The Maggie’s Centres setting the standard for health design

From Frank Gehry to Amanda Levete, starchitects are designing the highest-standard facilities for cancer support at Maggie's Centres, proving that design can be wholesome, holistic and beneficial to recovery. Here, we round up some of the striking centres making a difference across the UK...

Location: Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, ScotlandArchitect: Frank Gehry AssociatesCompleted: 2003Key features: Modelled on a traditional Scottish ‘butt n’ ben’ dwelling, wavy silver roof, Arabella Lenox-Boyd-designed garden and labyrinth

Location: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, EnglandArchitect: CZWG and Sir Paul SmithCompleted: 2011Key features: Generous height, near-symmetrical design, open plan design, Sir Paul Smith interiors

Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, EnglandArchitect: MJP ArchitectsCompleted: 2010Key features: Extension to the existing Victorian Grade II-listed Pool Keeper's Lodge, exterior cladding made of locally sourced hardwood, winged roof, semi-circular ‘refuges’ offer secluded spaces for counselling

Location: Singleton Hospital, Swansea, WalesArchitects: Kisho Kurokawa and Garbers & JamesCompleted: 2011Key features: Concrete spiral façade with titanium plates, curved zinc metal roof

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, EnglandArchitect: Cullinan StudioCompleted: 2013Key features: L-shaped plan, low-energy design, roof garden with bowling green

Location: Kircaldy Hospital, Fife, ScotlandArchitect: Zaha Hadid ArchitectsCompleted: 2006Key features: Zaha Hadid's first permanent structure in the UK, triangular windows, sweeping black roof

Location: Manchester, Greater Manchester, EnglandArchitect: Foster + PartnersCompleted: 2016Key features: Symmetrical design, roof angles up at the centre to create a slim mezzanine, intricate timber frame

Location: Raigmore Hospital, Highlands, ScotlandArchitect: Page\Park ArchitectsCompleted: 2005Key features: Green copper-clad timber frame, spiral structure inspired by mitosis or the division of cells

Location: Clatterbridge, Merseyside, EnglandArchitect: Carmody GroarkeCompleted: 2014Key features: First temporary Maggie's Centre, incorporates seven existing structures including the 11m-long ‘London Dresser’ commissioned for the 2012 London Olympics, panoramic views over the Wirral farming fields

Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, EnglandArchitect: Wilkinson EyreCompleted: 2014Key features: Timber treehouse design supported on stilts, angular geometry maximises the relationship between the inside spaces and sylvan surrounds

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).

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