared first on Dezeen.

Bids can be made by following this link from now until Saturday 17 March.

Maggie's Centres for cancer care have opened up across the UK in recent years - see some of them here.

Here's some more information about the auction from Maggie's:

We have a fantastic opportunity for you to win a one of a kind architectural model of the OMA-designed Maggie’s Centre at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow. The model has been created by OMA and is signed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Rem Koolhaas.

The 3D model, made from printed polymer and sitting on an oak wood base, is displayed in a 31 x 31 x 14 cm acrylic perspex showcase and comes with a customised transport crate. Scale: 1:200.

Maggie’s Glasgow Gartnavel is OMA’s first completed work in the UK since the Serpentine Pavilion in 2006 and is located in the grounds of the Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow. The centre is a single-level building in the form of interlocking rooms surrounding an internal, landscaped courtyard. The centre opened in October 2011 and has earned OMA a nomination for a 2012 Design Award, “the Oscars of the design world,” in the Architecture category.

All proceeds from the sale of this unique model will go to Maggie’s Centres, an organisation that creates places providing the emotional, practical and social support that people with cancer need.

The online auction runs from 10am, Friday 17 February to midnight, Saturday 17 March 2012.

The post Maggie's to auction
OMA model appeared first on Dezeen.

Norwegian architects Snøhetta have submitted plans for a Maggie’s Centre to provide cancer care facilities in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The single-storey centre would have a curved form, with a hard concrete exterior and a soft timber interior.

The building is proposed beside a field, but would also have its own courtyard garden with a cherry tree at the centre.

Aberdeen City Council are expected to either approve or reject the plans in approximately eight to twelve weeks time.

Maggie’s was founded fifteen years ago to provide support to anyone affected by cancer -  you can see more Maggie’s Centres here.

Here's some more text from Snøhetta:

First glimpse of Maggie’s Aberdeen

Maggie’s Aberdeen takes a step closer to becoming a reality as initial design concepts are released to coincide with the planning application being submitted to Aberdeen City Council.

The council will now spent 8-12weeks deliberating over the design of the Maggie’s Centre at the Foresterhill site of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before coming to a decision on granting permission.

This week saw the release of the initial design image of the Centre, as designed by Oslo based architectural firm Snohetta.

Maggie’s Aberdeen will continue Maggie’s legacy of bringing contemplative architectural to hospital sites; providing the all important right environment for Maggie’s to facilitate their programme of emotional and practical support to anyone affected by cancer.

A string of talented architects have now designed Maggie’s Centres, including the likes of Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas. Snohetta will follow in such footsteps to design the latest Maggie’s Centre, and will draw on local expertise to realise the vision of the Centre.

Laura Lee, Maggie’s CEO, said: "We are so pleased that the application is now under consideration by the council. The design for Maggie's Aberdeen is really striking and encapsulates the Maggie's brief in providing a space that is homely and full of warmth, whilst sparking curiosity and imagination from its visitors. This is a building that will first and foremost provide the ideal environment for people facing cancer in the region to gain support, whilst also greatly contributing to architecture within the region. Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal has inspired a fantastic response from the community and I look forward to entering 2012 with such a tenacious and supportive team.”

Colin Welsh, Chairman of Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal Committee said: "“This is a real milestone for us and a time to thank all of the donors who have supported the Appeal over the last year when all we had to talk about was the concept of the Centre. I also want to commend all the local companies who are giving services free of charge. We are hoping that being able to see what the building will look like and where it will sit, will give our Appeal further momentum.”

Richard Carey, NHS Grampian Chief Executive, said: “What great progress for Monty’s Maggie’s Appeal to have reached this important stage in development. The initial design manages to be both stunning and modern whilst appearing welcoming at the same time. It will certainly be an exciting and most worthwhile building to have on our Foresterhill site and for the people of Grampian. This is a centre that will be greatly utilised by all in the region affected by cancer and it’s great to take a step closer to that reality.”

Charles Jencks said: “Snohetta, coming from the Norwegian culture, has great insight into the life and landscape of the Scots – particularly Aberdeen, a short hop from Oslo. Their mixture of a warm interior of furnishing embraced by a protective shell strikes just the right balance for Maggie’s.”

Location

The location of the Centre will be at the southern boundary of Foresterhill at the edge of the Westburn field. The enviable location will allow the centre to be connected to the hospital whilst at the same time being set apart and independent.

