“What we’re looking for in our architects is an attitude. We want people to deliver the brief but without preconceived ideas,” this is from the statement from the architectural brief issued by the Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres. The result is a growing network of drop-in centres for cancer patients and their relatives, where each building is distinguished by its unique architecture.

The seven existing centres, and the others planned for sites across Great Britain, are the subject of the latest V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership exhibition at the Architecture Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum. Each centre is different in appearance, but all designed to foster the calm and caring atmosphere Maggie Jencks wanted to create with the first centre. The exhibition shows scale models of some of the existing and many of the planned centres, allowing comparisons between different architects and how the network will develop in the future. Like the centres, the models are also quite diverse in terms of materials, one has even been made in glazed ceramic.

Follow the design process of Zaha Hadid, Page\Park, and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners through the sketches, concept models, construction drawings and even samples of materials accompanying models of their Maggie’s Centres.

The Architecture of Hope: Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres exhibition is open until 8th May 2011. Entry is free.

About Wilson Yau

I work for the British Architectural Library at the RIBA as part of a team to share news, images and information online about the activities of the Library and the fascinating items we have in our architectural collections – it contains over four million items, so there's plenty to see! If you’re curious about what we do at the Library and with the collections, or want to discover the latest about our education programmes, public events and exhibitions at the RIBA, please visit www.architecture.com

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