Projects of nine Maggie Centers are now at one stage or another of development. One of them will appear in 2017 at the Institute of Oncology at St. James University Hospital in Leeds, Yorkshire. Like all 18 already operating centers created by architectural "stars" of the first magnitude, it will become another field for bold experiments.
The importance of emotional comfort for seriously ill people cannot be overemphasized. And what is capable of providing greater psychological assistance, instilling calmness and giving a feeling of natural comfort, than immersion in nature? Heatherwick Studio introduced a series of relatively small rooftop landscaping structures that resemble flower pots. Closed secluded areas will be located inside. Glass floors between them create additional places for communication and relaxation.
Heatherwick not only simulates a conditional "psychological paradise", but also solves his own problems, continuing to research the topic announced at the training center of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. In this case - in a more chamber version. There are still few details, and it is not known whether it is planned to use the same technology for the production of facade panels using silicone formwork, but it is the wavy, "man-made" soft surface that really resembles a clay pot that plays the most important role in creating the image.
The building will be surrounded by a garden designed by landscape designer Maria-Louise Agius of Balston Agius. In general, the "green theme" is becoming a key one in the work of Heatherwick. This time he proposes a new type of relationship between architecture and nature: not a dialogue, not close interpenetration, not a utilitarian use of nature by a building - on the contrary, architectural objects are placed in a subordinate, even secondary position to the natural component.
