engineering.
We are pleased to announce that Maggie’s Yorkshire, which we worked on alongside Heatherwick Studio, is now completed and open.
Maggie’s Centres provide free practical and emotional support to people with cancer, and for their families as well. Today, the centre opened its doors at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, making it the charity’s 26th centre to open in the UK.
Heatherwick’s design is comprised of three ‘pot’ structures with branching timber fins that support a beautifully dense landscaped roof. The three-pot structures are positioned around the heart of the centre, which houses a kitchen, social spaces, a library and an exercise. AKT II worked alongside Heatherwick Studio on the structural design for this project.
Design Director on the project, Rob Partridge, spoke of the centre’s completion; ‘The technical innovation behind the structural design of this project is evident in the impressive cantilevering ribs which rely on a ‘modern weave’ of different wood species working together to produce an enhanced stiffness – way above that of traditional softwood products. Working with Heatherwick Studio on Maggie’s Centre allowed the team at AKT II to apply our research into and experience working with timber on this unique project.’
To find out more about this project, head to the Maggie’s Yorkshire project page.
