Maggie’s London wins the Stirling Prize!

Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre at Charing Cross Hospital in London has been announced as the winner of the 2009 Stirling Prize, the UK’s most prestigious architectural award.
The cancer charity’s London centre has had nothing but praise heapen upon its red walls- first a visit from Michelle Obama and long-term supporter Sarah Brown and now the centre has yet another honour to add to its list- as the winner of this year’s Stirling Prize, chosen by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Designed by Lord Rogers of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the building was described by judges as having remarkable design, with the prize doubtlessly significantly influencing the evolution of architecture. Not only that, but Roger’s design will also change the perceptions architects and the public alike hold as to how environment impacts on health and wellbeing.
Maggie’s Chief Executive Laura Lee said:

“People come into Maggie’s in a state of trauma, some have just been diagnosed, others have been struggling to cope with the vast impact that cancer has on their lives. It is hard to ask for help. And it is impossible to overstate how much the building design encourages people to take that first step into Maggie’s. I hear over and over from people that they started to feel better the moment they walked through the door. The informal, homey space subtly and powerfully supports all of the practical and emotional services we provide. When people feel at home, they feel safe to open up and talk about what is happening to them in a way that they will not do in the clinical environment of a hospital. Although Maggie’s London is in the grounds of Charing Cross Hospital, Richard Roger’s design makes it feel like another world. The oversized kitchen is the heart of the centre, an informal meeting place that breaks down the isolation so common for people affected by cancer. The quiet corners and meeting rooms are private spaces to see a psychologist or get help from the benefits adviser. And the living rooms with cosy fires provide a wonderful place for group classes like Tai Chi or art therapy.

“We have a constant stream of visitors to Maggie’s London from all over the world, who come to see how a building can actually be an intrinsic part of the care provided within it. Since its opening in May 2008 Maggie’s London Centre has had almost 20,000 visits, twice what we expected. Richard Roger’s stunning design of Maggie’s London is making a huge impact on people with cancer and their family and friends, who all come in for help.”

Speaking at the Stirling Prize awards ceremony, RIBA President Ruth Reed explained the pull of Maggie’s London: “The shortlist for this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize was of an exceptionally high standard, and I would like to congratulate each of the shortlisted entries. In the Maggie’s Centre we have a much deserved winner, and I am delighted to award Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with architecture’s highest accolade.”

In a statement from RIBA, the Stirling Prize jury said: “The latest in a line of Maggie’s Centres designed by distinguished architects is the one that stands on a hectic corner on the Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith. A deep orange rendered wall puts a protective arm around it, making it a place apart without denying it is a part of the city. This antithesis of a hospital provides an open house in the city. Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ quietly confident building has created a completely informal, home-like sanctuary to help patients learn to live with cancer.”

“The architects, led by Ivan Harbour, considered placing the entrance on the street corner, but that would have meant turning its back on the hospital. It would also have denied the centre an approach, which is done beautifully thanks to landscaping by Dan Pearson. Conceived as a two-storey pavilion, the centre’s positive spirit is signalled with a bold roof canopy that hovers high above the walls to sail protectively over a series of intimate internal gardens, courtyards and roof terraces – also by Pearson.”

“This Maggie’s Centre demonstrates architecture’s power to shape our experience and has led to a fitting memorial to Maggie Keswick Jencks. Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has produced a timeless work of architecture that not only distils the intentions of this brief but expresses, in built form, compassion, sensitivity and a deep sense of our common humanity.”

And while architects across the UK have expressed their admiration of the centre, it’s the people who regularly use Maggie’s London who are best placed to comment on how the building has affected them:
 “Coming through the door I just felt the building itself enveloped me in love … it’s bright, it’s light and the first thing you do is smile, the whole building makes you smile, we share the joy of this building” – Trudy McLay.

“Maggie’s Centre feels cosy and like home. It is very light and airy and feels like walking into Mediterranian sunshine…” – Marie Luke.

Maggie’s London has also been awarded RIBA London Building of the Year. The jury commented about the building: “It is not normally in the power of architecture to move onlookers to tears, but this extraordinary building has inadvertently proven its ability to do just that. How is it possible that a building can generate an immediate and pervasive sense of welcome, warmth, serenity – and even love – in the context of a frantic Hammersmith thoroughfare – and in the shadow of a dauntingly huge NHS hospital? This is the poetry that Rogers Stirk Harbour have worked at the Maggie’s Centre in Fulham Palace Road.”

Congratulations to Maggie’s London!

Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre’s across the UK have received over £855,000 in support from the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Find out more here.