Kawneer architectural glazing systems were used on the UK’s nineteenth and largest Maggie’s cancer care centre.
Two types of Kawneer curtain walling were used on the centre at The Christie Hospital in South Manchester – AA 100 SSG (Structurally Silicone Glazed) for the triangular rooflights, with concealed actuators, and AA 100 mullion-drained as vertical glazing, complemented in aluminium by AA 720 doors with bonded units to give a frameless appearance, and AA 3572 lift/slide doors to move large panes effortlessly.
Kawneer said: “Foster + Partners’ heavily glazed design aims to establish a domestic atmosphere in a garden setting. The 1.5-storey building occupies a sunny site, with its low profile in keeping with the surrounding residential streets. The bronze-clad roof rises centrally to create a mezzanine level, naturally illuminated by the Kawneer triangular rooflights. This is supported by lightweight timber lattice beams, which also act alongside glazing as natural partitions between different internal areas.”
The centre combines a variety of spaces, from ‘intimate private niches’, to a library, exercise rooms, and ‘places to share a cup of tea’. ‘Institutional references’ such as corridors and hospital signs ‘have been banished in favour of home-like spaces’, with a focus on natural light, greenery, and garden views.
