UK-based Maggie’s Centres has sought planning permission for construction of a new cancer care centre in Leeds, UK.
Designed by London’s Heatherwick Studio, the facility will be developed alongside the Leeds Cancer Centre, in the Bexley Wing, within the grounds of St James’s University Hospital.
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Scheduled to be operational from 2017, the unit will enhance the cancer support provided through the adjacent Leeds centre.
The project was conceived to offer a calm, uplifting environment that called for a high level of ingenuity from the designing firm.
Featuring a series of contained gardens, the building intends to ‘capture the therapeutic effect of plants’.
The natural setting of the development contrasts with the formal look of the hospital buildings.
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By GlobalDataAs well as an inspiring exterior that will encourage positivity among the visitors and passers-by, the centre will also have a warm, informal interior space.
Thomas Heatherwick said: "We’re delighted to work with Maggie’s to bring a centre to Yorkshire, and to have the opportunity to create a positive environment, which will help calm minds and foster a sense of well-being.
"The building will combine the qualities of a garden with shared and private spaces."
Design of the development will appear as a collection of stepped planter elements, with each used as a separate piece of garden.
The shared and private internal spaces will be playfully arranged by Heatherwick Studio, both between and inside the planters.
Image: Proposed design of the cancer care centre and gardens in Leeds, UK. Photo: courtesy of Maggie’s.
