ABA to design new Maggie’s Centre in Somerset

Maggie’s, the charity that provides free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer and their families and friends, has announced that Alison Brooks Architects will be designing its latest Centre.

Great design and architecture is vital to the care that Maggie’s offers and so the practice will join a stellar list of architects commissioned by Maggie’s since 1996 including Frank Gehry, the late Zaha Hadid, OMA, Rogers Stirk Harbour and Steven Holl. Maggie’s Centres offer visitors a calm and uplifting environment with professional staff on hand to offer an evidence-based programme of support.

Alison Brooks and her team will design Maggie’s Taunton at the edge of the grounds of the Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset. Brooks has teamed with Johanna Gibbons of JLG Landscape Architecture and structural engineers Webb Yates.

Laura Lee, Chief Executive at Maggie’s said “We are so pleased to be bringing a Maggie’s Centre to Taunton and are excited by the designs put forward by Alison Brooks and JLG Landscape Architecture. Great design and architecture are integral to what we do at Maggie’s as each and every one of our Centres is specifically designed to welcome people with cancer and offer them a place to seek practical advice, talk to other people with cancer or just to sit quietly with a cup of tea while awaiting appointments or results.”

Colin Drummond, chair of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a very exciting development. At Musgrove Park Hospital we attach the greatest importance to working with the voluntary sector to provide the best quality care for patients with cancer, and for their families and friends. Our Beacon cancer centre is recognised for its excellent care and environment. To have Maggie’s, and the wonderful space and support it is renowned for, will be a huge asset for our local community.”

Alison Brooks said “We’re honoured and delighted to be working with Maggie’s to design a new Centre in Taunton. Our project will build on Maggie Keswick Jencks’ legacy of extraordinary and uplifting spaces for cancer patients and their families with creative working environments for the Maggie’s team. Taunton is in a beautiful part of Somerset and we hope our project, overlooking the Blackdown Hills, will make the most of this opportunity.”

Press: Architects Data File, BD Online, Architects’ Journal, ArchDaily, Building Construction Design, E-Architect, FollowNews, Horticulture Week,