Dame Laura Lee, chief executive at cancer charity Maggie’s, and Craig Chandler, project manager at Sir Robert McAlpine, reflect on how the built environment can influence patient wellbeing, complement clinical care, and respond to the emotional and practical needs of those affected by life-changing diagnoses.
Since its first centre opened in Edinburgh thirty years ago, Maggie's has been putting the patient experience at the heart of its cancer care centres. Its goal today remains the same as it was three decades ago: to provide a 'home-away-from-home' within the grounds of major NHS cancer hospitals for those grappling with the unknown while navigating a cancer diagnosis.
Guided by these values, the team at Maggie's quickly realised that without the help of a specialist contractor aligned with their vision, what they might be able to deliver for patients would be limited.
Executing technical excellence in design and evoking the restorative power of great architecture called for experienced construction teams unfazed by the prospect of a challenge. While traditionally within healthcare environments, complex design is seen as surplus to requirements, when Maggie's posed the 'cosmic whirlpool' concept to Sir Robert McAlpine for its Singleton Hospital project in Swansea, saying 'no' was not a consideration.
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