Maggies

Maggie’s Centres are places that help to support people with, through and beyond cancer. Maggie’s Aberdeen was built in 2013. It is a white building in the shape of a pebble or shell and offers warmth and a feeling of safety and protection to all its visitors.

The single-storey centre would have a curved form, with a hard concrete exterior and a soft timber interior.

It was the free flowing concrete form, so reminiscent of the work of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, that presented some of the most onerous challenges.

For visual reasons it was essential that the external concrete shell appeared completely free of joints.

The design team, in conjunction with reinforced concrete specialist Shotcrete Services Ltd developed an innovative alternative solution with Shotcrete’s expertise in spraying concrete in-situ without the use of extensive moulds, this was essential to the construction strategy adopted.

The structural frame of the building was then formed by 16mm rebar spanning between the extrapolated setting out points. The concrete frame was then sprayed with concrete while the scaffold ties remained in place. Once the ties were removed the holes were infilled and the entire frame finally poured. It was only after this point that the large openings in the final envelope were cut out, shuttered and sprayed with concrete to complete the overall shell.

Finishing the interior soffit of the concrete envelope also presented its challenges. Approximately 250mm of insulation was required to ensure that the building achieved required U-values.

People have said they feel safe when they walk into the centre and, despite the height of the ceiling, the architects have created a space that feels calming and peaceful. The centre sits among sculpted green lawns, like a pebble on the grass, with a group of Beech trees marking the main entrance.

Aberdeen Civic Society Alex Urquhart said:
“The committee were impressed by the novel and impressive design of Maggie’s Aberdeen and were particularly impressed by the quality and workmanship taken with such a different design.”