Building

The building is conceived as a pavilion in its parkland setting. The soft exterior form envelops the whole of the centre, and will be cladded with a hard concrete materiality. Whilst the interior building will be more angular in design but will be constructed from soft timber materials. The centre is primarily on one ground floor level with a smaller mezzanine area devoted to the office functions.

Landscaping

The centre will sit within a grass field, with the existing tree line along the Westburn is to be retained and strengthened by new planting of Maple trees to the western end. To mark the entrance, a group of Beech trees will be planted, contrasting in colour and texture to the existing trees. A courtyard garden will be at the heart of the Centre and will form a secluded outdoor space. The courtyard will be covered with a mix of hard and soft surfaces with a centrally planted Flowering Cherry Tree.

The post Snøhetta unveil proposals for
Maggie’s Centre in Aberdeen appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest Maggie’s cancer care centre to complete is a concrete spiral in southwest Wales.

Maggie’s South West Wales is located in the grounds of Singleton Hospital in Swansea and will open on 9 December.

Following the death of Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, British architects Garbers & James delivered the building in accordance with his original design.

A kitchen can be found inside the spiral’s central drum, where anyone affected by cancer is invited for a cup of tea and a chat.

Private rooms and terraces occupy the two wings and are naturally lit through high-level windows that follow the shape of the curved metal roof.

Maggie’s was founded fifteen years ago and this is the latest of three centres opening in the UK this year, following one in Glasgow by OMA and another in Nottingham by CZWG and Paul Smith.

Photography is by Adam Hollier.

Here's some more text from Maggie's:

Maggie’s South West Wales to open on Friday, December 9

The official opening heralds a new era of cancer care and support for people affected by cancer across the South Wales region, bringing hope and solace to thousands.

Located at Singleton Hospital in Swansea, Maggie’s South West Wales will complement the treatment provided at the hospital, offering an evidence-based programme of support to help people through the emotional and practical complexities of a cancer diagnosis.

Maggie’s South West Wales is the tenth Maggie’s Centre and is one of five centres planned for England and Wales as part of the ambitious £15m Joy of Living fundraising campaign, spearheaded by Maggie’s patron Sarah Brown.

The stunning new centre was designed by Japanese architect Dr Kisho Kurokawa, of Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Associates. Sadly, Dr Kisho Kurokawa died in October 2007 but completed his outline scheme designs for Maggie’s South West Wales shortly before his death. Thore Garbers and Wendy James of Garbers & James met with him whilst still alive and undertook to deliver his project as executive architects. The building is surrounded by a landscape design created by Kim Wilkie that has been implemented by Terra Firma Consultancy Ltd.

Dr Kisho Kurokawa who was a great friend of Maggie Keswick Jencks (founder of Maggie’s), based his design on the concept of a cosmic whirlpool, representing a strong symbol of life, with everlasting forces swirling around a still centre. The spiral segments of the building conceptually engage alternate segments of earth and water, separated by shafts of warm light. Hence the concept provided a figure for the configuration of both the interior and the exterior of the building. The central elliptical drum provides a calm, warm social heart to the building, with the wings and associated external terraces providing more personal and focussed space from which to contemplate the landscape. The whole composition is in an elevated position, next to woodland, on the Singleton Hospital site.

The late Dr Kisho Kurokawa said: “The new Maggie’s Centre will come out of the earth and swing around with two arms like a rotating galaxy. One side will welcome the visitor and lead to the other side, which embraces nature, the trees, rocks and water. A place set apart, as Maggie said of a garden. The connection to the cosmos and contacts between East and West – two motives that Maggie and I shared – are in the design. I hope she would have liked it.”

Situated next to the South West Wales Cancer Centre at Singleton Hospital, Maggie’s will serve people living within the South West Wales Cancer Network. The network covers approximately 900,000 people within the regions of Aberystwyth, Haverfordwest, Swansea, Powys, Carmarthen, Llanelli, Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend. In this area, there are more than 3,000 new cases of cancer a year. Uniquely, Maggie’s South West Wales will be the first centre to collaborate with the local Medical Genetics service to offer information and practical support to people who are at risk of cancer, based on family history. Maggie’s has had an interim facility on site since 2006.

The centre has been constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, as main contractor, supported by a number of specialist sub-contractors. The wider design team has included Arup, as structural engineers and KJTait as building services engineers. Ramboll has provided civil engineering support, and the cost consultant was Turner & Townsend.

The post Maggie’s South West Wales by Kisho Kurokawa
and Garbers & James appeared first on Dezeen.