M a g g i e s Lanarkshire

At its heart, the design of the Maggies Centre at Monklands General Hospital is a tale of enclosed gardens, a linked sequence of external rooms perforating a low building that in turn acts as a mediator and connector between these sources of light and air. A brick wall binds the site enclosing this gathering of human scaled spaces, catching sunlight and creating sheltering places. Visitors enter a quiet simple space, an arrival court, defined by low brick walls and two lime trees. At once a sense of dignity and calm is encountered. A linear rill, a spring, animates the space with the sound of running water, a refreshing source and an intimation of beginnings.The building plan is perforated with four small sheltered courts, intimate external rooms embedded in the plan. Golden metal light catchers hover over these spaces reflecting sunlight onto the floor of the court. A simple repetitive framed structure defines and creates an intimate scale while allowing spaces and rooms to either open up to the central sequence of public rooms or close down to create private moments.The journey through the building emerges out into a large walled garden that slopes down to the east; generous terraces give way to lawn and culminating in a large reflective pool and literally a place of reflection.

Reiach and Hall Architects

This is an inspiring and exciting project to be working on. A Maggies brief is challenging for many reasons, it is a unique building type. A Maggies is all about a different kind of care, a care that is dispensed from a domestic scaled building yet it is not a house nor is it a hospital nor is it a church. Virtually all Maggies plans evolve from the kitchen table; around having somewhere to go to the moment you enter the building. Our plan too develops from the kitchen table outwards to the courtyards, the trees and beyond.