For the fifth time in nine years lighting consultants Speirs and Major Associates have been involved in the winning Stirling Prize project, which for 2009 is Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre at London’s Charing Cross Hospital by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners. Maggie’s Centres, run on a charitable basis, offer information, counselling and support for cancer sufferers.
Maggie's Centre was opened to the public in April 2008. The small, orange building with a roof that seems to float above it has enlivened a challenging corner of Fulham Palace Road, with a tranquil garden leading up to the entrance. Stone sculptures and wooden benches provide welcome and pleasant places to sit along the winding path to the front door. Designed on a domestic scale, the centre's heart is the double-height kitchen, from which the three sitting rooms, library, courtyard gardens and a number of other spaces for more private or personal conversations, open. Light fills the interior, coming through the glazed walls at first floor level and through openings in the roof. Despite being on a busy main road, the centre is surprisingly quiet inside, thanks to the protection of the wall and birch trees which wrap around it. The birch-faced ply and fair-face concrete finishes and furnishings - that include rugs by Paolo Lenti and furniture by Alvar Aalto - add to the relaxed, homely atmosphere.
“Maggie’s is particularly special to us given the role of the charity and the support they provide. It is an exquisite building and we are proud to have worked on it,” said Mark Major, director of Speirs and Major Associates’ London office, which designed the interior and exterior lighting for the project. “We would like to think that, through creating the right atmosphere and image after dark, the lighting has also made some contribution to the overall success of the project and to the enjoyment of those who use the building.”
The aim of the low budget lighting scheme was simplicity – a lot of the work is carried out by volunteers so complicated controls were avoided – and to create a comfortable, domestic-style ambience. High-quality Louis Poulsen fittings were used throughout, with additional linear up/downlighting in the first-floor administration areas providing both task lighting and a glow to the elegant floating roof. The building is very green with extensive use of natural daylight and low energy sources. The building was designed to make the most of natural light, indeed; artificial light is used efficiently with individual controls, while a "sun clock" manages outdoor lighting. Speirs and Major Associates was also responsible for lighting a second Stirling Prize shortlisted project this year, London office building Aldermanbury Square by Eric Parry Architects.
Client: Maggie’s Centre Architect: Rogers Strik Harbour + Partners Structural Engineer: ARUP Landscape Consultant: Dan Pearson Lighting Consultant: Mark Major and Rose Richardson of Speirs and Major Associates
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